A Dangerous Man

If you have any idea of the kind of movies Seagal has been churning out since his last theatrically released movie (2002's "Half Past Dead"), you probably will know why I had sworn off watching any new Seagal movies some time ago, at least if I had to pay to see them. I rented "A Dangerous Man", because I read a positive report on it at another web site.

To my surprise, I found the movie to be a decent way to spend an hour and a half. Oh sure, the movie is filled with flaws. Seagal is still using an obvious double for his fight scenes (and in one shot of a sex scene), the movie doesn't manage to disguise the British Columbia shooting locations as American, there are long chunks of the movie where Seagal is nowhere to be seen, and the climax goes on too long. But I was still entertained. The action sequences (and there are quite a few of them) are pretty brutal and bloody at times, and you do get to see less of Seagal's double in the fight scenes than in other recent films of his. The plot goes by at a fairly brisk pace, and the various villain schemes and actions by the other characters actually kept me interested in what would happen next. The movie's no classic, but it does provide an acceptable amount of entertainment.

I don't think Seagal fan's will be disappointed with this one. Bearing in mind it's DTV it would be unfair to compare it to the likes of Under Siege and Exit Wounds but its definitely one his better efforts from the last ten or so years. Lots of action in this one and well done to for the quality of the gun fights. Seagal packs in quite a few brutal fist fights too. The story although perhaps a little bit more complicated than it needed to be moves along at a good pace. Byron Mann who teamed up with Seagal previously in Belly of the Beast and also appeared in Sniper 3 with Tom Berenger makes a good bad guy but he is perhaps a little underused. Recommended for Seagal fans.

Nothing out of the ordinary here. If you have past Seagal work, then you know exactly what to expect. I liked it for what it is. Lots of action. Lots of blood. Lots of forearm-breaking (you Seagal fans know exactly what I mean here)

As per usual, some of the lines were extremely lame. Get this one: one of the bad guys said

'we have to get him, he threatened my balls...no one threatens my balls'...lol.

How lame can you get. But like I said, I knew what to expect. It was exactly what I expected, and I liked it. Seagal is really showing his age. The big long action sequence at the end of the movie was really dark. It was very difficult to follow what was going on at times.

Budget : $6,500,000; Gross worldwide: $166,865. Classic entertainment charitably provided. This Seagull flick perfectly represents the plethora of such productions in the slow, fat, geriatric era of his career. Of course he found a droll niche utilizing hilarious dialog and signature wrist-twisting, pattycake-slapping, bone-crunching fight moves ('Out for Justice', of an earlier era, was his best bone snapper). Lately he can only kick 'em in the shins or when they're down cause he can't lift his leg any higher lol. Even so, while super heroes have succumbed to mostly taking a beating until the very end, Seagull fans are never disappointed with his enduring invulnerability, focused omnipotence and campy coolness. His side man Byron, a comedy genius if unintentionally, singlehandedly sustains the tongue in cheek atmosphere... make no mistake about it: this is an action comedy. You can enjoy it without paying constant attention to it and by fast forwarding in spurts. Gratuitous girlyness included.

An American crime thriller; A story about an ex-special forces operative falsely convicted of murder. He is released from prison, only to stumble into a gangland shootout. Rescuing a woman who had been kidnapped, he battles to protect her from Russian gangsters, corrupt cops, and Chinese special agents. This is a routine story and plot with stereotypical villains, but it is fast-paced and gripping because of the intensity and brutality of the action scenes that never seem to stop. There are a few continuity issues, and the gunfights are overlong, but it is watchable for its gung ho and energy.