O Jogador

Before i say anything i want you to know i like action movies,even those that contain mindless violence(i actually enjoyed the last installment of Rambo very much).

That being said,i didn't enjoy this movie very much,except maybe for some parts that make you laugh even though they're not intended to be funny. Come to think of it,it's a classical Steven Seagal movie,picturing him as omnipotent,without at least providing some good scenes where he can entertain(that's right,there aren't even good fighting scenes).

So my advice is watch this movie only if you are a fan or want to kill some time with your friends.

I didn't expect to see Casey Ryback, but I wasn't disappointed either. Steven Seagal seems to be doing better than his last direct-to-video efforts.

He's an ex-cop with an alcohol and gambling problem, and is also neglectful of his daughter. He has a chance to get his life back together.

His quest for the bad guys leads him to a place where he didn't expect.

The action is hot and heavy with car chases and a final cemetery scene that ends in a blaze!

Seagal is back!

An American action drama; A story about a man thrown out of the police force under suspicion of theft who is approached by a mysterious man with an offer to wipe the slate clean, but it comes at a high price. Seagal's persona as the drunk and indebted man, down on his luck, and showing some fragility works reasonably well but his character is undeveloped. Some of the scenes with the fallen cop and his daughter are touching all the same. The film contains some good hand-to-hand fighting sequences, plenty of action, explosions and shoot-outs. Some of the slow-motion effects are distracting but the overall production has merit. It has a predictable plot though the film's finale is well constructed.

Compared to other recent Seagal films this one is OK, but it is nowhere near as good as his early movies (Under Siege, Above The Law, Hard To Kill, all of which have an honorary place in my DVD collection).

On the plus side, they don't even bother hiding the fact that Steven has become old and fat. However, he doesn't take himself too serious, by playing a down-on-his-luck drunk. The film itself is alright. Roel Reiné, the Dutch director who recently stated that his goal to make Blade Runner-like movies in the future, made the best out of it he could. He pursued Seagal to do more of his own fighting, talking and... well everything (since he has stand-ins for almost everything in other recent movies, even stepping out of a car). The plot is decent and the camera work is entertaining.

But then there's a protagonist who just doesn't want to be there. Sorry Steven, each time I try to like your films, but you just don't like making them anymore, and it shows. It is nice to see Steven do his own fighting again (or at least not with the obvious use of stunt doubles all the time), but a real comeback is still far, far away.

An unremarkable action thriller, but probably one of Steven Seagal's best films so far. This one has a plot that actually keeps your interest (even though the main "twist" is telegraphed ahead of time) by going beyond the simple "they killed his loved ones and now he wants revenge" scenario, without becoming a muddled mess like, say, "Mercenary For Justice". It also has a pretty slick look, and the action includes a well-filmed car chase climaxing with a spectacular car flip, and a John Woo - style graveyard shootout at the end. Seagal tries to play a morally ambivalent character, which he does up to a point, but the usual problems associated with his characters (the invulnerability and the vanity) are still present (wait till you hear a girl's remark about a certain body part of his). He is still overweight and most of the fight scenes are blink-and-you'll-miss-them, but at least he is there doing them, and doing them efficiently. The movie also benefits from a good supporting cast, though Lance Henriksen should have had more screen time. Renee Goldsberry is gorgeous & tough and earns "Pistol Whipped" a few more points. (**1/2)