Wednesday, December 11, 2019

'VFW' Trailer: Grizzled Veterans Versus Mutant Punks, What Else Do You Need?


Oh damn, is it 1983? Because this trailer for Joe Begos’ old-dudes-versus-mutant-punks throwback exploitation joint, VFW, certainly makes it feel that way. And I mean that as the highest praise. This movie may have been made with me as the target audience. Check it out below. Probably a couple of times.



Admittedly, as much as VFW appears to have been pulled directly out of my brain, I do have some doubts. Begos’ last film, the coked-out-artist-vampire yarn Bliss, also looked like the stuff of my dreams, but I wound up not caring much for it. That said, I know some folks who had a similar reaction to Bliss, but who loved the shit out of VFW at Fantastic Fest, so I’m perfectly comfortable being real, real stoked.

And I’m not one to judge a movie based solely on an earlier film, and this VFW trailer is enough to make me froth at the mouth. Come on, grizzled army vets versus drugged out hoods? Knives, guns, swords, baseball bats with nails in them…this promises to be vicious and mean, and given Begos’ track record, there will be no shortage of gore.



And that fucking cast. Holy shit. It’s like high school me’s wet dream. We get Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe), William Sadler (Die Hard 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey), Martin Kove (Karate Kid, and Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (The 1990: Bronx Warriors, Hell’s Heroes). Hell, VFW looks like something Williamson would have made in the early ‘80s. 

There’s also Sierra McCormick (The Vast of Night), David Patrick Kelly (The Crow), George Wendt (Cheers), Dora Madison (Bliss), and Travis Hammer playing a big bad named Boz. And this doesn’t even include the army of twisted, cannon fodder hooligans that look like Assault on Precinct 13 meets Class of 1984.

Here’s a synopsis:
THE WILD BUNCH meets NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the film follows Fred and his military buddies as they must defend their local V.F.W. (Veterans of Foreign Wars) post – and an innocent teen – against a deranged drug dealer and his relentless army of punk mutants. These Vietnam vets have been to hell and back, but this will be the longest night of their lives.
What’s not to love?

VFW breaks into theaters and VOD platforms on February 14, 2020. Happy Valentine’s Day to us all.

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