Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses’

Written by Scott Edwards 

There are instances in your life when you look back and wonder what would have happened if you did it differently. Not knowing what will happen when you take a shot at something can be the biggest reason why we do not take chances. Taking chances is something that you should never be afraid of, especially if you do not know what the result will be. Of course, there can be negative outcomes, but when it comes out as a positive, you have no regrets and will continue to live your life the way it should be lived, without fear.

Frank Vega has been able to use his fame a little bit and is now running a gym for troubled kids in the neighborhood. Taking young Manny under his wing and teaching him how to box, Manny is about to turn pro with his first fight. With Vega being a father figure to him, Manny is so proud to have him in his life and will do anything not to disappoint him. But Manny has a secret that he has been hiding from Vega and when he gets a text message to meet up with his employer, he gets killed in an alley and the truth comes out.

Beside himself, Vega enters his gym and threatens his kids with broken legs if they are into the same thing that Manny was. Pulling Tucson into his office to have a chat about who is dealing drugs, he can tell that the boy is lying to him and he follows the young boxer to his pickup location. After beating the heck out of the armed guards at the safe house, Vega returns home and tries to drown his sorrows, but is in need of more alcohol and when his old liquor store owner does not answer his calls, Vega takes to the streets and finds himself in a situation that he cannot handle on his own. Being outnumbered six to one, the friendly old face of Bernie Pope comes out and with the use of his hockey stick is able to help Vega get the information he needs to start his next hunt.

Even though the old men are not friends, the common goal of taking out the men who put the hit on Manny unites them. Searching the city for clues as to who was behind the killing, the two are given the name Adolfo and head off to find out what the man knows. After getting an ice pick through the eye, Adolfo gives up his father, Leandro Herrera who works at the Argentinian Consulate. Knowing that it will be next to impossible to corner Herrera in his place of business, Vega and Bernie take to their new tactics of non-violence to try to find out what the man is up to.  Finding out that he is the one behind the drug trade and more importantly behind the murder of Manny, Vega and Bernie are now ready for battle and will stop at nothing to bring the man to justice. But they encounter one small problem since Herrera has diplomatic immunity and the police will not touch him. Which means Vega and Bernie will have to take a different road to bring their new foe down and make sure that nobody else gets hurt.

For the second installment of the Bad Ass series, I must admit that it was still pretty good. Adding another old character to pair up with Frank Vega is genius and makes the movie well worth viewing. When you get to learn more about Bernie, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain from working with Vega and even though his old bones may not be up to the task, he is not willing to step away from the fight. Then the other subplot of the story takes you to Manny’s family, his mother and sister who are in need of someone to help take care of them. This is just great since you get to see how Vega interacts with the kids, even though they are much smarter than him when it comes to technology.  It is a great follow up and I cannot wait to watch the third installment of the series. I will always say that it is a good idea to respect your elders and this movie just goes to prove that they may not be as frail and out of it as you think. Happy Viewing.

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