VFW

Joe Begos is a true renegade. His filmography is dedicated to ignoring the trends of mainstream cinema in preference of sharing the stories he wants to tell. Nothing is off limits in his films, and nothing is impossible. Begos makes the magic with limited budgets and dedicated performers, repeatedly defying expectations. He is, for lack of a better description, an indie filmmaker in the truest sense.

VFW, Begos’ latest feature, continues his penchant for blood and rage. The film takes place in a not-so-distant future where the opioid epidemic has completely ravaged the United States. The hardest hit areas are now largely abandoned, and the police don’t respond to calls for help. Drug dealers are the new Gods, and they do not care what the poison they sell does to their consumers.

Fred Parras (Stephen Lang) is one of a few non-addicts remaining in an urban area. He’s the bartender at a VFW hall where all his friends come to drink their lives away while sharing stories of their days in Vietnam and others wars. It’s a simple life, filled with drunken laughs and good times, but Fred’s world is flipped upside down when a teen girl, Lizard (Sierra McCormick), enters his bar one fateful night. She’s on the run from mutant drug dealers with their stash in her bag, and she’ll need Fred’s help if she has any hope of surviving the night.

VFW takes roughly 10 minutes to reach a breakneck pace that runs until the credits roll. Those opening moments are necessary to familiarize viewers with the characters and their relationships, but it’s all a fuse burning down until Lizard bursts through Fred’s door with thugs mere feet behind. The veterans who occupy the VFW hall have no patience for unwanted guests, and they waste no time eliminating every threat that comes their way.

Everything about the film, from the production design to the us-versus-them storyline, is Begos’ way of paying tribute to the dark action films of yesteryear. There’s a little Assault on Precinct 13, a little Escape From New York, and a lot of fake blood. VFW has many elaborate methods of death and destruction, each a bit more grisly than the last. There are shootings, stabbings, impalements, and more than a handful of bludgeoning sure to please horror hounds and action aficionados alike.

Begos has a reputation for thinking outside the box, but VFW shows his ability to play within the blood-red lines drawn by his cinematic heroes. It’s a simple, straightforward tale of good pummeling evil under the harsh lighting of neon signs that are aging right alongside the central veterans. If you’re looking for substance and dramatic heft, look elsewhere. But if you want blood and vengeance, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Grade: A-minus. Not rated. Now available on Google Play and Vudu

(Photo: RLJE Films)