I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EVER SEE A GOOD STEVEN SEAGAL MOVIE EVER AGAIN, BUT HE DEFINITELY PROVED ME WRONG WITH THIS ONE. A PROFESSOR IS FRAMED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING. BUT JUST DAYS AFTER HE'S RELEASED FROM JAIL, THE SYNDICATE THAT FRAMED HIM THEN KILLS HIS WIFE. WANTING REVENGE, HE GOES ON AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT QUEST TO FIND THE SYNDICATE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT ALL. MY QUESTION IS WHY WASN'T THIS RELEASED IN THEATRES? YOU GOTTA ADMIT, THIS DEFINITELY DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A DIRECT TO VIDEO MOVIE. FILLED WITH SPECTACULAR FIGHTS AND IT'S FILLED WITH A LOT OF THINGS TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH, YOU MIGHT NOT WANNA WATCH THIS MOVIE DUE TO ITS EXTREME AMOUNTS OF VIOLENCE AND GORE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, A VERY ENTERTAINING ACTION MOVIE WITH A SHOCKINGLY VIOLENT FINALE. GO TO YOUR LOCAL VIDEOSTORE AND RENT THIS NOW! YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!

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Terrible, Really Terrible, and That's All I Can Say May 1 2004

By Tsuyoshi

Format:DVD

Shot back-to-back with terrible "The Foreigner" Steven Seagal comes back with another terrible movie. It is beyond my capacity to describe how bad it is, but I can say that I slept while watching it in theater (yes, they released it theatrically in Japan, you know, what a silly decision).

The plot is non-existent, but it should be alright if there are good amount of exciting actions. Sorry, but there are none, and though the film is supposed to follow the one-man's vendetta against Chinese mafia after his beloved ones are killed by them because of the drug lord, there is no emotional power that would make us relate to the hero Steven plays. His "Hard to Kill" is not a classic, but it has a power enough to make it worth watching.

Anyway, Steven Seagal is dressed as an eminent professor of archeology (!) who receives an award from Yale University. Seriously. Well, there still would be no reason for us to doubt the authenticity of that character if only his name was something other than "Robert Burns." Come on! Is this a bad joke using the name of famous poet? The naming is as laughable as that of "Postman" where Kevin Costner called a fictional American president "Richard Sterkey" (aka Ringo Starr).

And actions are terrible. Just terrible. Because of the poor, choppy editing, you don't know what is happening on the screen. The murky lighting also damages the actions, and if they think they are shooting a noir film, they are utterly mistaken -- see how Steven Seagal's character speaks the line like "You killed my wife" as if ordering a cheeseburger, and you will know why.

Director Michael Oblowitz once made "This World, Then Fireworks," a so-so noir starring Bliiy Zane, but "Out for a Kill," together with "The Foreigner," totally erased what impressed me before. And as to Steven Seagal ... what can I say? It was 11 years ago when he hit the No. 1 at the US box-office with "Under Siege," and that was really a long time ago.

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More Straight to Video Pulp Nonsense April 22 2004

By A.M.Boughey

Format:DVD

I have been less than complimentary in my previous reviews of Mr Seagals recent offerings, but please don't think I have anything personal against him. The reverse is in fact true in that I have often been admonished for being a stalwart fan over the years. That having been said, I simply cannot recommend this cringeworthy, and dire outpouring any more than his other recent turkeys, which have been pretty awful to say the least. Perhaps his material and script choices are letting him down too much? Earlier films were exceptional in comparison, and in a competetive genre, one was always, it seemed, able to rely on Mr Seagal to deliver the goods, so to speak. In the unikely event that a comparison was ever drawn between Steven Seagal and say Clint Eastwood for example, we would see that the latter has moved graciously into older and more believable roles that expand on the character, whilst still retaining enough action and eye candy for fans and mainstream viewers. Where Seagal has stuck with the same formula that worked in the past, and has resulted in him coming across as a comical 007 character, desperately in need of retirement. A brief synopsis here finds Seagal as an archeologist battling drug lords who are using his artifacts to traffic their product without his knowledge. He does of course take umbrage to this, and after his family, dog, pet hamster and any other thing dear to him have been attacked or killed (as usual) he justifiably goes on the rampage. That's really all you need to know, and wouldn't be too bad in itself if the film were then braced with mountains of action. But sadly, even the once revered fight choreography scenes now seem also to be in short supply, and the end result is textbook formula nonsense. I didn't really care about the characters, or the plot which is a real shame. I only hope the eagerly anticipated Under Siege 3 will bring us back to the earlier Seagal, and a much greater performance.

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