Rede de Corrupção

I went into this movie with the no expectations, except to see a cheesy action flick. This means I desired high-flying, over-the-top action that includes lots of cool martial arts, mushroom cloud explosions, high speed car chases and catastrophic crashes, and ultra-violent death scenes. Boy does this movie deliver!

I've been reading some of the other user reviews here on imdb and many are saying this is Seagal's best flick. I would probably agree that it is close. His stiff under-acting makes him perfect for this Dirty Harry type part.

The plot is nothing new. Seagal is a strung-out lone ranger cop who plays by his own rules...well you know the type, this character has been used in countless movies. Basically, Seagal's character finally goes too far (by throwing the Vice President off a bridge no less!) Thus, Seagal gets demoted down to the most dangerous precinct in town. Once there, he begins to discover crooked cops and internal conspiracies. With no one to trust and people trying (emphasis on "trying") to kill him left and right, Seagal starts kicking ass and taking names.

Yes I know, this storyline is as old as they come, but I maintain that cheesy action flicks aren't about great or novel plot lines. No, cheesy action flicks are about great action with all the things I listed above, in which, this movie delivers the goods with a bang.

This movie also stars DMX, who is surprisingly competent as one of the main and most interesting characters of the movie. Generally good performances all around. I never noticed any laughably bad acting. Flashy directing and nice production design are also bonuses. This tired plot even still manages a few interesting twists (I won't reveal anything for those who haven't seen the movie, but lets just say everyone is not how they seem, including the bad guys).

FINAL RATING: 7/10 - As good as a cliched action flick can be. Semi-interesting characters, a few plot twists here and there, steady, interesting action, flashy directing, decent performances, plenty of cool explosions, exciting car chases, and numerous excellent violent death scenes. This movie is truly the creme de la creme of cheesy action flicks! Recommended for all action lovers!

Noob Aalox

Pretty straightforward action flick that is absolutely ridiculous and yet I can forgive it. You see there was nothing I loved more as a child than watching the movie heros fight the bad guys and ultimately take them out to restore peace to the free world. However, somewhere in the mid-90's, these kind of films (which I have appropriately labelled "The Big Dumb Action Movies") became a lost art and gave way to newer more complex action thrillers. In some instances this was for the better and in other instances, let's just say you were left longing for the days of old when Johnny Rambo dashed acrossed a battlefield in the jungle with his extra powerful M-60 machine gun and mowed down some Commie scum. One of the men at the frontline of the old action genre movies was Steven Seagal. His older movies were an action fan's wet dream. They had lots of shooting, lots of brutal fight scenes, and the occasional trademark Seagal staredown. Nevermind the fact that the man couldn't act well even if his children were kidnapped and one of the ransom demands from the kidnappers was for not only $5 million dollars but also for Seagal to play at least one scene in a new movie with a different tone of voice and a different facial expression.

But the entertainment was there and when I saw "Exit Wounds," I was automatically thrown back into the mind of a young boy all over again. Here's a movie that gives an old fan of action exactly what they could ever hope for. Lots of martial arts, lots of great shootouts, and over the top stunts (maybe with a little bit of help from those damn cables and CGI but let us ignore this for the time being). This movie is a lot of fun and I was glad to see Seagal make a return to the kind of movie that people actually will pay to see him in, even if this is just a one time deal for the pony tail sporting Aikdo artist. If it is simple minded action you crave, then you can't go wrong with "Exit Wounds," which is really more of a throwback than anything. When you see the legendary action film veteran Bill Duke on the screen with those crazy eyes, you know you're officially watching a "Big Dumb Action Movie."

Typical Seagal movie. Someone pushes him around and he fights back. Always a good watch. There's a a few cool moves he makes, but don't expect too much from this movie. The plot moves quickly and really isn't that interesting. It's all about the fight scenes.

One thing that really got to me was the movie takes place in Detroit City but there's almost a Canadian landmark in each scene. "Welcome to Detroit AM" [CN tower in the background], Sky dome signs, Canadian food chains and even in the first few scenes there's filming right in front of City landmarks. Why not just say Toronto rather than Detroit?

I had believed that Steven Seagal's exit wounds would be as good as under siege 2 which was his best film. Exit wounds does start well with a good fight scene but unfortunately the film lacks pace & too often wonders around going nowhere. IT could certainly have done without tom arnold who turns up as unwanted as a weak bowel.

DMX whoever he is seems comfortable in his role but I never really found out what his operation was. The bad cops in the film were good & there was plenty of decent action with them.

Steven Seagal once again proves himself as a top class actor with those scowls & frowns & that calmness he displays everytime he appears in a scene

Not a bad film but a liitle long

Despite Fire Down Below being a No. 1 hit in America, it went straight to video here in the UK and killed Seagal's career for four years. But then veteran action producer Joel Silver thrust Steve back in the limelight, put him on the Slimfast diet gave him slightly better material to work with. After all, an actor can only do as good as the script.

From a novel of the same name by John Westerman (but bearing minimal resemblance to it) the plot centers on Orin Boyd, a cop busted down to patrolman after a rough encounter with the Vice-President. Once on the streets Boyd's suspicious nose can't keep him out of trouble with undercover cops who are trying to bust local Drug Boss Latrell Walker…or so it seems.

There are many attempts at irony throughout the movie and surprisingly enough most of them work. Boyd is forced to attend rage control classes in which he meets eccentric TV host Henry Wayne (Tom Arnold) who becomes his wannabe partner. But sadly enough the classes don't work as Boyd continues to uses violence first, ask questions later. And there is a public service announcement too; Seagal survives a car wreck by airbag. A later car crash victim doesn't have one and dies.

Dozens of cop movie clichés staple the flimsy script together. And the bad guys are obvious from the moment they appear on screen. Bartkowiak's direction is better than in his debut Romeo Must Die, and adds a heavy dose of frenetic rush to such a fast-paced film. However the set-up and execution of the story is so dull you'll forget about it half an hour after the credits roll.

Seagal has learned a little, just a little, more in the acting area but still doesn't know how to express himself much. There's too much frowning and not enough other emotions from Boyd. We do want to feel more from him but he won't allow us. I guess this is just how Seagal is. He just can't get away from himself no matter what role he plays. I wish Seagal would try harder, but he just never bothers with making an effort.