The Death and Life of Bobby Z

"To live a life of his own, he has to die first."

2007 1h 37m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 417

DramaActionThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A DEA agent provides former Marine Tim Kearney with a way out of his prison sentence: impersonate Bobby Z, a recently deceased drug dealer, in a hostage switch with a crime lord. When the negotiations go awry, Kearney flees, with Z's son in tow.

“To live a life of his own, he has to die first.”

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Cast

Paul Walker
Tim Kearney
Laurence Fishburne
Tad Gruzsa
Olivia Wilde
Elizabeth
Jason Lewis
Bobby Z
Michael Bowen
Duke
Richard Bairos
Drug dealer
Jarrod Bunch
Security Guard
Shirly Brener
Surfer Girl

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Herzfeld
Writers: Bob Krakower, Allen Lawrence, Don Winslow
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Herzfeld, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tim Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alain Jakubowicz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Walker and Laurence Fishburne and Olivia Wilde carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "To live a life of his own, he has to die first.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Herzfeld directs. John Bailey behind the camera. Tim Jones scores. Alain Jakubowicz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 19 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
4Directed by John Herzfeld, shot by John Bailey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Tim Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alain Jakubowicz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Paul Walker and Laurence Fishburne and Olivia Wilde carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "To live a life of his own, he has to die first.".
9IMDB entry: tt0473188 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "vineyard", "rifle", "drug trade", "drug lord".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Bailey
Original score: Tim Jones
Editing: Alain Jakubowicz
Production design: Gae S. Buckley
Makeup / hair: Elvia Felix Herrera
Sound: Randy Babajtis
Stunt coordinator: Oakley Lehman
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $413,454
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2007)

Also by

John Herzfeld

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Community reviews

What people are saying

The Movie Mob2023-03-25
★ 4/10
The Life and Death of Bobby Z was a bad 2007 B movie that has not much to offer besides a reminder of how fantastic Paul Walker was. The Life and Death of Bobby Z was a story of swapped identities with a horrible soundtrack, lousy directing, a confusing plot, and a cast with some excellent actors trying to make it all work. I would say it’s surprising that even with actors like Laurence Fishburne and Olivia Wilde, a movie could be this bad, but it was 2007, and this movie felt VERY 2000s. It tried to be serious with Point Break influence but also tried to be a little goofy and charming. Unfortunately, it did not pull it off, and the outrageous soundtrack didn’t help with the more serious tones. It was nice to see Paul Walker doing his thing, though.

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