"Wrong, we don't want you to roll over on somebody. We want you to be somebody." ~ Tad Gruzsa

"That's what my mom used to say!" ~ Tim Kearney: The Life and Death of Bobby Z

Paul Walker lights up the screen as Tim Kearney, a rather clumsy, ex-marine and ex-convict hired by a D.E.A. agent to play the “legendary” Bobby Z. The storyline is that the D.E.A. agent’s partner is kidnapped and the bad guys want to trade the kidnapped agent for Bobby Z. Unfortunately the real Bobby Z is supposed to be dead so they need to find a look-alike to pretend to be Bobby Z long enough to make the exchange. Again, unfortunately, the D.E.A. agent, played by Lawrence Fishburne, isn’t as honest as he pretends to be. The exchange goes south and Kearney is thrust deep undercover into the life of the real Bobby Z.

Though I’m not a huge fan of Laurence Fishburne, he gives a credible performance as the double-crossing, double-dealing D.E.A. agent Gruzsa. Paul Walker, not always the strongest actor, does a great job in the role of Ted Kearney, playing Bobby Z. Olivia Wilde plays Bobby Z’s love interest. Walker and Wilde have excellent chemistry which helped with the believability of the romance. J.R. Villareale plays the role of Kit, the son that Bobby Z never knew he had.

Bobby Z contains great storylines. One story is the budding relationship between Kearney and Bobby Z’s son, Kit, as they take off to escape the clutches of the evil crime lord. Don Huertero. We watch Kearney teach his son how to fight, make friends and protect him from getting blown up. To add romance to the action, Kearney becomes involved with, Elizabeth, Bobby Z’s old flame. Movie-goers have to ask themselves, however, how could she not know that isn’t the real Bobby Z? While all of the backstories are happening, Kearney is shot at, tossed around and beaten by drug lords, chased by bounty hunting bikers – in other words everyone wants a piece of either Kearney or Bobby Z, unfortunately he’s both.

Hopefully movie-goers aren’t looking for a serious action-drama when watching Bobby Z because the movie is anything but. Bobby Z isn’t filled with the smartest dialogue, in fact some of its most funny and endearing lines may seem a bit corny, but one thing about the movie is that it is definitely entertainment.

I rate this movie a 3 out of 5.

Details:

Release date: 2007
Rated R – Some adult situations, a lot of explosions and fights.
Director: John Herzfeld
Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes

You can find The Death And Life Of Bobby Z on Amazon. , including under its other title Bobby Z

Bobby Z is part of my personal action movie collection.