Désigné pour mourir

I cannot believe this film got such bad ratings as it is one of my favourite action flicks of all time. Marked for Death has Steven Seagal playing John Hatcher a cop whose out for revenge against a gang of Jamaican drug dealers. The film has some terrific action sequences and set pieces, example being the shopping centre fight which really showcases Seagal's talents. This has excellent pacing as well as good location shoots. The score for Marked for Death is amazing, suiting the film so well, giving it the right sinister kind of atmosphere. The voodoo elements were cool, Screwface has to be one of the best villains and the twist at the end is unexpected. The violence in the uncut version is some of the most brutally realistic you can find in a mainstream action flick, with Seagal snapping bones as if they were twigs. Be warned though, like most of Seagal's films, in the U.K Marked for Death was cut badly by the censors so nearly all of the bone breaking violence is now gone, leaving just a standard badly edited action film. If you want to see the real power of Marked for Death then you would be advised get your hands on the uncut versions somehow. The only minor flaw with this film is that the beginning in Mexico is a little ropey, but apart from that the only Seagal flick that Warner bros didn't make but Fox did, deserves a place next to Under Seige 2 as being one of my favourite Steven Seagal films.

Of Stevens Seagal's movies, this is clearly one of the better. It's from 1990, and that was around his prime time as a action star. ("Under Siege" came two years later). There are a couple of really cool fights in this movie where Seagal handles lots of bad guys without any effort at all. The last part of the movie, where he's invading the Jamaica-man bad guy's base is especially entertaining. In this movie, he has one of the best comments of all his films:"One thought he was immortal, and the other one thought he could fly. Both were wrong". Watch the movie to find out what I'm talking about. You won't regret it if you like easy action.

The third one off the ranks (behind "Above the Law" and "Hard to Kill"), comes another three word title to the cycle. In what is a familiar one-note, bone-crunching action vehicle for Steven Seagal --- but hey that's the way we love 'em! Simple, little story and Seagal handing out plenty of point-blank beat downs. However he's hard-pressed to do so, until it becomes personal. Then it never lets up, so Seagal in his usual cool and collected manner does it easy. Somehow despite the vicious threats and explosive situations, never do you feel that he's in any real sort of danger. Although he does meet his match when he goes face to face with Screwface at the film's savage climax. It's a rarity, but yeah, he gets thrown around a bit. Just a bit. Still without leaving a scratch.

After seeing his partner get shot-up on a botched undercover job, John Hatcher retires from the Drug Enforcement Agency to return back to his small hometown. Through one of his old pals he learns that a Jamaican posse led by drug lord Screwface have infiltrated his neighbourhood controlling the drug scene. At first Hatcher just looks away not wanting to get involve, but when he finds himself caught up in an incident between the Columbians and Jamaicans. Screwface vows that he and his family are now marked for death --- and when he lives up to that threat he goes after Screwface and his posse.

After a blistering start, it does slow down before ramping things up again when Hatcher eventually breaks out his short-lived, self-pitying slumber when payback becomes a driving factor. It's so forced and overblown (this is all happening in a small town), but it's engagingly exciting and furiously staged with director Dwight H. Little's tight handling. The set-pieces, like the car chase/department store melee displays such confidence. The camera really likes watching Seagal in the grove, and his quick aikido abilities are simply are marvel to watch. Be it with a gun, sword or hand combat. It's all brutal and high-octane, and surprisingly at times it can become a nasty piece of work. The performances are acceptable with Seagal stoic as ever, but where it matters he's quick on his feet. Basil Wallace is a fearfully hammy treat as the commanding, over-the-top Screwface with those glaring green eyes. His presence just seems to linger, even when he isn't on screen and he does get some insane dialogues. Keith David is solid and so is Tom Wright. Joanna Pacula appears in a minor role and horror fans will recognize a young Danielle Harris.

"Marked for Death" is excessive, ruthless, but mindlessly numbing early 90s action. Seagal's best was still to follow a year later.

Although I am not a huge fan of action movies I enjoy them from time to time. One of the reasons I saw this movie is because it has Steven Seagal as the lead, and there was a period back in the 1990s when he used to do some great movies (such as ABOVE THE LAW, UNDER SIEGE, ON DEADLY GROUND, OUT FOR JUSTICE) and I consider him an enjoyable actor despite he has also made various terrible movies especially in recent years. While this one didn't struck me, I still liked it.

At the beginning John Hatcher (Seagal) is in Columbia chasing a thug (played by a then unknown Danny Trejo) and after he manages to capture there is a brutal murder where a young prostitute is involved (and there is also some blood splattered in the process). As a result he retires and returns in the USA with his family. He passes by the local school and meets his childhood friend Max Keller (Keith David), who has become the trainer for the school's football theme after he left the US Army. Max and John join forces to find out about the man who sells drugs illegally in their hometown; it's a Jamaican witch doctor named Screwface that has lots of henchmen that worship him as a God, One night Max and John go to his HQ in a small Jamaican island and Hatcher be-heads Screwface with a sword; back in the US he shows the head to his friends but Screwface arrives as the decapited one was his twin. Hatcher manages to get rid for him and while he goes away into the night with Max he realizes that he has freed his hometown from the dangers of drug smuggling.

One of the reasons why I liked this movie is because Steven Seagal played so well and in a convincing way a man that wants justice and won't stop at nothing for getting it (and he doesn't take NO for an answer) and I really felt his reasons for behaving that way as very appropriate. It actually reminded me a bit of the DIRTY HARRY movies. The soundtrack was also very good and I loved the ending song JOHN CROW.

Seagal gives one of his best performances and I think he was born for this role. Keith David gives great support as Seagal's best friend who follows him around. In supporting roles even then-unknown character actors Kevin Dunn and Danny Trejo.

Although not an excellent action movie, it was quite decent despite a few gory scenes. Great for Steven Seagal fans and enjoyable for everyone else.

You can split Segal films into 2 categories, the early stuff (Hard To Kill, Nico) and the later stuff (Fire Down Below, Today You Die). The latter group doesn't usually even get to the cinema but the former has some real action gems. Marked for death is one of them.

This film has loads of martial arts, Yardies, drugs, black magic, Drive by shootings, people dressed like Aswad, and the big black guy from platoon who escapes from the shootout at the end by getting rotated back to America. One of the things that ruins Segal films is having too much shooting and not enough fighting, But the action is pitched just right here, with still enough shooting thrown in to spice it up. The guys playing the Yardies are fantastic and the dialogue is second to none, in fact for those IDM fans out there Luke Vibert sampled some in 'screwface'. Other than Segal and the platoon guy the only person I recognised was Danny Trejo, Hollywoods default Mexican criminal. This is an action classic folks, watch it or Screwface will give you a thousand deaths worse than mine.