Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Bad Ass

  • 2012
  • R
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
20K
YOUR RATING
Danny Trejo in Bad Ass (2012)
A Vietnam veteran who becomes a local hero after saving a man from attackers on a city bus decides to take action when his best friend is murdered and the police show little interest in solving the crime.
Play trailer0:50
2 Videos
27 Photos
True CrimeActionComedyCrimeThriller

A Vietnam veteran who becomes a local hero after saving a man from attackers on a city bus decides to take action when his best friend is murdered and the police show little interest in solv... Read allA Vietnam veteran who becomes a local hero after saving a man from attackers on a city bus decides to take action when his best friend is murdered and the police show little interest in solving the crime.A Vietnam veteran who becomes a local hero after saving a man from attackers on a city bus decides to take action when his best friend is murdered and the police show little interest in solving the crime.

  • Director
    • Craig Moss
  • Writers
    • Craig Moss
    • Elliot Tishman
  • Stars
    • Danny Trejo
    • Charles S. Dutton
    • Ron Perlman
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    20K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Craig Moss
    • Writers
      • Craig Moss
      • Elliot Tishman
    • Stars
      • Danny Trejo
      • Charles S. Dutton
      • Ron Perlman
    • 92User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    No. 1
    Trailer 0:50
    No. 1
    No. 2
    Trailer 0:56
    No. 2
    No. 2
    Trailer 0:56
    No. 2

    Photos26

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 23
    View Poster

    Top cast60

    Edit
    Danny Trejo
    Danny Trejo
    • Frank
    Charles S. Dutton
    Charles S. Dutton
    • Panther
    Ron Perlman
    Ron Perlman
    • Mayor Williams
    Patrick Fabian
    Patrick Fabian
    • Officer Malark
    Joyful Drake
    Joyful Drake
    • Amber Lamps
    John Duffy
    John Duffy
    • Martin
    Harrison Page
    Harrison Page
    • Klondike
    Richard Riehle
    Richard Riehle
    • Father Miller
    Winter Ave Zoli
    Winter Ave Zoli
    • Tatiana
    Tonita Castro
    Tonita Castro
    • Frank's Mother
    Andy Davoli
    Andy Davoli
    • Renaldo
    Patricia De Leon
    Patricia De Leon
    • Marissa
    • (as Patricia Deleon)
    Frank Maharajh
    Frank Maharajh
    • Detective Shah
    Jillian Murray
    Jillian Murray
    • Lindsay Kendall
    Shalim Ortiz
    Shalim Ortiz
    • Young Frank
    Craig Sheffer
    Craig Sheffer
    • Attorney
    Chris Spencer
    Chris Spencer
    • Martin Sr.
    Jessica Lee
    Jessica Lee
    • Woman in Purple
    • Director
      • Craig Moss
    • Writers
      • Craig Moss
      • Elliot Tishman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews92

    5.520.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    5ee01239

    Good music theme

    Oh I got so disappointed with this movie... It did really started well it was a clever speech that was opening for a great story. But then it was like they changed director, everything suddenly gets predictable and boring and you are already seeing the ending in middle way.

    Well nevertheless the acting is not bad at all (except for some lame parts) and there are some cool fight scenes and some other a bit disordered action shoots. I liked the soundtrack, very nice hip hop themes, and I liked how the main character followed the clues.

    It's a movie that could had evolved on something much more thrilling but if you just want to relax with nothing too complex to mess around with your head it's a nice movie. I mean you can even watch it with kids, not a big problem, but for me it's definitely not what I look forward in a movie.
    8thomas-hogarth

    Great fun and not to be taken seriously

    I really enjoyed this film, it was almost a caricature of an action movie. Done with a brilliant subtle sense of humor.

    He goes from zero to hero, gets the girl, investigates crime scenes (including cheese chalk out line) and kicks some serious ass, in a way that we all wish we could but is of course impossible. It's almost comic book style.

    Funny quote (for the geeks) 'What the f**** is a flash drive'

    'It's an inch long storage device that uses solid state memory to store persistent data from your computer."

    Anyhow watch it with a grin on your face and point out the silly bits to your mates.
    5paul_m_haakonsen

    An aging bad ass, but a bad ass nonetheless...

    For a movie of this caliber, then "Bad Ass" wasn't actually too bad.

    "Bad Ass" is about Vietnam veteran Frank Vega (played by Danny Trejo) who moves into his mother's house after she passes away. He is enjoying an overnight Internet stardom as his acts of beating up two skinheads on a bus was caught on phone camera. Frank's friend gets killed, and seeing the police doing nothing about it, Frank decides to take things into his own hands.

    This movie sort of have elements from "Gran Torino" and also some of the old Charles Bronson movies. Sure, it is all stuff that has been seen before, but it actually did come together nicely enough in the movie and worked out great. And Danny Trejo proves that, despite up there in years, that he still can perform and do physical movies.

    The story-wise was sort of funny, sure it was unrealistic, but still it proved to be entertaining enough. However, the part with the young neighbor falling in love with him, was a bit too much, and not really a necessary part for the movie in whole. The showdown between Danny Trejo and Charles S. Dutton (playing Panther) was actually fun to watch.

    Just don't expect to be challenged by a complex storyline, because it just ain't there. And try not to pay too much attention to the shoddy dialogue, just watch the movie for what it is; an aging Danny Trejo out for revenge.

    "Bad Ass" is a no-brainer type of movie, just put it on, sit down and disconnect your brain. This movie is fun to watch and is actually entertaining. However, I doubt that I will watch it a second time at any point, the movie just didn't have enough weight to support that, at least not for me.
    6DjfunkmasterG

    Worth a look... but you must be a B movie fan.

    So... I just watched Danny Trejo's Bad Ass, which is based on the the Epic Beard Man events.

    It is a somewhat entertaining film, definitely clichéd and riddled with one liners that are so bad you have to laugh at them, think Batman and Robin with Arnold as Mr. Freeze using his goofy one liners, then take scenarios like a bus running over parking meters and Trejo's Frank Vega saying, "Sorry I don't have any change." I am not trying to say that these eye rolling moments don't make the film hard to watch, in fact given their context they work to an extent.

    The film is of course based on Thomas Brusco, the senior citizen who beat up a bus patron and became a You Tube sensation about 2 years ago. Here the filmmakers twist the yarn and give Epic Beard Man, a somewhat touching, if not mushy back story of being lost in today's world. They do try to keep the action moving even to the point that they inter-cut footage from the Arnold Schwarzenegger film RED HEAT to help provide the films climax.

    People will try and compare this film to Machete, and in a way I can see where they might get the inclination to make such a comparison, but believe me they are not int he same class.

    The primary cast are senior citizens, and if you want to watch a bunch of seniors kicking ass and taking names, this is definitely worth a look. If you decide to walk into the film, keep a VERY open mind. It is a B movie from start to finish.

    The best way to describe it is a Die Hard for seniors, but I may be giving it too much credit in saying that but overall, if you're looking for a way to kill 90 minutes on a Sunday afternoon (Or in my case, a Saturday morning) then give it a whirl.
    5Thrill_KillZ

    Time for a real honest review for Bad Ass!

    Alright I think all of us know that this for Danny Trejo's sake was not going to be anywhere near the caliber of Machete, that was funded in the millions & written very well. What we have here is a decent low budget VOD or netflix watch. The story is very simple, Trejo a man who served 7 years in the Vietnam war & upon arriving back to society he faced what every soldier faced upon returning home, a place to fit in. He struggled through the next 40 years running his hot dog stand & minding his own business. Then one day on a public bus he kicked the crap out of two punks harassing an old man & it was filmed by another bus rider & leaked onto the internet. It goes viral & he is proclaimed by the public as "Bad Ass". A title he wasn't looking for but he was happy to finally be fitting in with society.

    After his one & only friend was murdered senselessly he became the man the public wanted him to be & started on journey of ass kicking his way to find answers. This film won't win any awards but it was certainly entertaining for 90 minutes, and all you punks giving it a 1 rating should go sky diving without a parachute because obviously your brainless body is just in the way. It's 5/10 solidly, actually it's worth more than that for the great message it leaves the viewer. So to belittle this fine piece of film is in itself a crime!

    I couldn't help thinking of Gran Torino & Harry Brown a bit at times due to the fact of all three characters being in a war, all being senior citizens & all they wanted was a little peace & a bit of happiness and they were "called" back into duty for something they truly believed in.

    More like this

    Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses
    5.6
    Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses
    Bad Asses on the Bayou
    5.3
    Bad Asses on the Bayou
    Badass!
    5.4
    Badass!
    The Package
    5.0
    The Package
    A Hitman in London
    3.9
    A Hitman in London
    Bad Ass
    3.4
    Bad Ass
    Hunt to Kill
    5.1
    Hunt to Kill
    American Warrior
    8.3
    American Warrior
    Maximum Conviction
    4.7
    Maximum Conviction
    Bad Ass Babes
    5.9
    Bad Ass Babes
    Tactical Force
    4.7
    Tactical Force
    Machete Kills
    5.6
    Machete Kills

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The bus chase scene is a digitally altered version of the one from Red Heat (1988).
    • Goofs
      At 8:08 you can see 5 service stripes (Hash marks) on Frank's uniform, which would signify 15 years continuous service in the US Army. Frank served 7 years of which 6 years were in Vietnam. 2 service stripes would be proper.
    • Quotes

      Mayor Williams: And enough with the long text messages. What's up with those fucking happy faces. I hate that shit.

    • Connections
      Edited from Red Heat (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Blood Sweat Tears
      (instrumental)

      Written by Raw C

      Performed by Chef Raw C Beatz

      Published by Aurturo Molina (BMI)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ

    • How long is Bad Ass?Powered by Alexa
    • Is this film based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 5, 2014 (Philippines)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bố Đời
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Amber Lamps
      • Silver Nitrate
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.