Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

VFW 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Blood and gore, always on tap.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 28, 2020

Young director Joe Begos (Almost Human, Bliss) returns with another slice of brooding cinema, this time a taut and tough throwback to violent 1980s action/horror in the spirit of John Carpenter by way of close-quarter nightmares like Green Room. Though it doesn't regularly meet -- let alone exceed -- its influences, VFW's go-for-broke approach to blood and guts should appeal to gore-hounds and genre fans alike. (It is a Fangoria picture, after all.)

There's not much to the story, which is probably part of VFW's appeal. It follows a group of Vietnam and Korean War veterans at their titular meeting place, a bar operated by Fred Parras (Stephen Lang). Today is Fred's birthday, so his buddies Water Reed (William Sadler), Abe Hawkins (Fred Williamson), and Lou Clayton (Martin Kove) want to take him out to a strip joint. Minutes later, their plans are put on hold when a woman named Lizard (Sierra McCormick) bursts in followed by thugs from the abandoned movie theater next door. They're after her bag full of street drugs nicknamed "Hype", which she stole from their leader Boz (Travis Hammer) after he talked her sister into suicide. Things get bloody fast: at least one thug is brutally killed after Fred's other pal Doug (David Patrick Kelly) is critically injured, and it's not long before the unexpected drop-in turns into a barbaric, bloody stand-off between the vets and visitors.

Needless to say, VFW feels like a celebration of practical effects, at least the red and squishy kind -- there are no monsters to be found, but enough blood and guts to rival the two most recent Rambo installments. This unapologetic approach, though a bit shocking at first, feels like a natural fit for the film's dark, gritty, and synth-soaked atmosphere, where most of the light is supplied by flickering neon. It works in tandem with the largely likable lead performances, as VFW is populated by a handful of familiar faces from notable 80s and 90s flicks such as Tombstone, Die Hard 2, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Karate Kid, The Crow, and...uh...Spice World. While VFW probably won't eclipse any of those films in hindsight (expect maybe the last one), it is a reasonably satisfying "what you see is what you get" production that, with some more refined lighting and more capable supporting actors, would have been even better.

This dark and low-budget production feels like an odd choice for 4K, but RLJ Entertainment's combo pack seems up to the modest challenge, serving up a decent A/V presentation and fan-friendly extras to boot. A separate Blu-ray only edition is also available for those not yet equipped for 4K, and it's a pretty reasonable substitute.

VFW 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

VFW is armed with what appears to be a capable 2160p transfer, event if its rough and gritty cinematography doesn't make it the most obvious candidate for UHD. Grain and noise arrive in equal measure, along with near-endless shadows that are occasionally crushed by the harsh glow of flickering neon. It's tough to get a good read on the production's technical origins but its sporadic strengths, along with the studio's solid track record for disc authoring, are enough evidence that this is likely the best the film can look on home video, even without the benefits of HDR. Image detail and textures are very strong under the right lighting conditions, while compression artifacts and banding -- at least those not baked into the source material -- are kept to a minimum. That said, VFW is so pervasively dark that, even with its occasional strengths in mind, this is not exactly a go-to demo disc for videophiles.

For my thoughts on the included Blu-ray's 1080p transfer, please see that review. Please note that the screenshots featured in both reviews are sourced from the Blu-ray and are not meant to represent 4K's native resolution.

VFW 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, on the other hand, offers a more immediately impressive experience. The driving force is an original score by Steve Moore (a frequent collaborator with director Joe Begos), who contributes a pulsing and effective synth-heavy score that creates a pretty strong atmosphere. Of course the frequent action scenes, loaded with gunshots and blood spurts, pack a strong punch as well -- clarity and dynamic range are well-balanced, and the mostly front-loaded dialogue is crisp and clear as well. Discrete channels and LFE are put to good use on many occasions, which easily keeps up with the demand of what's on-screen. No sync issues were detected along the way, and the optional English (SDH) subtitles are formatted perfectly and fit snugly within the 2.39:1 frame.

VFW 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc set arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with attractive cover art, a matching slipcover, and a promotional insert. The on-disc extras look good on paper but, aside from the commentaries, are pretty basic.

• Audio Commentary #1 with director Joe Begos, associate producer Brian Dutton, and producer Josh Ethier.

• Audio Commentary #2 with director Joe Begos, associate producer Brian Dutton, producer Josh Ethier, special effects artists Josh and Sierra Russell of Russell FX, assistant editor Matt Mercer, and others.

• The Making of VFW (4:06) - This quick and dirty promotional overview of the production features several key members of the cast and crew, as well as a few gory moments from the set.

• Meet the Cast of VFW (3:51) - A like-minded collection of short cast interviews.

• The Special Make-Up Effects of VFW (3:39) - Earlier participants return with comments about all the blood and gore. Disappointingly short with no real insight, but a few nice behind-the-scenes clips are included.

VFW 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joe Begos' grim and gritty VFW goes all-in with the bloodshed and brutality -- it's a pulpy throwback to over-the-top 1980s action/horror that gorehounds should enjoy. Although the actual story and some of the supporting performances never surpass the lead actors and special effects, it's still a decent way to kill 90 minutes. RLJ Entertainment's 4K does what it can with the rough source material, although it seems like an odd choice for the format. Still the best package available, and the extras add some value too. Recommended, but only to genre fans.