Director Bruce Fontaine charges into the genre trenches with Ruthless Bastards, written by Varinder Jhattu. It is a gritty action throwback fueled by improvisation in its story and dialogue, very little money, and old-school Hong Kong fight sequences. It follows former hitmen Nico (Casper Van Dien) and Rick (Sean Patrick Flanery), once an unstoppable team. But their was friendship betrayed after Nico slept with Rick’s girlfriend.
Years later, both are summoned by their former boss after he learns that his son, Sunny (Parmish Verma), has partnered with the Russians to take over his father’s territory and form an unholy alliance. Nothing could get Rick to partner with his former best friend, except the chance to retire from the mafia game once and for all. The mission becomes more complicated when Nico and Rick learn that a young girl has been kidnapped as part of the Russian operation in an extortion plot. It’s the daughter of their boss’s money guy. Their hunt takes the pair across a series of safe houses, phony fronts, and the Chinese crime boss, Mrs. Chow (Theresa Lee).
Finally, the return of the buddy crime movie. I would say “cop,” but Nico and Rick are not cops. Fontaine’s inspiration for Ruthless Bastards comes straight from the chaos and frustration of the writers’ and actors’ strike. It opened a rare opportunity in Canada where locations, gear, and crew suddenly became affordable and available. Jhattu’s script was written on the fly with whatever resources they could lock on any given day, shaping scenes to the trucks, buildings, and streets that became available. The director drew from his years as a Wu-Shu world champion and his Hong Kong stunt background, leaning into its classic, physical action style while letting Van Dien and Flanery improvise their way through the central themes of broken brotherhood, loyalty under pressure, and the uneasy line between revenge and redemption.
Casper Van Dien, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Theresa Lee share a tense exchange in a smoky poker room. Photo courtesy of APL Film.
“Nothing could get Rick to partner with his former best friend, except the chance to retire from the mafia game…”
Damn, it’s great to see Casper Van Dien and Sean Patrick Flanery fully embracing the titular moniker. Their chemistry is great, and it looks like they’re having fun. It’s almost the mob version of Lethal Weapon. As Nico, Van Dien is the slightly cocky veteran assassin who loves killing in a suit. Flanery is Rick, the reluctant enforcer, who is working through his betrayal issues with Nico. Now it only takes a massive hit job (while solving a kidnapping) to bring the two together.
The plot of Ruthless Bastards reminds me of my love for The A-Team. It’s fun, but best not to take it too seriously. It balances rated-R violence with a bit of humor — criminals with a heart of gold and in it for the money. The underlying story is unique with an unholy alliance between the Russian and Pakistani mob. Now throw in the Chinese mafia for a bit of flavoring and you’ve got a powder keg just waiting to go off.
But you’re not here for the plot. It’s solid and elaborate, but it’s all about Van Dien, Flanery, and a whole bunch of action. It’s all fistfight and gunplay. Like The A-Team, it’s all about looking cool while you make your enemy look like fools. The body count is high, and no one comes out unscathed.
Ruthless Bastards delivers exactly what it promises: two veteran action icons cutting loose in a crime, martial arts movie. Though the on-the-fly nature of its production shows, the formation of a brand new action duo is enough to support the work of an indie filmmaker hoping to take down the current slate of Hollywood schlock.
For more information, visit the Ruthless Bastards official Instagram page.
"…the mob version of Lethal Weapon."
