Simplicity itself, the horror movie “VFW” makes the most of its stripped-to-the-bone premise and gallons of gore. Characterized by blood-red lighting and bright-blue dialogue, the movie revels in a blasted urban setting that’s as repugnant as most of its supporting characters. And that’s before heads explode and faces are pounded to dog meat.
Much of the splatter takes place inside a rundown meeting hall for war veterans, where Fred (Stephen Lang) and his cronies (including William Sadler, Fred Williamson and Martin Kove) drink and wax nostalgic about their exploits in Vietnam. Outside, a new drug has turned the city into a battleground where crazed addicts and punk dealers viciously collide; and when a vulnerable teenager (Sierra McCormick) seeks sanctuary from the enraged owners of the drugs she has stolen, the vets prepare for one last stand. No prizes for guessing they’re more stoked than dismayed.
Essentially a geezers-fight-back siege movie (Tom Williamson plays the sole young veteran), “VFW” is riotously scuzzy and warmly partial to its rusty heroes. As they improvise weapons from pool cues and other scavenged bits and bobs, their camaraderie and newfound purpose are rather sweet. The resulting violence is almost comedically baroque, the special effects at times howlingly crass — blood geysers forth as if every blow has nicked a major artery — but none of it is meanspirited. Meantime, the director, Joe Begos, brings a grindhouse sensibility to Mike Testin’s glowering images, which are sometimes too murky to tell which body part is being crushed or chainsawed. Even so, I’m not watching it again to find out.
VFW
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
