Bobby Z

Rating R Formats DVD Genre action Starring Paul Walker, Laurence Fishburne, Olivia Wilde, J.R. Villarreal, Keith Carradine, Josh Stewart, Chuck Liddell Directed by John Herzfeld Publisher Sony Pictures Home Entertainment External Links Official Bobby Z Website

Bobby Z is an action film that follows the identity switchover plot that is in other films such as Infernal Affairs, The Departed and Face/Off. The only minor difference that separates Bobby Z from these three films is that...um...it kinda stinks.

Paul Walker, who has more or less become a staple star for dumb action flicks, is Tim Kearny, a former military hero turned small-time bonehead criminal who is serving jail time for...being a small-time bonehead criminal. After killing a fellow convict who happens to be a leader of a large Hell’s Angels chapter, Kearny becomes a walking dead man. However, DEA agent Tad Gruzsa (Laurence Fishburne) offers Tim a way out of prison; he must take the identity of Bobby Z, a high-profile drug kingpin. As Bobby Z, Kearney must be part of a hostage exchange coordinated by, Don Huerto (Joaquim de Almeida), another drug kingpin who has been on the hunt for Bobby.

Despite some beautiful west coast scenery, Bobby Z fails in terms of story and character development. The writers basically took all of the elements and plot devices from Face/Off and Walker’s previous action film, the highly overrated Running Scared, and mashed them both together, culminating into a film that is unoriginal, clichéd and overall, dull. We do get a few decent action sequences, but they aren’t enough to make up for something that would easily be considered a film garnered towards the Spike TV audience. Even with fight choreography by UFC fighters Chuck Liddell and Pat Militech, you would think there would be some decent hand-to-hand fight scenes involved. Nope.

Even with the impressive cast, it seems that everyone, from Walker to Fishburne, are phoning this one in. Joaquim de Almeida, known for similar roles in Desperado and “24”, shows that he is tired of playing the standard Latin drug kingpin. Olivia Wilde is very attractive but she too comes off very standard in this one. Seriously, I’ve seen so many films and characters of this nature, I honestly found myself rather bored; even with all of the chase scenes and explosions.

Special features are limited down to a quick making-of feature where director John Herzfeld tries to pass his film off as a true work of art, citing Spaghetti Westerns and 70’s Blaxploitations as sources of inspiration. It is quite amusing.

In spite of Paul Walker’s slow but steady rise as an action star, some well-done camerawork and a cast that looks great on paper, Bobby Z is abounded with direct-to-video action movie vibes. Expect to see this in the “2 for $11” bin at Wal-Mart very soon.