Let me be the first to say it. Okay maybe not the first but
among the folks who want it to be known. Steven Seagal, that wonder of movie
martial arts flicks needs to stop what he's doing, stop thinking he knows what's
best and start listening to directors and writers who make movies. Once he does
that perhaps he'll stop starring in direct to video crap like this and make
good movies once again.
Seagal plays a crime lord here, a man who used to work for
some unnamed government agency that did bad things (routine for Seagal movies
these days) who turned those skills into a way to make money. His protégé Roman
(Bren Foster) is sent on a mission to kill an inmate at the local prison.
Signaled wrongly on purpose by Ice Man (Ving Rhames) for some reason, he must
pay the price for a job gone wrong. Seagal allows the employer time with Roman
alone during which he breaks both of his hands.
Months pass and now Roman is a drunk on the streets whose
hands have healed improperly. He's now living in a room above a restaurant
owned by Seagal's daughter Karen. There he makes friends of a sort with her
cook Jimmy Peanuts (Danny Trejo). As the film progresses we learn that Jimmy is
there not to just cook but protect Karen as well.
Problems arise when Ice Man is released from prison and
decided to take over the empire created by Seagal and his partners. Wiping out
the partners one by one, he sets his sites on the whole ball of wax. Each step
brings him closer and closer to Seagal and an eventual showdown is bound to
happen. So how does Roman come into this? Seagal has been footing the bill for
him ever since his hands were broken. The damaged hands have prevented him from
using his martial arts skills to kill people but the skills are still there,
especially in his legwork which we see when some goons try to hold up Jimmy.
Just how Seagal helps Roman with his hands is beyond belief and more along the
lines of you gotta be kidding me than wow that's amazing. Let's just hope no
one with damaged hands follows the instructions used here.
The movie plays at the slowest pace possible and the acting
leaves much to be desired. Production values are solid here but that's about
it. I've read that Seagal has a penchant for telling writers and directors that
he knows best what words to say and how to say them. If that were the case he'd
be making better movies. I'm sorry but it's the truth and someone needs to tell
him. Rhames and Trejo have both done better and deserve to be in a better film
than this one. If they continue down this path they'll be making only direct to
DVD films as well.
The only standout here is Bren Foster who has the
opportunity to break out of these sorts of films and become a star. He's got
the good looks necessary to be a star and his ability in martial arts seems top
notch. He just needs to find the right vehicle to display those abilities and
this isn't it. Good luck to him in the future. And good luck to Seagal if he
continues to make movies like this.
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