VFW - Veterani di guerra

VFW was a surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining movie. The acting was good all around and the main protagonists are so likeable that right off the bat you care for them. The dialogue was good and there was nice humor added to the mix along with a good plot and ending. To make it all better, the gore was insane, so of the craziest stuff I've seen in a modern day film, the gore is so great, that's all the movie needed to be good, they just went the extra mile and made a great movie on top of that.

I really enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of Peter Jackson's and Sam Raimi's early work. It feels like a total appreciation for anything "John Carpenter".

The gore is *chefs kiss*, the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard for a while, electro-bass pumping during the action. It's a great fun move worth your time.

VFW is a low budget grindhouse actioner in the style of the 70's and 80's. This is a siege flick in the vein of John Carpenter's Assault On Presinct 13. Steve Lang heads an ensemble cast of old school bad ass actors that includes some of my favorites including William Sadler, Fred Williamson, David Patrick Kelly and Martin Kove. The cast had a great rapport and chemistry and must survive the night at the VFW against an hoard of drug addicts. These old timer war vets take out the trash in a brutal violent matter. The film looks really grainy with bad lighting to sometimes make it difficult to tell what is going on. But for a Gonzo cheapazoid action flick this gets the job done for some gory and trashy entertainment.

Love siege movies. This one is an obvious tribute to Carpenter + the gore. It even has a Carpenter like ostinatto synth music at the beginning which establishes the menacing mood as in Assault On Precint 13. Still, the movie falls short in every aspect. The cast is good but their performance is shaky. Lang, more than anyone, is the weakest. The guy who plays the ranger is also bad. The mood is also destroyed by some mediocre continutiy. One moment a dear friend of theirs die and the next they are all laughing and delivering tacky lines. At this point in the movie, the music turns into obnoxious generic sounds. While the gore is there, the dark images prevent us from seeing it and enjoying it (a recourse to hide low budget effects maybe?). Still, it is fun to watch, the great William Sadler is in it, and it's a great (although poorly executed) Carpenter tribute.

Joe Begos is quickly becoming my absolut favorite indie director. Coming off his fantastic down n' dirty vampire flick Bliss, he is now back with his take on the classic siege film, doused in his trademarks of excessive gore, synth/metal score and neon lights.

The overall story is the very definition of simplicity and works all the better for it. It truly feels like a movie from a bygone Era populated with rugged old-times battling leatherclad junk peddlers to the blood spattered end.

If you love movies like Carpenter' Assault on Precinct 13/Escape from New York, I'm confident you'll find something here to your liking.

Hope you enjoy it.