A Good Man

I've seen most of Seagal's films. Director Waxman seems to have found a way to direct him. I won't go into storyline details, just commenting on the production will suffice here.

What I liked the best here was the atmosphere. It's gritty and effective, well backed up by music. I wonder why some commentators complain about the amount of action. I think there is enough gore. Most actors are not too great and a sturdy Seagal isn't exactly your special-ops type physically, but on the whole the story carries on well enough. Romania makes for a great place to shoot grit like this. I'll give it seven.

An American action thriller; A story about a former U. S. Special Operations soldier living off-the grid in Eastern Europe after a covert operation in Russia ends in disaster. This is a prequel to Force of Execution (2013) which showed John Alexander as a crime lord in New Mexico. The film has a well-worn plot, a retired toughman expert utilising old skills for a neighbour under threat. The trouble is it barely touches on character development or gritty drama so when Seagal as the lead doesn't figure much in the showpiece action sequences it is a major flaw for an action movie. The well choreographed fighting sequences feature other characters. Nevetheless, the prologue sequences set the tone well and the final scenes raise it half a notch. Pity about the middle.

A GOOD MAN is the Steven Seagal version of the South Korean action classic THE MAN FROM NOWHERE. You know, the one about a retired special ops executive who happens to live next door to a young woman and her daughter who are at risk from thugs and local gangsters. Before you know it, Seagal's wading into the mess and kicking Russian gangster backside with aplomb.

Well, that's the idea, but this low rent, low budget film from Seagal's regular director Keoni Waxman is in every respect a lesser work. Shot on the cheap in Romania, it feels serviceable as an action film, and has a string of nicely violent fight scenes, but overall is a very average viewing experience. The fight choreography is average - and Seagal is STILL being doubled, even though he must know people hate that - but the story is messy and unfocused, with too many supporting characters who add little to the plot. Who's the real protagonist here anyway, Seagal or the father character who has a few good fight skills of his own? You won't know and, like the majority of Seagal's output these days, you won't really care either.

Steven Seagal returns to the screen in this story about a former black ops warrior who gets caught in between Russian and Chinese gangs in order to save the sister of his neighbor, whose brother is in debt to the Russian mob. Truth be told, while one could call this a Steven Seagal movie, his character occupies a position that simultaneously is and isn't the center of the story (much like his previous effort FORCE OF EXECUTION). However, unlike FORCE OF EXECUTION, the story is better, more thought out and has better action sequences. Even the acting is better this time around, which is a plus. Story-wise, Seagal plays a variation on the character he plays in almost every movie he makes: that of the reluctant hero. He puts himself into a self-imposed retirement after a terrorist hit goes wrong, and a young girl dies while one of the bad guys gets away. Cut to the present day, and he's living a quiet life in Eastern Europe. His neighbor (Iulia Verdes) works at a strip bar (but she's just a bartender) run by the Russian mob while her half-brother (Victor Webster) pays off a debt owed by his father. However, when some men are killed and money meant for the Chinese mob goes missing, the neighbor's little sister is kidnapped and Alexander (Seagal) goes back into action. I thought that the story, while nothing original at all, was at least executed rather well within the confines of what constitutes a Seagal movie. The performances were also decent for this type of movie, with Tzi Ma probably doing the best out of the cast. Also of note is the improved fight sequences, which aren't completely edited to hell this time. The camera-work still has a hand-held feel to it, but the action is more comprehensible than a lot of Seagal's recent DTV output and you can tell that it's him a lot more of the time. They also varied the types of fighting. Sure, they had the typical gunplay and close quarters hand-to-hand combat, but Seagal also got to use a short sword for several scenes which was a nice change of pace (and provided some gruesome kills). Still, as always it wasn't all great. This movie was filmed on the cheap in Romania and it shows in the bleak cinematography and sparse sets. There was also some digital augmentation in a few scenes that stuck out pretty badly, and a couple of obvious uses of stock footage that wasn't at the same quality as the movie itself. And while some might count this as a positive, there was a bunch of gratuitous nudity which was only in there because some scenes happened to take place in a bar. There's also an awkward "sex" scene with Steven Seagal and Iulia Verdes which could have been left out completely. When all is said and done, Seagal fans should be pleased, as this is a return to form of sorts, at least when limited to his DTV work. As always, though, everyone else should probably find something else to watch.

We all know what to expect when watching a direct to video Steven Seagal movie. "A Good Man" may not be like "Marked For Death" or "Under Siege" but it definitely rates as one of his better DTV movies I've seen. I myself partly watch these movies for the comedic value of course to see Seagal's acting/cheesy plot and as a B-action film fan. Of course a movie like this you don't expect a great story but lots of action and Seagal kicking the bad guy's ass in the most unconvincing and bloody way possible. The movies good for that and lots of naked babes are a bonus too. Seagal definitely doesn't seem as lazy/careless in his acting as he usually seems in his DTV movies which was a surprise. Tzi Ma was good as a villain, he pretty much plays the same role he did on 24. I also thought that his partner wasn't so bad in the movie. Could he be the next potential DTV action star??.....maybe. Overall, better than the other dozens of crap DTV Seagal movies that have came out and that will within the year. A good watch for the B- action film fan who know's what to expect and for the few Steven fans out there.

5/10.