The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007)

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. When the ... See full summary »

Director:

John Herzfeld

Writers:

Bob Krakower (screenplay), Larry Schapiro (screenplay),

Stars:

Paul Walker, Laurence Fishburne, Olivia Wilde

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Walker	...	Tim Kearney
Laurence Fishburne	...	Tad Gruzsa
Olivia Wilde	...	Elizabeth
Jason Flemyng	...	Brian
Keith Carradine	...	Johnson
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Don Huertero
J.R. Villarreal	...	Kit
Jason Lewis	...	Bobby Z
Jacob Vargas	...	Jorge Escobar
Michael Bowen	...	Duke
M.C. Gainey	...	Boom Boom
Josh Stewart	...	Monk
Margo Martindale	...	Macy
Raymond J. Barry	...	Stanley (as Raymond Barry)
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Mexican Detective

Storyline

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. When the negotiations go awry, Kearney flees, with Z's son in tow.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | drug lord | on the run | horse riding | betrayal | 

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Taglines:

To live a life of his own, he has to die first.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, some drug use, language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 2007 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Bobby Z

Filming Locations:

Baja California, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Eclectic Pictures, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jorge Escobar: [throwing down photo] This guy is perfect. His name is Tim Kearney, three-time loser from Palm Dale.
Tad Gruzsa: Definitely a resemblance. Family?
Jorge Escobar: Mom's dead, dad split.
Tad Gruzsa: Uncles, aunts, brothers, sister?
Jorge Escobar: Tim's an only child. On his own since he was 15.

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Soundtracks

"Thing About Me"
Written by David Dearmon
Performed by Calvin Scott

User Reviews

Herzfeld tries another Tarantino style movie

The plot: Kearny, a loser convict,is pushed into impersonating Bobby Z, a larger-than-life drug dealer, in a hostage trade, only to find both his own and Bobby Z's enemies trying to kill him.

Herzfeld previously directed 2 Days in the Valley, a Tarantino ripoff if ever there was one. However, unlike most people, I actually kind of liked it. This movie is another attempt to clone Tarantino's style, heavy on flashbacks, stylized violence, and witty anti-heroes. Unfortunately, it's not all that great, but it did manage to keep my interest for the runtime.

Bobby Z is built up as a small-time celebrity in the local surfer scene, as well as a rising star in drug distribution. Kearney, on the other hand, is a three time loser with a price on his head. The movie compares and contrasts their personalities many times, with Bobby Z being revealed as a manipulative, egocentric jerk, while Kearney shows many admirable qualities, despite his impulsive violence.

After a somewhat grim opening, the movie becomes quite light-hearted. In fact, I'm really at a loss as to why they even opened the movie with such a dark and disturbing bit of character development, if they were just going to completely ignore it for the rest of the film. Oh well. Much of the movie is like this, however. Whenever anything shocking and dramatic happens, it's instantly forgotten by the next scene, where everyone pretends that it never happened. Even being shot seems to be glossed over rather quickly, with some cursory first aid. It reminded me of a video game, where picking up a first aid kit heals your character of all wounds.

The acting was passable. It was certainly better than many direct-to-video movies, but nobody really stood out. I guess the script didn't really allow anyone to shine, though I was probably most disappointed that Laurence Fishburne was given such a bland role. Still, it's always fun to see him, even if it's in such a small and clichéd role.

If you're looking for an action movie, this will probably satisfy you, but I'd be surprised if you remembered it later or recommended it to your friends.