It has been 3 years since verteran-turned hot dog cart owner-turned vigilante justice seeker Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) was named an honorary police officer by the LAPD. Vega now lives in an apartment above the community center/gym he owns and runs. Vega soon finds himself in a familiar situation where someone close to him winds up dead, and when the police investigation fails, it is up to him to seek vengeance against those responsible. However, this time Vega isn’t alone—he is joined by Bernie (Danny Glover), a former professional hockey player who owns the shop next door to the gym. These two grumpy old men take the law into their own hands as they work their way through the ranks of a large-scale drug operation, taking down everyone in their way as they try to find those in charge—an Argentinian diplomat (Andrew Divoff) and his son Adolfo (Ignacio Serricchio).

If you’ve seen the original Bad Ass film, you already know what to expect—ridiculous, over-the-top action and fight sequences, mixed with a lot of humor. This sequel doesn’t break any new ground, and plays out almost identically to the first film. While this makes the sequel quite predictable, it is still a fun ride. This is not the type of film that is meant to be taken too seriously, otherwise you would just dwell on all of the plot holes, unrealistic violence and consequences. No matter if he is doing things in the name of justice, Vega would have been arrested a long time ago for his less-than-legal tactics of getting information!

This sequel adds a second Danny to the cast, and I have to say I loved the chemistry between Trejo and Glover. These two men are great on-screen together. Every scene is a lot of fun—whether it’s the humor of these old men bickering and giving each other crap in jest, or watching these guys in their late 70s beat the crap out of much younger and tougher guys. We also see these two guys constantly hitting on much younger women (and succeeding!), as well as being the ones who are themselves being seduced.

If there was one part of the film I found a little disappointing its that they set up this interesting premise that Bernie is agoraphobic, but this was pretty much dropped two scenes later. But that is just a small gripe as I found the rest of the film to be a fun roller-coaster ride of ridiculous action and humor.

Overall the picture quality on the Blu-ray is quite good. However, the third act seemed to be a bit more grainy than the rest of the film, and some of the effects—such as explosions or frosty breaths—weren’t quite up to par. The soundtrack was well-done—every punch, gun shot and explosion resonates well, and the surround channel is utilized to bring the viewer into the action.

The Blu-ray only contains a single bonus feature—a 10-minute look behind-the-scenes, with interviews with he cast and writer/director. While this was interesting, I wish there had been some more supplements included on the disc. The Blu-ray release also includes an UltraViolet digital copy of the film.

Overall, I think fans of the original will really enjoy this film as it is more of the same. Others who are looking for a fun action/comedy should also check this out. A third film in the franchise, Bad Ass 3: Bad Asses on the Bayou, already wrapped filming last month and will be released next year, so there’s still more Bad Ass fun to come!

What’s Included:

Film: (1:30:40)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 4/8/2017):

• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy redeemable via Flixster, Google Play or Vudu

Extras:

• The Making of Bad Asses (10:00)
  The cast and creator talk about the characters, the plot, the Los Angeles setting, and working with the Dannys. Includes a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/writer Craig Moss, and actors Danny Trejo (“Frank Vega”), Danny Glover (“Bernie Pope”), Jacqueline Obradors (“Rosaria Parkes”), Jeremy Ray Valdez (“Manny Parkes”), Ignacio Serricchio (“Adolfo Herrara”), and Patrick Fabian (“Officer Malark”).
• Sneak Peek (10:06)
  Play All or select from trailers for “In the Name of the King 3”, “Out of the Furnace”, “The Counselor”, “Bad Ass”, “12 Rounds 2”, and “Cheech & Chong’s Animated Movie”.

Final Thoughts:

Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses is a fun but predictable sequel that gives fans more of the same over-the-top action and comedy. Danny Glover is an excellent addition to the cast, and he and Danny Trejo have great on-screen chemistry. While the Blu-ray is very light on supplemental material, it does include a short behind-the-scenes featurette. This film is worth checking out if you are looking for a fun action/comedy.