Bad Asses on the Bayou is the third film in Bad Ass franchise. Ornery elderly duo Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) and Bernie Pope (Danny Glover) are back. The guys’ friend Carmen (Loni Love) is getting married, and her wealthy father Earl (John Amos) has offered to fly them down to Louisiana to stay at the family plantation.

Shortly after their arrival, Carmen is kidnapped and held for ransom. When the local police seem unwilling to do anything, Frank and Bernie take it upon themselves to hunt down the kidnappers, and rescue Carmen—doling out their unique style of justice towards anyone who gets in their way.

If you’ve seen either of the first two installments of the franchise, then you are already familiar with the formula. Throughout their adventure, Frank and Bernie are trying to do something good, but trouble always seems to find them. They manage to kick, punch and shoot their way out of it, while making jokes about their age and ailing bodies, hitting on young women, and dressing in ridiculous outfits (including Frank’s famous fanny pack). This time around the guys cross paths with racist Duck Dynasty-looking rednecks, kidnappers, local law enforcement and some bank robbers.

In the first film, it was just Frank against the world. In the second film he was joined by Bernie. And this time around, the guys add a third member to their crew with Carmen’s father. The end credits promise a fourth film, and I wonder who will join this group next!

There’s always plenty of action and comedy when these guys are on a mission. And while the fight scenes tend to fall more on the humorous side, there is always one scene in each of these films that has Frank crossing the line into the gruesome, graphic and illegal territory—and we once again get one of those here. There is also a so-ridiculous-it’s-funny scene with the guys ending up in a plane with no pilot—and the guys quickly add merit to all the stereotypes about elderly drivers!

While I really enjoyed the first two films, I found this storyline to be much weaker. The only people who seemed genuinely concerned about Carmen’s kidnapping were Frank and Bernie—Carmen’s father and Carmen herself really didn’t give off any sense of urgency about the situation. There was also a side plot of Carmen’s younger brother Ronald (Jimmy Bennett) being bullied at school. This premise had a lot of potential, but it was only half-heartily resolved and forgotten too quickly.

Sadly, there is no HD release this time around, but the picture quality on the DVD was more than sufficient. The audio track provides clear dialogue and sound effects, but I didn’t notice any great use of the surround channels.

The only bonus feature included on the disc is a fun 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. Not a lot of direct-to-video sequels even get this much, so it was nice to see this included.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:24:41)

• 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
• Closed Captioned

Extras:

• Behind the Scenes of Bad Asses on the Bayou (15:51)
  A fun behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film with the cast and crew. Includes footage of choreographing the fight scene in the gentleman’s club, Danny Glover delivering his “Deez Nuts” line, Loni Love working with the cockroaches, Chelsea Bruland’s fight scene with the Dannys, the effects for face in the fryer scene, Danny Glover doing his own stunts in the final shoot-out, and the actors talking about working with one another. Those interviewed include writer/director Craig Moss, stunt coordinator Mikal Kartvedt, and actors Loni Love (“Carmen”), Chelsea Bruland (“Marissa), Sammi Rotibi (“Geoffrey”), Danny Glover (“Bernie”), Danny Trejo (“Frank”), and John Amos (“Earl”).
• Sneak Peek (9:06)
  Play All or select from trailers for Discover Digital HD, Unfinished Business, The Kingsman: Secret Service, Taken 3 and Homeland Season 4.

Final Thoughts:

Danny Glover and Danny Trejo are back with more of the same in this third installment of the Bad Ass franchise. This time around there is only a DVD release, but the picture and sound quality were more than sufficient. There is only a single bonus feature on the disc, but the 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette is quite entertaining.

While I enjoyed the first two films, this one just felt like a rushed sequel that didn’t really bring anything new, with a poorly though-out storyline. Die-hard fans will enjoy the further adventures of Frank and Bernie, but for those unfamiliar with the Bad Ass franchise, I suggest checking out either of the previous two installments first. Here’s hoping the fourth film is better than this one. (Yes, according to the end credits there is a fourth film on the way, Bad Assess in Bangkok!)