Operação Sol Nascente

Steven Seagal once again return to straight-to-video hokum as a high-level American operative who is lent out to Japan to investigate a Yakuza hit on a top Japanese government official. Is the new generation of Yakuza out for world domination since they seem to no longer be content with just the drug trade? Will Seagal be able to defeat them all on his own and most importantly will you care or bother to continue watching?

Sadly Seagal's career is pretty much DOA. I really enjoyed many of his older films (Above the Law, my personal favorite Hard to Kill, Marked for Death and Under Siege). But sadly his films of late (The Foreigner, Belly of the Beast and now Into the Sun) just don't cut the grade. Never the most energetic and kinetic action stars, Seagal of late seems to have slowed down further and at times appears to be way out of shape. The scripts represent the dartboard method of writing with tired combos that fall flat.

Mr. Seagal is getting a little old for the job. He's put on a little weight too I think. So what does Into the Sun offer us that hasn't been done before. Well we get to see Seagal wield a Katina and go apes**t on a bunch of Japanese criminals, and we get to see him act in a different language, but his fluency in Japanesse has little effect on the overall quality of his performance. It's just different is all. No folks, Seagal is pretty much the same guy he was ten fifteen years earlier, only he'd getting tiresome.

With that in mind, If I am gonna recommend one film from the latter Seagal, this might be it. despite It feels a bit more epic than anything he has done in that decade, It has some nice shots, and even features a couple of Seagal's songs. He ain't too bad.

The script could do with a few less clichéd lines, and a few more one liners. Steven Seagal looks pretty bored on screen, and the signs of age are certainly taking their toll, but he ain't dead yet.

I've watched many Seagal movies and his latest ones in the past 4 years or so have really been downers. Although they were fun to watch because you could always get your kicks out of the cheap acting, unrealistic gun battles and pathetic plot. I rented this movies looking forward to laughing more than paying attention. However, I must say, I was quite surprised because this movie is definitely much better than the other ones he's released lately. It's not near a 10/10 because it's simply put a low budget film and the whole 22 year old girl and Seagal getting engaged was a bit disturbing. But yeah, other than that it was a much better movie this time around.

Governor Tokio is murdered and an agent , Travis Hunter , (Steven Seagal) and his partner (Matthew Davis) are assigned by CIA Chief (William Atherton) to resolve it and going to track down the responsible terrorist , a Japanese version of the Mafia (Yakuza) . However , the terrorist killing is only a string part of violence and corruption . A new leader Yakuza is planning a scheme to create an enormous dealing drug organization with the Chinese Mafia (The Tongs) . Thus , Travis Hunter along with his pal must detain the operation and remain alive . This new generation of Yakuza along with Tongs are getting into big business and interfering business old Yakuza . There were rules Yakuza respected and followed in the past but these rules do not apply to the new generation . For introducing themselves into gangsters spheres , they simulate being a master or ¨sensei¨(Seagal) and his pupil or ¨deshi¨ (Davis) . Besides , getting into neighbourhood where Seagal actually grew up and he explains that all organised crime gathers and does their things there , all kinds of organised crime (Tong, Yakuza) they are all centralised , there is major struggle for turf and for power , most of that power comes from heroin or ¨shabu¨ as they call it there .

It's a westernized oriental action film with an interesting mingle of suspense , buddy movie , martial arts , ancient ritual with typical code of honour and actual Japanese places . Abundant fists fights as swords struggles in which arms and body parts are slice off here and there and limbs are slit open everywhere or blasted apart . Cruel and savage murders make only recommended for those adults no squeamish and with strong stomach enough to take it . The motion picture was professionally directed by Mink . Rating : Passable and entertaining.

When the governor of Tokyo is killed in his campaign for election, the former CIA agent Travis Hunter (Steven Seagal) is assigned to find the responsible working together with the rookie FBI agent Sean (Matthew Davis). Travis was raised in Japan, has great connections with the underworld of the streets and is a master in sword and martial arts, trained by a former member of Yakuza. Travis discloses that there is a war between the old and traditional members of Yakuza and the new generation leaded by the deranged and sick Kuroda (Takao Osawa), who has associated to the Chinese Tong mobster Chen (Ken Low) in a powerful drug dealing business. When his fiancée Nayako (Kanako Yamaguchi) is brutally and cowardly murdered by one of Kuroda's men, the mission of Travis becomes a personal issue and he seeks revenge.

"Into the Sun" is the best of the recent works of Steven Seagal. The story is flawed, full of clichés, but also very entertaining. Steven Seagal does not have the same agility of his first movies, but the plot is well supported by magnificent landscapes, wonderful soundtrack and a great cast. I really have not understood why he alternates speaking in English or Japanese; there are some dialogs that the Japanese characters speak in Japanese and Travis speaks in English, in a complete mess. But in the end, I liked this film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Operação Sol Nascente" ("Operation Rising Sun")