This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
The Death and Life of Bobby Z
Plot Overview
Mexican drug-lord Don Huertero
(Joaquim de Almeida) remote partners with candy ass,
vegetarian, surfer Bobby Z (Jason Lewis) to move his product north.
Bobby's confederate Monk (Josh Stewart) rips off Huertero and
blames him. Z will bribe DEA agent Ted Grusza (Laurence Fishburne)
to exchange his double under extreme prejudice for the agent's
hapless partner held hostage. Imprisoned Z look-alike, former
Marine Tim Kearney (Paul Walker) is offered freedom in exchange for
the role. He develops an affinity with Bobby Z's gorgeous
girlfriend Elizabeth (Olivia Wilde) who warns him to escape the camp.
He goes on the run with her 12-year-old Kit (Juan Villareal) who insisted
on coming along. If the cartel doesn't get him, maybe the Aryan
Brotherhood will, one of whom he'd killed in prison.
Ideology
In high school Tim had a
fickle jig friend named Wayne who landed him in Juvie. In the corps
he didn't fraternize much with other Marines but trained hard under
various instructors. In prison he did not join the
Brotherhood. His psych eval was: Low self esteem and poor
impulse control. He did not make friends easily. Kit for being
moved back and forth across the border was not enrolled in school
so didn't make friends there. These two became friends with each
other impressing Elizabeth who didn't turn Tim in but bedded him
forthwith. Thus those two became romantically involved in ways
hard to anticipate à la (Prov. 30:18-19) “There be three
things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man
with a maid.”
“The way of an eagle in the air”
in this movie corresponds to a light plane bombarding the two runaways
in the desert as they flee on foot to Castle Rock for shelter.
“The way of a serpent upon a rock” corresponds to a serpentine chase across the landscape with a horse in the lead followed by motorbikes and a jeep.
“The way of a ship in the midst of the sea” corresponds to a boat-hopping misadventure near dock ending up on a vessel named Nowhere with lots of cash, one another, and no clear destination. It's hard enough following all that action, let alone the boy-girl stuff.
Production Values
“” (2007) was directed by John Herzfeld. Bob Krakower and Larry Schapiro wrote the screenplay faithfully following the book by Don Winslow. It stars Paul Walker, Laurence Fishburne and Olivia Wilde. Also featured are Keith Carradine, Rebecca Chaney, Joaquim De Almeida, Jason Flemyng and JR Villarreal. Happily, Walker does not play a dual role. He delivers a credible performance as Bobby Z's look-alike playing it free and easy. Fishburne's acting was outstanding who played an ominous DEA agent. Olivia Wilde was quite a looker in her part as a drug moll.
MPA rated it R for violence, some drug use, language and brief nudity from the back. The fight scenes were well choreographed. The backgrounds were sparse and the camera work basic. However, they did use split screens to advantage, which complemented the double-identity story. Lots of action takes place. It was released straight to video. Runtime is 1 hour 37 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Tim's mother had wanted him to be his best and he quoted part of a Bible verse once, indicating he might be on a path to Christian redemption, but he doesn't get there in this picture. The film is heavy on action but light on story. It's easy to tell the good guys from the bad, with one exception. For action freaks.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.
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