Boogie Boy

Director - Craig Hamann
Starring - Mark Dacascos (Double Dragon, John Wick 3), Jaimz Woolvett (Helter Skelter, Charmed), and Emily Lloyd (Dark Realm, Dead Girl)
Release Date - 1998
Genre - Crime/Drama
Tagline - "Cross the line...pay the price"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been working frantically to get all the MVD Rewind Collection releases reviewed.  While moving totes from my old house to the home I've been staying at since the fire I uncovered a few I still needed to review.  These few were tossed in storage after the fire and I lost track of them.  While looking online into these releases I came across one I never got in for review.  The film is the 1998 crime thriller Boogie Boy starring Mark Dacascos.  This was one I had never seen before but it looked extremely fun.  I reached out to MVD and they were once again nice enough to send this one my way.  

      The film follows Jesse (Docascos) who just gets into town after spending time in prison.  He is greeted by his old friend and former cellmate Larry (Woolvett).  The two were clearly more than just friends but Jesse wants to move away from the life of crime and drugs but Larry can't seem to let it go.  Jesse is able to secure a spot on drums for a band and before he leaves Larry forces him to help him with a drug deal.  Things go south and Jesse is forced to kill the potential buyers sending them on the run.  Larry and Jesse flee into the desert where they hide out in an old hotel while the brothers of the slain men hunt them down one by one.  Things go even further south when Larry starts to get sick from lack of drugs.  When the two brothers show up he betrays Jesse for drugs forcing Jesse's hand.

     I didn't know what to expect when I tossed in Boogie Boy but I can easily say that its my favorite MVD Rewind Collection release to date.  I loved so much about this movie and I can't believe I've never heard of it before now.  The acting in this is great.  I don't recall a film with Docascos where his performance was above mediocre.  For most of his career he was known for his Great Value action films but he was surprisingly the highlight of the film.  He delivers one hell of a performance that was just more than roundhouse kicks.  The same can be said for the supporting cast.  They work very well together and the film has a wide range of characters that really do stand out and are memorable.  The story for this one makes you think its going one way but quickly changes gears.  It does this several times throughout the running time.  I like that about the film and how it starts one way and ends on a completely different foot.  Wish more films followed that.  Finally, those of you looking for blood will be surprised to find some here but don't expect blood.  We get some pretty brutal gun fights and kills with some decent bloodshed.  The practical effects for the gun wounds look great.  Overall, Boogie Boy is painfully underrated.  The fact that this movie is so obscure is a crime against humanity.  Fans of 90s thrillers and crime dramas really need to check this one out.  It's available on blu from MVD.