Bobby Z (a.k.a. The Death and Life of Bobby Z)
To live a life of his own. He has to die first.
One Man. Two Lives. Countless Enemies. Marked for death by a biker gang, ex-Marine convict Tim Kearney (Paul Walker, Into the Blue) just got one last chance to walk out of jail alive. A scheming DEA agent (Laurence Fishburne, Mission: Impossible III) needs somebody to impersonate recently deceased druglord Bobby Z... and Tim happens to be a dead ringer. It's a risky proposition, but if Tim plays his part right, he may be able to claim Bobby Z's smoking hot ex-girlfriend (Olivia Wilde, Alpha Dog) and a cool fortune in illegal profits. Unfortunately, taking on Bobby Z's name also means taking on his bloodthirsty enemies. Caught in the crossfire, Tim runs for his life as he tries to find a way out of his deadly masquerade. Also starring UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Chuck Liddell.
Member Reviews
OK.....but no where near Fishburne quality!!! - HotTubber
Two fun actors, Laurence Fishburne, Paul Walker in what looked like to be a fun action movie. The basic premise was that Tim Kearney (Paul Walker’s character) is plucked from a prison by Tad Gruzsa (Laurence Fishburne’s character) and his assistant because he looks exactly like the infamous Bobby Z, a drug runner who is supposedly dead. So, Kearney takes on the persona of Bobby Z and is used in a trade for a federal agent that was captured. Of course the deal goes horribly wrong and Kearney finds himself in the Mexican desert. Here he has to stay in the Bobby Z persona as he finds out that Bobby Z had a kid among many other plot points. This drives forward to a conclusion with some predictable twists where Kearney does everything he can to stay alive.
The movie runs ninety four minutes , for the first 40-50 minutes of the movie I was really enjoying myself. The plot started off so strong and the actors (particularly Walker & Fishburne) showed off their wares. The action was intense but not overdone. Then something happened in the last half of the movie. It became dull and incredibly clichéd. Every single cliché about either an action movie or a drama that used the idea of somebody impersonating somebody else is used. It’s borderline scary how much just seems borrowed. Tough hard-nose prison guy suddenly develops heart of gold; check. The character he’s impersonating has a kid; check. There is a girl who is still in love with the original character but remarks how much he’s changed; check. I would go on; but in the event you can’t guess the ending I’ll stop there. There is even a scene near the end that borrows from Bugs Bunny shorts (think duck season, wabbit season). Not to mention the ending seems a little too cookie cutter and proceeds to just say okay everybody lives happily ever after; the end. When given the situation in a more realistic setting there would be some serious questions to be answered here.Entertaining - Reza
It nicely filled up a boring evening for me, exciting and at the same time not much stressful, both main actors played their role very well. It did have a moderate amount of everything, action, acceptable story, and finally a happy ending! sometimes that is all you need!Action packed with well choreographed fight scenes - AvidOscarBee
I really didn't expect much of this movie with the exception of Laurence Fishburne who always delivers a solid cat performance, but I was pleasantly surprised. This film was entertaining with well choreographed fight scenes.
Two men. Enter Bobby "Z" Zacharias is a drug lord and a wanted man by a lot of people because his enemies are not sure if he's dead or alive. Enter Tim Kearney, a convict serving time with a "get out of jail free" card if he follows orders and swaps identities with Bobby Z (who by the way, he is a dead ringer for in the looks department) for one very corrupt DEA agent, played by Laurence Fishburne. If takes the mission, completes it by convincing everyone that he is Bobby Z and walks out alive, he's a free man. However, if he fails, everyone pays. Tim gets the full background on everything to know about Bobby Z, what he eats, how he talks, what he wears, he's left handed, etc. Not only does he have to convince very dangerous people, but he also has to convince Bobby Z's ex-girlfriend, Olivia. She and Bobby Z's drug partner had a falling out and many millions were stolen from the chief drug lord and everyone is trying to find this money. Yet another twist. Bobby Z has a son (Kitt), fathered by the daughter of a drug lord who is in an asylum. Bobby Z has no idea that he has a son, but Tim gets an opportunity to meet him and start to form a relationship with this kid. There are a number of twists and turns in this movie, some believable and some unbelievable. But it's still entertaining.
The film has far too much going on and way too many twists and turns...some very funny scenes however and it is entertaining. I'm not a Paul Walker fan but he held his own against Fishburne quite nicely.
Member Reviews
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OK.....but no where near Fishburne quality!!! - HotTubber
Two fun actors, Laurence Fishburne, Paul Walker in what looked like to be a fun action movie. The basic premise was that Tim Kearney (Paul Walker’s character) is plucked from a prison by Tad Gruzsa (Laurence Fishburne’s character) and his assistant because ...Entertaining - Reza
It nicely filled up a boring evening for me, exciting and at the same time not much stressful, both main actors played their role very well. It did have a moderate amount of everything, action, acceptable story, and finally a happy ending! sometimes that is ...Action packed with well choreographed fight scenes - AvidOscarBee
I really didn't expect much of this movie with the exception of Laurence Fishburne who always delivers a solid cat performance, but I was pleasantly surprised. This film was entertaining with well choreographed fight scenes.
Two men. Enter Bobby "Z" ...