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Bobby Z

Original title: The Death and Life of Bobby Z
  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Laurence Fishburne, Paul Walker, and Olivia Wilde in Bobby Z (2007)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:15
6 Videos
19 Photos
CaperDrug CrimeActionCrimeThriller

A DEA agent provides former Marine Tim Kearney with a way out of his prison sentence: impersonate Bobby Z, a recently deceased drug dealer, in a hostage switch with a crime lord.A DEA agent provides former Marine Tim Kearney with a way out of his prison sentence: impersonate Bobby Z, a recently deceased drug dealer, in a hostage switch with a crime lord.A DEA agent provides former Marine Tim Kearney with a way out of his prison sentence: impersonate Bobby Z, a recently deceased drug dealer, in a hostage switch with a crime lord.

  • Director
    • John Herzfeld
  • Writers
    • Bob Krakower
    • Larry Schapiro
    • Don Winslow
  • Stars
    • Paul Walker
    • Laurence Fishburne
    • Olivia Wilde
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Herzfeld
    • Writers
      • Bob Krakower
      • Larry Schapiro
      • Don Winslow
    • Stars
      • Paul Walker
      • Laurence Fishburne
      • Olivia Wilde
    • 44User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos6

    Bobby Z aka "The Death and Life of Bobby Z"
    Trailer 1:15
    Bobby Z aka "The Death and Life of Bobby Z"
    Bobby Z: Better Than Bobby
    Clip 1:39
    Bobby Z: Better Than Bobby
    Bobby Z: Better Than Bobby
    Clip 1:39
    Bobby Z: Better Than Bobby
    Bobby Z: I'm In Rehabilitation
    Clip 2:10
    Bobby Z: I'm In Rehabilitation
    Bobby Z: Shut Up And Get Up
    Clip 1:25
    Bobby Z: Shut Up And Get Up
    Bobby Z: Seduction
    Clip 2:10
    Bobby Z: Seduction
    Bobby Z: Three Time Loser
    Clip 1:26
    Bobby Z: Three Time Loser

    Photos19

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    Top cast85

    Edit
    Paul Walker
    Paul Walker
    • Tim Kearney
    Laurence Fishburne
    Laurence Fishburne
    • Tad Grusza
    Olivia Wilde
    Olivia Wilde
    • Elizabeth
    Jason Flemyng
    Jason Flemyng
    • Brian
    Keith Carradine
    Keith Carradine
    • Johnson
    Joaquim de Almeida
    Joaquim de Almeida
    • Don Huertero
    J.R. Villarreal
    J.R. Villarreal
    • Kit
    Jason Lewis
    Jason Lewis
    • Bobby Z
    Jacob Vargas
    Jacob Vargas
    • Jorge Escobar
    Michael Bowen
    Michael Bowen
    • Duke
    M.C. Gainey
    M.C. Gainey
    • Boom Boom
    Josh Stewart
    Josh Stewart
    • Monk
    Margo Martindale
    Margo Martindale
    • Macy
    Raymond J. Barry
    Raymond J. Barry
    • Stanley
    • (as Raymond Barry)
    Julio Oscar Mechoso
    Julio Oscar Mechoso
    • Mexican Detective
    Pat Miletich
    • Rojas
    • (as Patrick Miletich)
    Chuck Liddell
    Chuck Liddell
    • Maddog
    Oleg Taktarov
    Oleg Taktarov
    • Oleg
    • Director
      • John Herzfeld
    • Writers
      • Bob Krakower
      • Larry Schapiro
      • Don Winslow
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews44

    5.815.8K
    1
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    8
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    10

    Featured reviews

    5paramount-services

    Not too bad for straight to DVD

    For a seemingly low budget film, Bobby Z wasn't too bad. Moves pretty quickly, but with a weak storyline and plot, it is clear why it was a straight to DVD feature. Paul Walker does a decent job with a character that an Actor won't be able to do much with, except go with the flow. No real surprises, or twists and turns, just straight to the point B rated action. Actually has some pretty good fighting sequences and shoot outs. Laurence Fishburne is surprisingly cast as a supporting with a weak performance, mainly due to the script and content and possibly direction as well. Bobby Z is definitely a good B movie, with a rating of 5 overall considering everything listed above. All in all, this film is definitely worth watching if you're just chillin' with 97 minutes to spare. And Paul Walker is not nearly as bad an Actor as everyone tries to make him out to be. Have fun.
    5kevin_robbins

    Bobby Z is an average addition to the action genre that's worth watching once, but it doesn't offer anything particularly special

    I recently rewatched Bobby Z (2007) on Tubi. The storyline follows a former marine who is about to be sentenced to jail but gets an opportunity to escape his situation by impersonating a notorious drug dealer in a drug bust operation. However, things quickly spiral out of control, leading the marine to flee from both a drug cartel and the US government...

    Directed by John Herzfeld (Don King: Only in America), this picture stars Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling), Jason Flemyng (Deep Rising), and Chuck Liddell (Kick Ass 2).

    This is a very straightforward and predictable addition to the action genre. The acting is somewhat uneven, causing some scenes to feel more authentic than others. However, Chuck Liddell was perfectly cast as a villain, and Laurence Fishburne's performance straddled the line perfectly, keeping viewers guessing about his character's intentions until the very end. Some of the fight scenes were enjoyable, and the shootouts were as expected.

    In conclusion, Bobby Z is an average addition to the action genre that's worth watching once, but it doesn't offer anything particularly special. I would score it a 5/10.
    8stanman90048

    This was fun

    I saw this movie last night at a special screening for audience feedback. Paul Walker really can act - I was pleasantly surprised. I originally thought he was only cast for his looks, but can see he has good acting abilities.

    Movie was funny, worked well and I enjoyed it. The action scene in the kitchen was great and intense, kept me on the edge of my seat.

    Lawrence Fishburn - as always - great! He's a solid actor and his role as the DEA Agent worked perfectly.

    Paul's pretty love interest (Olivia Wilde from the OC)chemistry was lacking.

    Chuck Liddell, although was only in the beginning of the movie was convincing. There was also a girl named Ashley who I would have like to see more of. She's hot!

    The kid looks like he'll have a career ahead of him. The relationship between the kid and Paul Walker worked well and was believable. Not sure where I've seen him before, but he may have a promising career.

    I liked the sequence of the movie - it starts with a mystery and the flashback kept me trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I liked the movie can't wait to see on see it on the big screen. Hope if comes out soon.
    5ksf-2

    less than optimal

    Paul walker, who died in 2013. He had made all those fast and furious films. He's tim kearney, just out of prison. Agent grusza (laurence fishburne) wants him to pretend to be the dealer bobby z so a hostage swap can be made. It's all pretty silly. The bad guys are all just terrible shots.. .they never seem to hit kearney, his horse, or bobby's son. And it moves so slowly...long pauses. And who says "he's heading south by southwest" ?? No-one. Maybe sailors. Most of the script is just silly and unlikely. And the feds don't really want kearney to succeed, for some reason. And it's so convoluted, we can see why. Imdb states this was filmed in 2005, but wikipedia says it was released in 2007, and went directly to video. Not usually a good sign. Directed by john herzfeld. Based on the book by don winslow. I'll give this one a "just okay".
    7eonianskr

    Macho man Paul Walker strikes again

    Let me just start off by saying that i am quite an admirer of Paul Walker even thou he is not such a good actor i kinda like his style, this particular film had in my opinion a horrible script and a lot of pieces that didn't fit at all but it was really entertaining at least for my part. I gave it a 7, even thou i think i might have over rated it,the actress thou that played Elizabeth, i don't know her name yet but i will check it out after i post this comment, is a complete knock - out and i would see this film again just for another glimpse at her beauty-full face.

    In an other of business i was quite surprised by the distribution of Lawrance Fishbourne in a secondary part like the one he had, i consider him a pretty good actor, a lot better than "macho man" Paul Walker.

    In the end i'm just gonna say that i think they casted P. Walker just because he is a good "moaner" seeing him doing almost the same "battle sounds" in every film he had played in GrrrAAaarRRr (watch and listen closely). Cya

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    Related interests

    Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, and Elliott Gould in Ocean's Eleven (2001)
    Caper
    Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in The Wire (2002)
    Drug Crime
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Initially, the film was going to be released theatrically by Warner Bros., who have a first look deal with Millennium Films, but after the film tested poorly, WB decided to pass. Sony picked it up as a direct-to-video feature.
    • Goofs
      At the ranch, one of the characters refers to a horse as the progeny of Red Rum. Red Rum did not sire any offspring as he was a gelding.
    • Quotes

      Tad Gruzsa: You know why you're here.

      Tim Kearney: Probably cuz you want me to roll over on somebody, right?

      Tad Gruzsa: Wrong, we don't want you to roll over on somebody. We want you to be somebody.

      Tim Kearney: That's what my mom used to say!

    • Alternate versions
      The European versions of this film open and close with a hippie played by Bruce Dern talking about the death and life of Bobby Z. The US version does not have these scenes which open and bookend the movie.
    • Soundtracks
      Thing About Me
      Written by David Dearmon

      Performed by Calvin Scott

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Bobby Z?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 20, 2007 (Italy)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • Millennium Media
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Death and Life of Bobby Z
    • Filming locations
      • Island Way, Dana Point, California, USA(Bridge Tim jumps from at the end)
    • Production companies
      • Millennium Films
      • Eclectic Pictures
      • Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG IV
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $22,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $413,454
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 37m(97 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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