2nd Chance, a documentary directed by Ramin Bahrani that premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, documents the rise and fall of Richard Davis, founder of Second Chance Body Armor, through home videos, advertisements, and testimonies from those in his sphere of influence. The film paints a vivid picture of Davis while extending time to the people important to his story, especially Aaron Westrick, who was both saved by Davis and the man to bring down his body armor operation.
The introduction to Richard Davis is an explosive one: he is shown in grainy footage aiming a gun at his own chest. The audience soon learns that this is Davis’ signature way of proving the mettle of his bulletproof vests. Bahrani takes the viewer through Davis’ origin story: after being robbed at gunpoint while working at a pizza place, Davis took it upon himself to create body armor, first sewing each vest by hand. He took his show on the road, traveling to police departments around the country and showcasing his product in the most effective way possible: shooting himself point-blank while wearing the vest and then turning around quickly to shoot at bowling pins or bottles. The quick motions after the shot to the chest signify that someone wearing a Second Chance vest would not be incapacitated; rather, they could immediately begin firing at the opponent.
The audience takes a look at Davis’ provocative ways of advertising Second Chance vests, which grew in popularity to the point...
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