Sam (Johnny Simmons) is a cop in a small, slowly dying Tennessee town where nothing ever happens - until some day somebody (Loren Dunn) is murdered - and Sam wants to do his utmost to find the killer, not least because he wants to impress his maybe girlfriend Izzy (Lovi Poe), the mayor's (Jack Conley) daughter.Truth to be told though, Sam isn't much of an investigator, so the dead man's ties to a drug cartel have evaded him ... and enter Bobby Gaines (Seann William Scott), a tough as nails special agent who not only takes the case away from Sam but makes Sam and rookie cop DJ (Chance Perdomo) his assistants, very much to Sam's dismay. Thing is, Bobbie isn't really one to follow the rules, he beats up people he doesn*t like, doesn't mind torturing suspects or even witnesses, and doesn't try to make friends - but he brings results and soon enough has booked small fry crook Jasper (Kai Caster), who is to lead him to the big dog, fittingly called Dog (Ethan Suptee) - but then Jasper's sprung from prison and done away with, and Dog isn't in the least impressed by Bobby's toughness. On top of this, Bobby might not be quite what he seems ...

Now Bad Man might read like your typical low budget small town thriller, but as a matter of fact it feels quite fresh, thanks to a healthy infusion of comedy (but not on the spoofy side of things), a script that reverts genre expectations, and includes social commentary about small town life on the side. And a subtle yet well-paced directorial effort as well as a solid cast playing well-drawn characters only help make this a great piece of genre entertainment.

Bad Man comes to digital in the UK September 22nd, 2025.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find Bad Man at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find Bad Man here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Thanks for watching !!!