"Bobby Z"

Paul Walker
Laurence Fishburne
Olivia Wilde
Keith Carradine
Joaquim de Almeida
Jason Lewis
JR Villarreal
Jacob Vargas
M.C. Gainey

R           94min           2006

Marked for death by a biker gang, ex-Marine convict Tim Kearney (Paul Walker, Into the Blue) just got one last chance to walk out of jail alive. A scheming DEA agent (Laurence Fishburne, Mission: Impossible III) needs somebody to impersonate recently deceased drug lord Bobby Z… and Tim happens to be a dead ringer. It’s a risky proposition, but if Tim plays his part right, he may be able to claim Bobby Z’s smoking hot ex-girlfriend (Olivia Wilde, Alpha Dog) and a cool fortune in illegal profits. Unfortunately, taking on Bobby Z’s name also means taking on his bloodthirsty enemies. Caught in the crossfire, Tim runs for his life as he tries to find a way out of his deadly masquerade.

It’s based on a book "The Death and Life of Bobby Z" by Don Winslow. It wasn’t released in the theatres or for limited release. This was better than I expected. Paul Walker is in another part that plays to his strengths as an action star.

This is an example of the growing straight to DVD market. This film that may not have done well at the theatre but it had everything I look for in an entertaining film. It had action that didn’t overwhelm the film, and a cohesive story with a plausible ending.

“Bobby Z” showcased Paul Walker’s action star status. The action I think was choreographed with his martial arts training in mind. The fight scenes were dynamic. They looked like they really could have in real life.

Laurence Fishburne plays a corrupt FBI that was a reminiscent caricature of his cowboy character from Pee Wee’s Playhouse. The stand out in this film though was Olivia Wilde, she was stunning in every scene and you could see why every character on the screen coveted her. Joaquim de Almeida an under used actor in Hollywood films plays a Mexican Don that has a tone that you just know that he’s a man that is not to be cross.

I give it 3/5 Gs.