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A provocative satire sending up the wretched excesses of the super-rich, brilliantly focused on the mindless stupidity of greedy capitalism and the common sense of ordinary people. It's very funny and ultimately quite thoughtful.

Poor story, too many woke themes. I was disappointed, no creativity. The only thing good was some of the action, some of the vehicles, but it was a brain dead movie, another one with super women themes again.

Another exceptional Ryan Gosling led film! You can't help but love his style and charismatic performance. He is a master of the action comedy genre. Emily Blunts chemistry blends so well with him. The action sequences along with the occasional, 'spoof like' dialogue make this a really entertaining watch. It actually gives the viewer an inside look at how stunts are executed in the movie world. The cast is rounded out with Hannah Waddinghams cheeky performance.
If you like action, drama, romance, mystery, comedy and silliness, you will find it all in this film!

It follows journalists trekking to the US President for an interview. To be honest, at times I didn't who was the Western Forces (insurgents) or the US government. It felt close to home in regards to the Jan 6th insurrection and the amount of Trump supporters out there. However, the lack of explanations on how it all came to be just tuned me out to the movie. The acting was good. It should have been done MUCH BETTER.

This was a good movie. The narrative structure did not seem like a gimmick... it made the story work perfectly. The movie was well-written and plotted, and there was some very good acting. Extra points to casting, for finding 2 actors who very closely resembled the 2 leads whose older versions we had already come to know. It may not be playing for very long, but it is worth seeing.

A Visceral, intense, and emotionally cathartic action film with soul and culture.

Dev Patel has worked with some of the best directors and cinematographers during his career, and he was clearly paying attention to what was going on behind the camera. He not only stars in the film but directs and is a co-writer on the project. This is an incredibly strong film for a debut effort. The cinematography features some stunning visuals.
The action is not for the faint of heart. There may be only a few, but they are nail-biting, creatively choreographed, bloodbath set pieces.
Brutal action sequences are not all that this movie is about. This is not a standard non-stop action film with little or bad dialogue. The writing is quite good. The exposition is delivered mostly through beautiful visual cues and spread out throughout the film. As well, spending a lot of time on character motivation and development, he successfully gets our attachment to all the characters and gives weight to the stakes. They also manage to deliver many cultural messages without hitting you over the head with it.

Plus, there is a wonderful training montage, cleverly supported with a wicked tabla soundtrack in place of the standard rock piece. Dev will engage and surprise you behind and in front of the camera for the entirety of the runtime.
The rest of the cast manages to bring their characters up a level from what would normally be cookie-cutter 2D action fodder.

A Surprisingly enjoyable, high-tier mature action film that is easily reachable. Looking forward to my next viewing.

Quirky, fast paced, laced with off the wall characters augmented with penetrating use of the camera. Well crafted and genuinely amusing. It was as entertaining as it gets.

The movie was a good movie for its attention grabbing action and the acting which fairly well done. For it to be based on historical facts enlightens one knowledge.

This movie had potential with such an amazing cast. Early on I thought it was going to go in a different direction (and could have been great) but sadly it went downhill...

Cabrini is the perfect movie of selfless love, dignity, bravery and God’s blessing. While she had a life long respiratory illness, no one is stronger than when we stoop down to help a child!
10 of 10.

Wow I thought this was the weirdest movies I've ever seen and I ended up loving it. Emma Stone what can I say? I was thrilled she won the Oscar tonight. She played such a complexed Character but she pulled it off with flying colors. I don't think this is for many folks but I would go see it again. So awesome.

It was nice to revisit this world. It did help that I had read the books and understood some of the storyline. We enjoyed the special effects and look forward to the next installment.

While I agree with some of the other comments that there were times when the accents made it difficult to understand what they were saying, I really enjoyed the movie, learned some things about him that were interesting and encourage any who enjoy this type of music and can appreciate his efforts to make the world a better place.

Interesting and different storyline, Emma Stone is magnificent, interesting to see things from a blank slate. Also loved all the costumeing.

This film is so underrated. Apparently, the constraints of the real ISS and the limitations on what could happen, did not sit well with people who wanted more action. The premise is possible, the acting excellent, and the views from the ISS are spectacular. Effects fit seamlessly. Only the ending is a bit of a let-down.

The BeeKeeper will keep you on your toes from start to finish! Amazing fast paced movie that truly reminds me of Man on Fire! SOLID 10/10.

Low budget films face an uphill battle. They don’t have the resources that their well-funded major studio counterparts have during production, and whatever money they are able to scrape together is usually gone when shooting wraps or perhaps beforehand. This is why advertising is rare for small movies, so they need to have a hook of some kind to get attention.

An A-list star or high-profile director or producer would certainly help a film stand out amongst the dozens of releases we now see every month. In the case of VFW, their ‘big names’ unfortunately won’t resonate with a general audience. Fans of Don’t Breathe and Avatar will know Stephen Lang while cult cinema aficionados may recognize director Joe Begos, but using their names to advertise a movie isn’t going to sell millions of tickets or DVDs.

What a modest production like VFW needs to attract an audience is a decent title. Veterans vs. Gangsters or The Last Drug War are far more descriptive than a set of initials and give moviegoers an idea of what to expect. In a list of film titles, three letters say nothing at all except to those who happen to know what they stand for, so the movie’s prospects of finding viewers are really limited by a title that’s easy to ignore.

For those wanting to know what the acronym means, patience will be required as the film doesn’t reveal that until well into its second act. One of the antagonists eventually mentions that VFW stands for ‘Veterans of Foreign Wars’, which is a real life organization for soldiers who fought in overseas conflicts. What the movie doesn’t mention but implies is that locations where veterans gather, such as the bar in which most of the action takes place, are also called VFWs.

Before director Joe Begos gets to the explanation for the title, he introduces a night club run by the drug-dealing Boz (Travis Hammer), a leather-clad gang leader. We know right away he’s the main antagonist because he abuses his power over addicts who are hooked on a particularly potent narcotic called Hype. The drug reduces users to a feral state, making people behave like rabid animals. When a disenchanted follower, Lizard (Sierra McCormick), steals from Boz and flees to the nearby VFW, the gang leader unleashes his legion of ‘Hypers’ to reclaim his property and take down anyone who gets in the way.

Many outlets refer to VFW as a horror film, and the behaviour of the horde definitely makes a case for that categorization. The Hypers don’t speak, simply snarling and gnashing their teeth as they charge at their quarry. Most of Begos’s movie plays like a zombie siege film as the heroes attempt to fortify and defend their watering hole against the crazed attackers.

VFW also earns its horror stripes with some extreme violence. Impaling, severing of limbs, and exploding heads will delight fans of gore and further cement the film’s place as a midnight movie. Begos is clearly influenced by films of the ’80s when practical effects ruled all of cinema, and the director uses them liberally to give his movie a very visceral touch that has yet to be equalled by digital effects.

This is not to say that VFW is wall-to-wall action. The film spends time with the veterans who see their evening’s plans derailed, giving them a trait or two to help viewers connect with the characters. Fred (Stephen Lang) is the proprietor of the VFW and taking charge comes easily to him. Walter (William Sadler) likes a good joke and isn’t afraid to get up close when the fighting starts. Lou (Martin Cove) prefers to haggle his way out of difficulties which would explain why he became a used car salesman. Doug (David Patrick Kelly) is fiercely loyal to his friends while Abe (Fred Williamson) loves sharing war stories. These old soldiers enjoy drinking in each other’s company and are easy to get behind even if they are caricatures.

Where the film stumbles is in its depiction of the setting and the Hypers. We learn at the outset that the film takes place in a dystopian near future where gangs and drug users dominate the city, and the police are too afraid to intervene. Boz’s club with its decrepit interior and drug-addled users suggests that a wasteland lies beyond the doors. Instead, we see Walter and Fred driving to the VFW, scanning rundown streets that look very much like old neighbourhoods that are ripe for gentrification. The movie may at the beginning hint at a city in ruins like in Escape From New York or Omega Man, but we end up with very familiar urban areas that could do with a facelift.

As for the Hypers, they’re supposed to be a zombie-like army, mindless and utterly savage. They behave that way until the veterans need to be lulled into a false sense of security. Rather than mill about the exits to the VFW, the Hypers remain quiet and out of sight when the former soldiers attempt to sneak out. This strategy dispels the illusion of the addicts being unthinking beasts. We also rarely see more than a handful of Hypers together, which doesn’t make them much of a horde. While VFW was released in early 2020, it was finished before COVID-19 restrictions came into effect, so the lack of extras can’t be blamed on the virus.

As a siege film, VFW is adequate but doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It often feels like a movie that’s reaching beyond its grasp and could stand to edit out some details, such as the society-on-the-verge-of-collapse setting. VFW entertains during its intense moments but is ultimately empty calories that leave you craving something more filling.

Score: 5.5/10; Streamed on 2023-Mar-15.

Great movie! Another great Alexander Payne movie. I'm sure this will gain more of a cult following once released on all platforms.

An exciting and at times edge-of-the-seat movie. This is a heroic and heartfelt story that is a must see for dog lovers.

This is an excellent story, based on the real life wrestling family Von Erich -- there are terrific performances by the father but especially by the son Kevin.

You perceive the constant striving all the brothers had to win their father's love - but never quite succeeding with a Dad that ranked his sons in his affection! Yup, crazy parenting - the Mom too only appeared to cook meals, wash clothes and did not actually show love or caring, telling her son Kevin to "work it out" with his father, she never got involved.
The father's life long obsession with the world championship of wrestling- unable to achieve his personal dream- made him so oblivious to how he was destroying the lives around him.
Really a truly compelling film on many levels and worth watching. The wrestling was great to watch too if you'd ever been a past fan!

It was a Marvel movie that had all the essential elements... story line... strong characters fun and entertaining... leaving at the end of movie with a smile.

Usually for these kinds of monster movies they never show the consequences of the destruction on people. This film did show the consequence, the pain, the loss, the horror.

It was a Godzilla move with a play, with a decent screenplay, good acting and competent actors.

Worth the watch.

This is about the best RomCom I've seen in years! It's laugh out loud hilarious... and a few scenes just steal the show! Images in my mind continue... REALLY well done!

Emma Stone is fascinating to watch. She is already nominated for a Golden Globe award. This is a movie I would watch again.