Customer Reviews

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (Widescreen)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

That was my first reaction even before I saw ECKS VS SVER, but I had read reviews of it, and I was appalled. No movie with Lucy Liu in it could ever warrant a ZERO STAR RATING FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!

I will agree that the film's plot exists only to perpetutate the action, which consists of motorcycle chases, blazin' gun wars, and several great martial arts battles, which include the opening sequence, in which the Chinese "good" assasin Sever (Lucy Liu) "kidnaps" her ex-employer's son, a sequence during which Sever beats the bejesus out of Agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas), whose searching for information on his "deceased" wife, and the final fight, in which Sever takes on Ross, whose after a new "invention" she has hidden, and who is played by none other than the great Ray Park!

Notice how many quotation marks I used there? That could explain some of the film's unpopulartiy. By the halfway point, BALLISTIC:ECKS VS SEVER has had so many plot twists, it makes THE SIXTH SENSE's one big big plot twist look silly (well, okay, let's not go nuts here, but you get the idea.)

I am not an especially big fan of Antonio Banderas, but he comes across as a good male lead. It was really Lucy Liu that drew me to this film. Trust me, she is the only one of CHARLIE'S ANGELS who is a REAL martial artist, and she gets her chance to prove it this time around, with none of the over-the-top, pushing-the-envelope type of wire-fu (I'm looking at you, FULL THROTTLE)

Basically, BALLISTIC:ECKS VS SEVER is not half as bad as it is made out to be. Anyone looking for some good action should check it out, and you'll love to see Lucy Liu throwin' some real nice high kicks and just looking like a beautiful ANGEL. (If your'e still not impressed with Lucy, be sure to check out KILL BILL VOL. 1, when she gets to be the villianess.)

I'm not typically a particularly demanding moviegoer when it comes to action films; just give me well-choreographed mayhem set amidst a plot that makes a little bit of a sense or a few engaging characters and I'll probably be reasonably pleased. Ballistic fails to follow even that, which explains why the film bored the hell out of me. I'm almost hesitant to say this, but the latest straight-to-video Jean-Claude Van Damme schlock might actually be better than Ballistic, which was arguably 2002's worst film (I've never seen Rollerball).

There's something of a plot here, but I'm not entirely sure what the hell was going on. Antonio Banderas plays FBI Agent Ecks, Lucy Liu is Agent Sever, and the two of them are duking it out because they somehow have crossed paths with a wealthy man (Gregg Henry) who is determined to smuggle a small electronic device that can assassinate its intended victim via heart attack. Mixed up in it all is Talisa Soto as Banderas' supposedly dead wife, only she's not really dead. Much mayhen ensues.

Ballistic is directed by Kaos, a Thai filmmaker who apparently wanted his movies to live up to his name. This is his first American feature and he shows almost no ability in crafting an action sequence. Martial arts fights that should get the adrenaline-pumping are so stiltedly choreographed, it'll inspire either laughs or yawns. Kaos also goes overboard on the slow motion, ensuring there's never an opportunity for the fight scenes to build momentum. And this is the only film I can think of where the people involved in a car chase actually follow the speed limit!

I feel a bit sorry for the cast here, particularly Lucy Liu, whose martial arts talents are squandered here. To date, she hasn't been much of an actress, but she looks and convincingly acts tough so such a role here must have seemed like a good idea. For Banderas, this is the third film where he has trouble with mysterious women. I've heard of typecasting, but never to such a ridiculous extent. The only thing keeping this guy's career afloat is Robert Rodriguez and that Spy Kids franchise.

Is there any special way to make a movie? Well I guess that there is afther reading many reviews on this one. Remember that when you watch a movie it's because you want to be entertained. This movie does it's job pretty well as far as I know to the point that I didn't even stopped it to go to the restroom. Action is what this movie is all about and action is what you get. Lucy Liu does a perfect job and also look stunning. Remember there is no bad movie but there is many bad viewers.

Some movies require detailed reviews, examining topics like direction, plot and characterization. This is not one of them. The purpose of this movie is to show things exploding; everything else is merely a justification to get from one explosion to another. On this level it succeeds, although it is not enough to sustain interest. It is like watching someone else play a video game; it may be worth watching briefly, but after a few moments, you want a little more involvement (this awkwardly-titled movie may very well be a extended video game commercial). At least the movie doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, so it gets two stars, but it is not recommended watching.

This movie has it all to make it a classic among the best martial arts action films of all time. For those who whine about the plot, I guess they think Chuck Norris films are great dramas--- LMAO! Lucy Lui is impeccable in this film. The photography and action sequences are superb. The plot is okay, in my opinion. I've seen a lot of martial arts film from old to new, and none of them are plot greats. But that's the not point. Lucy is in top form in this movie and the brilliance of her abilities really shine forth. Many of the action scenes are surprising and don't turn out how you would expect. This movie has excitement, solid martial arts footage, suspense, drama, and gee... it even has a decent story. For those who whine about the plot, it really sounds like they don't appreciate a movie where the heroine is a competent female who outsmarts and outmanuvers the men. I chalk their opinions up to sour grapes and recommend this movie to anyone who wants to spend an hour and half being throughly entertained.

This movie is about family values. It's about Ecks (Bandeiras) defending the family he doesn't know he has, and about Sever (Liu) defending the family she doesn't have.

Get it? No? Me neither.

Oh, and there's a deadly nano-thingie making the rounds. That has something to do with the plot, too. Uh, let's just skip the plot.

This is actually an enjoyable guns'n'fights movie. Liu does the super-spy-babe thing very well, and with less facial expression than Keanu Reeves. Come to think of it, the bad guy doesn't have much in the way of facial expressions either, mostly a big evil grin seemingly held in place with botox and superglue. Lots of things blow up, and blow up in the bad guys' faces. That part was a bit puzzling, though: after the explosions, everyone just gets up and plays again.

If you want lots of gunfire and running around, it's a pretty good movie. Still, I was glad that I had a book in hand while watching it.

"Not the worst movie I've ever seen" is about the best I can say about this, and I'm a big fan of Banderas and Liu. I often wonder why they're not bigger stars (especially Banderas) and I start to formulate a reason when I see a movie like Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. Either they're picking the worst scripts that are offered to them, or, sadder, these are the best roles they're getting and it's the industry that doesn't know what to do with these two. How you can take two such charismatic people, both with excellent physical and comedic timing, and plop them into these lifeless roles is beyond me.

The "plot" is right out of a late night action flick you'd see on cable TV back in the 80s. There's some vague reference to super technology, but it's all mired in heaps of pitiful plot twists. People are mistaken for dead, their children are taken away from them, identities are changed... A story this implausible should at least be FUN so that the viewer can overlook the faults. Another Liu movie, the first Charlie's Angels, at least understands this.

Liu does have some good moves as Sever, though, and Banderas mumbles his way through depression well enough. There are also some decent musical choices. Not great, maybe not even good, but like I said... decent. It's enough to keep me from giving it a single star.

What a horrible movie. I don't even know how it made it to the big screen. The only reason I went to see it was because I am a huge fan of Lucy Lui. Unfortantely, even she couldn't give this flick any hope.
Yes. It is non-stop action. But pointless. Don't waste your time or money.

this movie is not to good. The spy vs spy turns midway through as they teaam up to destroy a greater evil and rescue a child. Lucy Lu doesnt have much to say in this film and lets her martial arts do the talking while she comes across stiff as a board. Antonio is a reformed drunk who gets into shape and teams up with her to blow up everything in sight almost. The wierd thing is the explosions just knock the bad guys down not kill them. Later Sever and Ecks can fill them with hundres of bullets.

Antonio mumbles alot and looks around as he falls through the movie in a trance. I really dont know what else to say, both actors tried I guess...everyone proably still made alot of money too. its really a darn shame...

I saw this movie to get a better impression of Lucy Liu, but she didn't really have much to act or say in this movie. It could have been quite interesting to see a duel of two top star actors, but all you get here is a lot of action around a tiny story - Lucy's character first is a "criminal" but in the end saves a child