VFW (2019)

Action, crime and horror come together in VFW, a grindhouse movie that sees a group of war veterans put their lives on the line to defend a young woman taking shelter in their local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) bar when a deranged drug dealer and his relentless army of drug-addled punks come for their stash.

It’s Certified Fresh with an 81% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus reads, “VFW’s solid cast, deft direction, and surprisingly weighty subtext add extra heft to a gory thriller that should hold buckets of sanguine appeal for grindhouse fans.” 

Consequence of Sound calls it “ultra stylish, pure cinema”, while AV Club says it’s “an 80s exploitation throwback that’s outrageous in all the right ways”

Directed by rising young horror director and 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Award nominee Joe Begos (Bliss), the film won both the audience award and Best Actor (for its ensemble cast) at the 2019 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.

It stars Saturn Award winners Stephen Lang (Avatar and its upcoming sequels, The Girl on the Train) and William Sadler (Bill & Ted Face the Music, Power, Die Hard II); David Patrick Kelly (John Wick, Twin Peaks, The Blacklist); Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn, M.A.S.H.); multiple Emmy nominee and Cheers alum George Wendt; Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid’s Kreese, Martin Kove; as well as Tom Williamson (The Fosters), Sierra McCormick (Supernatural) and Dora Madison (Bliss, Friday Night Lights, Chicago Fire).