Maximum Conviction

The plot is customary, but tensions and thrills are there and shooting/fighting has some kind of meaning, not just for (viewers) fun. Inclusion of Steve Austin and Michael Pare provides also additional value: Seagal does not dominate on screen and - after reaching 60 years - does not have to kick butt or give factitious remarks all the time. The ending is guessable, of course, and there are trivial scenes containing kitchen utensils and hot steam, for example, but they do not seem ridiculous or dull. And due to the existence of inmates-intruders-defender, confrontation obtains extra dimensions.

In other words, Maximum Conviction is okay entertainment, a must for Seagal's fans and a killing-time for those not hating him and/or fond of military operation movies.

Steven Seagal's final line in this Movie is..."it's not over till we're dead". Possibly a shout-out to his relentless critics that endlessly tell him to retire or at the very least to lose some weight. In this Movie he seems to be trying to end the laziness. He is not dubbed here and manages to find just enough breath to make his lines understandable. He is not doubled here and actually does his own Martial Arts scenes.

So that is the upside. Steve Austin on the other hand makes the other Steve look like a thoroughbred Thespian. Seriously, does this guy have ANY expressions or changes of tone to his voice. He has got be the worst Action Hero Actor ever, bar none. But hey, he is an imposing physical presence and that is the minimum requirement to convince.

This is a darkly lit, endless trek down corridors and around corners. Stiff and long scenes in front of consoles and computer keyboards. It jumps and pulls the frame once in a while to try a bit of styling but no go. Anyway there is quite a bit of gunfire and a goodly amount of hand to hand and enough Characters to allow for a large body count, so if this is for you, have at it, and for the curious to see if maybe Segal is on a self-imposed comeback.

Review: Finally a decent movie from Seagal! I quite enjoyed this intense, action packed, movie about a prison which has been taken over by an elite force because they want to get a highly valuable chip which has been implanted into one of the inmates. They thought that it was going to be an easy task, but when they come up against Stone Cold Steve Austin and the fast hitting Steven Seagal, there task becomes a steep hill to climb. I really liked the intensity throughout the movie and I liked the chemistry between Austin and Seagal. The military action scenes, seemed quite real along with the acting which wasn't that bad. You can tell that the director didn't have a massive budget to play with but they done a good job with what they had. I must admit, it is the quietest prison that I have ever seen and I don't understand why Seagal didn't call for some help to take down the intruders but thats just me being picky. Anyway, it's full of mindless action with a half decent storyline so I can honestly say that it's worth a watch. Watchable!

Round-Up: I hope they make more movies with Seagal and Austin because they really worked well together. There wasn't that many scenes with them together in this movie but there raw action skills and non-trash talking styles, compliment each other. It still makes me laugh how these characters try there best to get close to Seagal in the action scenes and he ends up taking them down with one severe blow, no matter how much weight he has put on. His acting isn't that great and he isn't the best person to show true emotion but I like his cool style which makes all of the baddies in his movies seem stupid. Although his movies, along with Austins movies, don't make that much money, you'll always no what to expect from there films and this one doesn't disappoint. 

I recommend this movie to people who are into their action movies about an elite force who try to take over a prison to get a highly valuable chip which has been implanted into an inmate. 5/10

I would have given this one also a 7 1/2 rating as well. It is good to see Seagal getting back into action in a decent B-action movie. Especially after all the crap he's been making over the last couple of years. But it is hard not to see that the years of good living, eating and drinking have taken their toll on Seagal, he really looks old and out of shape, and no matter what they try to do with long and wide clothes, it is pretty clear the guy is fat.

None the less this movie is exactly delivering what you're expecting, action, funny one-liners and huge amount of martial arts scenes, and some decent hand to hand combat scenes from Austin, and even a new upcoming guy is allowed to show off his kicks and punches. Bren Foster actually reminded me of the protégé of Van Damme , named Scott Adkins, and I hope we will get some movies off this guy coming out soon.

So if you like this kind of movie, you wanna see some decent action sequences and you don't mind the gaps in the script, then is a must see for you, otherwise, stay away from it.

Steven Seagal & Steve Austin - Together = Bad-Ass Entertainment! 'Maximum Conviction' is hard-core, fast-paced entertainment!

The Plot is simple: The Bad-Guys mess up, our Heroes come to clean up.

The Screenplay is fast-paced. Direction Wise, fair. The Action-Sequences are fantastic. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are proper.

Seagal & Austin are in top-form. Seagal is the eternal Bad-Ass & Austin is just getting there. I truly enjoyed watching them both kicking-butt & delivering with such energy.

On the whole, 'Maximum Conviction' worked for me. I Enjoyed!