VFW (2019) - Joe Begos

Begos whole aesthetic and directorial sensibilities seem rooted in nostalgia for the film's he grew up on.  His cinematic pastiche is precise and welcoming, with every one of his films to-date being a slight subversion or mutation of underseen or overlooked films from the past.  With VFW, Begos delivers a violent, visceral lofi throwback of the siege film in which he employs a host of cinematic royalty to play out their heroic brand of machismo one last time with fervor and a sense of unadulterated fun which is palpable from start to finish. Bego's film's lean into their b-movie sensibilities with VFW being no exception.  It's essentially the ultimate dad movie juxtaposed with  punk rock cinema, as actors like Stephen Lang, Fred Williamson, and William Sadler play old ex-Vietnam vets whom through unforeseen circumstances find themselves in the fight of their lives with a violent gang of punks - their old VFW bar serving as the single location for this violent, lean piece of filmmaking.  It's essentially the "I'm too old for this shit" motif played out over 90 minutes and it's glorious due primarily to Begos ability to deliver precisely what he promises, nothing more, nothing less.