Into The Sun Reviews
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seagalfan128
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Clement3000 said:
Interesting, being a MUCH MUCH MUCH bigger Seagal fan than Van Damme fan, I thought Wake of Death was better than Into the Sun...but then again Seagal is more popular...at least he's known for his personality and "cool" style...But good for Seagal, the man knows how to get the money to pay the bills
I had the luxury of picking up Into the Sun today and just paused it into my second viewing to write this brief review. Being a huge Seagal fan since I had the fortune of my older brother taking me to see "Out For Justice" in the theaters back in the day, I must say hands down that this is the best film SS has made since Exit Wounds.
I'll be brief and try not to give anymore away to those in far lands that don't have the luxury of grabbing the latest dtv movie on release day. My only *initial* disappointment was the lack of hand-to-hand combat (as mentioned many times in this thread). However, after contemplating the story line and over-all quality of this film I must say it is simply awesome. What a come back! This should have been released in theater's however I can see why Warner Bros. passed (lack of action). But the underlying theme and accurate Yakuza ceremonies/history, as well as the awesome influx of Japanese culture override any lack of violence. The cinematography and soundtrack are awesome!
I love this movie. I had lost hope in SS, but as always loyal, purchased this DTV movie the day it was released, and this makes up for some 'interesting' movies since EW.
-Charles
I'll be brief and try not to give anymore away to those in far lands that don't have the luxury of grabbing the latest dtv movie on release day. My only *initial* disappointment was the lack of hand-to-hand combat (as mentioned many times in this thread). However, after contemplating the story line and over-all quality of this film I must say it is simply awesome. What a come back! This should have been released in theater's however I can see why Warner Bros. passed (lack of action). But the underlying theme and accurate Yakuza ceremonies/history, as well as the awesome influx of Japanese culture override any lack of violence. The cinematography and soundtrack are awesome!
I love this movie. I had lost hope in SS, but as always loyal, purchased this DTV movie the day it was released, and this makes up for some 'interesting' movies since EW.
-Charles
SweetChinMusic
big gulps huh
seagalfan128 said:
Van Dammes latest movies have all done better in the sales charts in the US and WorldWide.
SweetChinMusic
big gulps huh
aikidoboynj said:
I know its kinda sad that a martial artist who makes millions of dollars cant even keep himself in shape.
The movie is bad, VERY bad, but like I said if you like his crap you will like this, fanboys dont care how bad the movie is as long as they get to see Seagal.
I on the other hand know he can do a lot better
Littledragon
Above The Law
Tarek's Into The Sun Review.
Well what can I say. I purchased Into The Sun yesterday and watched it last night and will watch it again today. I could not have said that when I bought Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach because quite honestly I would really not enjoy watching them again, but for Into The Sun I do enjoy watching it again. Ok so this is yet another one of Seagal's DTV releases, so I was quite curious how this movie would turn out to be. I was not dissapointed, yet I was not thrilled. I was simply very pleased with this film in comparison to Seagal's recent DTV releases. Into The Sun was a great DTV release and in my opinion his best DTV release yet. I enjoyed the action scenes, I enjoyed the cinematography, the location, and the music. I thought the plot was a little shaky but steady enough for me to understand what was going on and draw my attention to the film.
Plot:
I thought the plot was ok, there was really nothing too special about this whole Yakuza and Triad drug trafficing theme and a retired CIA agent who has experience in the Asian way of life going to save the day, etc.. So the plot in my opinion was a negative to the film, I love sotries on the Yakuza and Triad's but I feel it has been done so many times and this was just a repeat of all those Yakuza/Triad films and nothing special that differentiates those type of films from this one. I did like how they brought out the Yakuza culture in the movie with all the members sitting around the table, the violence, and how they cut off the pinky finger, but I thought they should have shown a little more of the Yakuza cultre in the film.
Acting:
It is a DTV release so what can I say lol. There were alot of corny moments and there was really nothing special about the acting. Seagal had a couple of good one liners as he always does but none that really stick out in to your head such as his classics, "You think you're above the law, well you ain't above mine." etc... I thought that white boy FBI agent was just a filler in the movie and he really was not needed, and just brought too many corny acting moments.
Action Scenes:
I am quite satisfied with the action scenes compared to his recent DTV releases. I mean at least we don't see a stunt double "skinny" Seagal doing Tae Kwon Do kicks or Tai-Chi moves like we saw in Belly Of The Beast. And at least Into The Sun had alot more fight scenes than Out Of Reach.
Wow the violence reminds me of those Out For Justice days, some of the scenes are so violent with blood constantly gushing, arms and heads being chopped of lol..
I thought the fight scenes were good, would I have liked to seen more hand to hand combat scenes by Seagal, of course but he is getting older now so I believe his body limits the amount of fight scenes he can do. I liked the market fight scene, there were no computer effects which was great, I saw some Kote-Gaeshi's performed by Seagal as well as many joint and wrist locks which was a refreshment to see Seagal perform again. I loved the Katana/Sword fight scenes, it really demonstrated Seagal's great skill of the sword and his mastery in Kendo. Ken Lo also added that extra flare to the fight scenes showing his great kicking techniques and his prescence upgraded the action scenes. Over alll I was pleased with the action scenes but could have hope for just a little more hand to hand combat scenes from Seagal. I like how he limited his gun use but still incorporated it into this film because we all know there can never be a Seagal action film without Seagal shooting a gun.
Seagal's Apperance:
He looked a little thinner than in Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach, he looked very good in the black leather to make him look thin but still we can not deny he is over weight and I really do not like that. He is just too chubby and makes him look laughable some times, but he is getting older and he can not help that.
Movie In General:
I liked this movie! It is his best movie since Exit Wounds! Whoever thinks Belly Of The Beast is better than Into The Sun is blinded by the fact that Seagal looked terrible in Belly Of The Beast and the fight scenes were just a discrace and ridiculous!
I loved the cinematography and the film being shot in Japan just brought a sense of feeling that we could connect with Seagal and his Japanese culture that he has learned from the time being in Japan. The cinematography in Japan was beautiful, constantly showing the night life, beautiful zen gardens, dojo's, clubs, etc.. making you feel excited and entertained with the location in stead of just being held in one place all the time. I loved the music, I thought the music was so beautiful but it was a little over played. The scenes with Seagal in the bridge showing the cherry blossomed tree playing the beautiful Asian music was such a beautiful scene. I thought the movie moved a little too fast paced for me, right after the openeing credits the president of Japan gets killed and Seagal is already called to the assignment, I thought there should of been more plot before the main prelude to the story occurded. I did not like those scenes which went so fast when the Yakuza member's were killing someone, that was just way too fast and very confusing.
Pros:
Cinematography
Music
Location
Fight scenes
Asian culture
Cons:
Too faced paced
Corny Acting
Not enough action scenes
Overall:
I loved this film so much! It is not a Seagal classic and no where near the quality of his older films but this indeed is a positive step in Seagal's career. This is one of his films that I can watch over agani. WIthout a doubt better than Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach! Better than OFAK, The Foreigner, and Half Past Dead, as well as Ticker. This was a great film and I am very pleased at the outcome of this film.
My overall rating:
A very strong 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Here is my Into The Sun review:
Well what can I say. I purchased Into The Sun yesterday and watched it last night and will watch it again today. I could not have said that when I bought Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach because quite honestly I would really not enjoy watching them again, but for Into The Sun I do enjoy watching it again. Ok so this is yet another one of Seagal's DTV releases, so I was quite curious how this movie would turn out to be. I was not dissapointed, yet I was not thrilled. I was simply very pleased with this film in comparison to Seagal's recent DTV releases. Into The Sun was a great DTV release and in my opinion his best DTV release yet. I enjoyed the action scenes, I enjoyed the cinematography, the location, and the music. I thought the plot was a little shaky but steady enough for me to understand what was going on and draw my attention to the film.
Plot:
I thought the plot was ok, there was really nothing too special about this whole Yakuza and Triad drug trafficing theme and a retired CIA agent who has experience in the Asian way of life going to save the day, etc.. So the plot in my opinion was a negative to the film, I love sotries on the Yakuza and Triad's but I feel it has been done so many times and this was just a repeat of all those Yakuza/Triad films and nothing special that differentiates those type of films from this one. I did like how they brought out the Yakuza culture in the movie with all the members sitting around the table, the violence, and how they cut off the pinky finger, but I thought they should have shown a little more of the Yakuza cultre in the film.
Acting:
It is a DTV release so what can I say lol. There were alot of corny moments and there was really nothing special about the acting. Seagal had a couple of good one liners as he always does but none that really stick out in to your head such as his classics, "You think you're above the law, well you ain't above mine." etc... I thought that white boy FBI agent was just a filler in the movie and he really was not needed, and just brought too many corny acting moments.
Action Scenes:
I am quite satisfied with the action scenes compared to his recent DTV releases. I mean at least we don't see a stunt double "skinny" Seagal doing Tae Kwon Do kicks or Tai-Chi moves like we saw in Belly Of The Beast. And at least Into The Sun had alot more fight scenes than Out Of Reach.
Wow the violence reminds me of those Out For Justice days, some of the scenes are so violent with blood constantly gushing, arms and heads being chopped of lol..
I thought the fight scenes were good, would I have liked to seen more hand to hand combat scenes by Seagal, of course but he is getting older now so I believe his body limits the amount of fight scenes he can do. I liked the market fight scene, there were no computer effects which was great, I saw some Kote-Gaeshi's performed by Seagal as well as many joint and wrist locks which was a refreshment to see Seagal perform again. I loved the Katana/Sword fight scenes, it really demonstrated Seagal's great skill of the sword and his mastery in Kendo. Ken Lo also added that extra flare to the fight scenes showing his great kicking techniques and his prescence upgraded the action scenes. Over alll I was pleased with the action scenes but could have hope for just a little more hand to hand combat scenes from Seagal. I like how he limited his gun use but still incorporated it into this film because we all know there can never be a Seagal action film without Seagal shooting a gun.
Seagal's Apperance:
He looked a little thinner than in Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach, he looked very good in the black leather to make him look thin but still we can not deny he is over weight and I really do not like that. He is just too chubby and makes him look laughable some times, but he is getting older and he can not help that.
Movie In General:
I liked this movie! It is his best movie since Exit Wounds! Whoever thinks Belly Of The Beast is better than Into The Sun is blinded by the fact that Seagal looked terrible in Belly Of The Beast and the fight scenes were just a discrace and ridiculous!
I loved the cinematography and the film being shot in Japan just brought a sense of feeling that we could connect with Seagal and his Japanese culture that he has learned from the time being in Japan. The cinematography in Japan was beautiful, constantly showing the night life, beautiful zen gardens, dojo's, clubs, etc.. making you feel excited and entertained with the location in stead of just being held in one place all the time. I loved the music, I thought the music was so beautiful but it was a little over played. The scenes with Seagal in the bridge showing the cherry blossomed tree playing the beautiful Asian music was such a beautiful scene. I thought the movie moved a little too fast paced for me, right after the openeing credits the president of Japan gets killed and Seagal is already called to the assignment, I thought there should of been more plot before the main prelude to the story occurded. I did not like those scenes which went so fast when the Yakuza member's were killing someone, that was just way too fast and very confusing.
Pros:
Cinematography
Music
Location
Fight scenes
Asian culture
Cons:
Too faced paced
Corny Acting
Not enough action scenes
Overall:
I loved this film so much! It is not a Seagal classic and no where near the quality of his older films but this indeed is a positive step in Seagal's career. This is one of his films that I can watch over agani. WIthout a doubt better than Belly Of The Beast and Out Of Reach! Better than OFAK, The Foreigner, and Half Past Dead, as well as Ticker. This was a great film and I am very pleased at the outcome of this film.
My overall rating:
A very strong 3.5 out of 5 stars.
JackCole
Hard To Kill
Worth The Wait
I cannot understand where the post is I wrote earlier today, with the same
post name. I don't know one forum another unless thier obvious. Anyway
maybe you can tell me later. After along wait and watching 5 times today,
Seagal does not dissappoint. "Into The Sun" was a good movie although yhe were not that many fight scenes, the one that really got me freaked out the
most was when he found the guy who killed the girl he was going to married
to. Is it just me, or did he get a little excessive with sword when he was hitting that guy in the head, my god 1 or 2 hits would have done it but hit him like 10
times. Also I noticed, Seagal usually does movies that the fights are real bloody,
but "Into The Sun" was probably and I would have to asy one of his bloodiest
movies he has ever made. 1 more thing I would like to see him play the bad guy once, I mean if he can do a funny commercial than I'm pretty sure he would do a great bad guy. The one I can think of is who would they put up against him at the end.? Jet Li, maybe, definitely not Jackie Chan. So who would they put up
against him?
I cannot understand where the post is I wrote earlier today, with the same
post name. I don't know one forum another unless thier obvious. Anyway
maybe you can tell me later. After along wait and watching 5 times today,
Seagal does not dissappoint. "Into The Sun" was a good movie although yhe were not that many fight scenes, the one that really got me freaked out the
most was when he found the guy who killed the girl he was going to married
to. Is it just me, or did he get a little excessive with sword when he was hitting that guy in the head, my god 1 or 2 hits would have done it but hit him like 10
times. Also I noticed, Seagal usually does movies that the fights are real bloody,
but "Into The Sun" was probably and I would have to asy one of his bloodiest
movies he has ever made. 1 more thing I would like to see him play the bad guy once, I mean if he can do a funny commercial than I'm pretty sure he would do a great bad guy. The one I can think of is who would they put up against him at the end.? Jet Li, maybe, definitely not Jackie Chan. So who would they put up
against him?
Hi! Your post was probably moved to the "Into the Sun" thread, located in the Movie Reviews sub-forum of the Movies section, where Craig has requested all movie reviews be placed. We usually let someone's new thread stick around for a day, then merge it over there. Craig didn't want hundreds of different threads with everyone's separate review. Your original one is already there now. Here's the link.seagalstheman said:
And thanks for the positive review!
http://www.steven-seagal.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5123
Your first initial review was merged into the thread I mentioned above and is located on Page 6, post #85.
aikidoboynj
"Lookin fit Nelson"
SweetChinMusic said:
No im known for saying whether a movie was crap or not on this I dont care who it stared even Seagal. So getting on with the review...
Ok it actually was holding my attention while the first few minutes were going on and him and his friend were in the jungle, I thought it felt really rushed but none the less it actually looked good, the eleuphants, classic seagal loosing his cool to take care of those two baddies, but after that I think the film just took a nose dive.
I don't think this movie was ever supposed to be a theatrical release, most of those asian actors while speaking english, at times it was hard to distinguish what they were saying- see in a good movie that can be accepted cause sometimes I had no idea what Screwface and his posse were saying(until the millionth time i saw it), but Seagal was so bad ass in it noone cared!
But when a movie has a action star who is sleepwalking through the role its not what I consider good. Honestly Seagal looks nothing like what he used even going back only what?- 3 years when Exit Wounds came out, his weight, the hair, the chins
- The thing I can't stand is that the director or he tries to cover up the fact that he is in poor physical shape with over bearing jackets and shadowy filming or quick close cuts or other odd "techniques." (Any way you look at it, the main star hiding or barely visible=LAME) I mean look how old and out of shape Van Damme and Chuck Norris are...oh wait there old but still in great shape. I was very excited about the fight scenes but besides a few moves in front of the store-besides the sword fights the rest of the hand to hand stuff was filmed in the usual "camera so close that you cant even see what was going on" style that has plagued Seagal for a while now. The other fight scenes more or less look like he is slapping the other guys hands over and over again.
The plot wasn't bad, it was the simple Seagal formula which I have no problem with, but the key to the Simple Seagal formula is that Seagal kicks it into high gear, but on this film I dont think he ever shifts out of 2nd. His sidekick was such a loser that Seagal himself didn't even care when he died.
Some good points of the movie=
At times it looks like a higher budget film, it has no wirework, no voice overs, a few hand to hand fights with Steven not his stunt double, has some very gruesome action scenes. Seagal gets kicked once in this one!
In other words, rent it if you really want, It was better than his other very crappy DTV's but saying it was better than that rubbish is not a high honor at all... Don't buy it unless you have to add it to the Seagal collection. At times I was quite bored watching it, but it was a step up from the last few so maybe he'll suprise us with a good movie next time. But probably not.
1.5 out of 5
From "Kungfu.cinema.com"
From Kungfu Cinema.com
Into the Sun (2005)
Distributor: Columbia Tristar
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC
Length: 97 min
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) anamorphic
Audio Tracks: English & Japanese
Subtitles: English
Extras: Six trailers.
Notes: It's an unremarkable, barebones release with nothing to praise or complain about.
Picture: 4 /5
Sound: 4 /5
Extras: 1/2 / 5
Premise: A CIA operative raised in Japan is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent Japanese politician and goes up against a dangerous new breed of yakuza who have allied themselves with a Chinese triad.
Review: Into the Sun may be the closest we ever get to seeing aging martial arts stars Steven Seagal and Jackie Chan tangle. No, Jackie is no where to be found in this Kill Bill-inspired clunker. But one of his most famous action team members is, namely Ken Lo of Drunken Master II fame. Seagal continues in what appears to have become his filmic obsession with all things Asian by playing a round-eyed Tokyo native with a background as a CIA operative and Japanese martial arts expert. This is familiar territory that is covered here no better than any of his other recent Far Eastern forays and in fact is probably one of his more plodding and listless in recent memory despite attempts to spice things up.
With Seagal it's usually hit or miss and let's be honest, the latter tends to crop up the most. The trouble with Into the Sun is that it's just more of the same from Seagal, but this time with more dull plot development and chatter and less action. The film opens with Seagal as CIA action man Travis blasting some generic drug smugglers in the jungle with an assault rifle before he makes a dramatic getaway and settles in Tokyo where he's called upon to investigate the murder of a prominent Japanese politician. The one responsible is a hot-blooded yakuza upstart (played by Takao Osawa of Sky High) who is challenging the old ranks, killing people around him on a whim, and drawing support from a Chinese triad led by Chen (Ken Lo). Reluctantly paired up with a generic FBI rookie, Travis puts his knowledge of Tokyo's underworld to use in finding the culprits. The task turns personal, however, when the criminals catch the FBI agent sniffing around and then target Travis' Japanese gal pal. Joined by two sword-wielding buddies, Travis goes looking for some yakuza to slice and dice.
For a direct-to-video "action" movie, there is definitely way too much mind-numbing dialogue involving a bilingual Seagal and his mostly Japanese-speaking costars. The same goes for scenes of Ken Lo and Takao Osawa doing their best bad guy mugging. Sprinkled in among these bland filler sessions are stylishly vacuous transitions depicting satellite zoom-ins as the CIA keeps tabs on Travis, and a number of action scenes that are generally over-edited and lacking in any spark of excitement, much like most of the movie.
The opening scene of Seagal doing his gun-totting special ops work is laughable and completely unnecessary. All that's left to speak of is a street tussle between Seagal and yakuza punks that shows glimpses of the killer Aikido-fighting that originally made him a star and two sword fights that are both poorly shot and wholly forgettable. The one attraction is that some of the violence is the bloodiest of any of his movies and includes limb cleaving and generous amounts of spurting (but not spraying) blood. There is a fight between Ken Lo and Seagal, but it's awful. It's shot extremely tight and doesn't flatter either actor. Imagine two grown men flailing their arms at each other as fast as they can.
It's clearly no coincidence that Japanese starlet Chiaki Kuriyama (AKA Kill Bill's Go Go Yubari) makes a very brief cameo as the politician's daughter. There is definitely a sense that Seagal was "inspired" by Tarantino's work on this movie. The Tokyo setting, the yakuza theme, the increased bloodletting, the swordplay, the driving music, and even one overhead shot towards the end are all too familiar in a roundabout way.
The lighting deserves special mention for being particularly annoying. It's generally too dark for most interiors and someone thought it would be a "bright" idea to frame Seagal in shadow with only a sliver of light across his face for nearly the entire movie. So, regardless of whether he's in a car, in a bar, shot close or shot far, there is usually just this face hovering in the darkness. This effect is made complete by the fact that Seagal wears black like it's going out of style. Equally annoying is how Seagal repeatedly talks in English to his Japanese costars while they only answer back in Japanese, as if people really hold conversations this way. He has an entire conversation with his love interest like this that makes the scene almost as painful as having to see him briefly get busy with her later. What is it with Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme anyway? Both stars have repeatedly felt the need to show off their prowess in bed onscreen recently, although Seagal thankfully does so only briefly. Do they even know their audience? Nobody really wants to see these action stars make out with chicks. Can the romance and bring on the gratuitous violence!
Into the Sun is another in a long string of backward steps for Seagal that briefly saw a promising about-face with the Ching Siu-tung-directed Belly of the Beast. There's nothing much to recommend here including soulless direction from a fellow who goes by the name of "mink" except for a bit of gruesome violence and a modest English-language performance from Ken Lo who sadly is reduced to doing a cheap Bruce Lee imitation at one point.
2 / 5
- Mark Pollard
----------------------------------------------------
For your information
suzi
From Kungfu Cinema.com
Into the Sun (2005)
Distributor: Columbia Tristar
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC
Length: 97 min
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) anamorphic
Audio Tracks: English & Japanese
Subtitles: English
Extras: Six trailers.
Notes: It's an unremarkable, barebones release with nothing to praise or complain about.
Picture: 4 /5
Sound: 4 /5
Extras: 1/2 / 5
Premise: A CIA operative raised in Japan is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent Japanese politician and goes up against a dangerous new breed of yakuza who have allied themselves with a Chinese triad.
Review: Into the Sun may be the closest we ever get to seeing aging martial arts stars Steven Seagal and Jackie Chan tangle. No, Jackie is no where to be found in this Kill Bill-inspired clunker. But one of his most famous action team members is, namely Ken Lo of Drunken Master II fame. Seagal continues in what appears to have become his filmic obsession with all things Asian by playing a round-eyed Tokyo native with a background as a CIA operative and Japanese martial arts expert. This is familiar territory that is covered here no better than any of his other recent Far Eastern forays and in fact is probably one of his more plodding and listless in recent memory despite attempts to spice things up.
With Seagal it's usually hit or miss and let's be honest, the latter tends to crop up the most. The trouble with Into the Sun is that it's just more of the same from Seagal, but this time with more dull plot development and chatter and less action. The film opens with Seagal as CIA action man Travis blasting some generic drug smugglers in the jungle with an assault rifle before he makes a dramatic getaway and settles in Tokyo where he's called upon to investigate the murder of a prominent Japanese politician. The one responsible is a hot-blooded yakuza upstart (played by Takao Osawa of Sky High) who is challenging the old ranks, killing people around him on a whim, and drawing support from a Chinese triad led by Chen (Ken Lo). Reluctantly paired up with a generic FBI rookie, Travis puts his knowledge of Tokyo's underworld to use in finding the culprits. The task turns personal, however, when the criminals catch the FBI agent sniffing around and then target Travis' Japanese gal pal. Joined by two sword-wielding buddies, Travis goes looking for some yakuza to slice and dice.
For a direct-to-video "action" movie, there is definitely way too much mind-numbing dialogue involving a bilingual Seagal and his mostly Japanese-speaking costars. The same goes for scenes of Ken Lo and Takao Osawa doing their best bad guy mugging. Sprinkled in among these bland filler sessions are stylishly vacuous transitions depicting satellite zoom-ins as the CIA keeps tabs on Travis, and a number of action scenes that are generally over-edited and lacking in any spark of excitement, much like most of the movie.
The opening scene of Seagal doing his gun-totting special ops work is laughable and completely unnecessary. All that's left to speak of is a street tussle between Seagal and yakuza punks that shows glimpses of the killer Aikido-fighting that originally made him a star and two sword fights that are both poorly shot and wholly forgettable. The one attraction is that some of the violence is the bloodiest of any of his movies and includes limb cleaving and generous amounts of spurting (but not spraying) blood. There is a fight between Ken Lo and Seagal, but it's awful. It's shot extremely tight and doesn't flatter either actor. Imagine two grown men flailing their arms at each other as fast as they can.
It's clearly no coincidence that Japanese starlet Chiaki Kuriyama (AKA Kill Bill's Go Go Yubari) makes a very brief cameo as the politician's daughter. There is definitely a sense that Seagal was "inspired" by Tarantino's work on this movie. The Tokyo setting, the yakuza theme, the increased bloodletting, the swordplay, the driving music, and even one overhead shot towards the end are all too familiar in a roundabout way.
The lighting deserves special mention for being particularly annoying. It's generally too dark for most interiors and someone thought it would be a "bright" idea to frame Seagal in shadow with only a sliver of light across his face for nearly the entire movie. So, regardless of whether he's in a car, in a bar, shot close or shot far, there is usually just this face hovering in the darkness. This effect is made complete by the fact that Seagal wears black like it's going out of style. Equally annoying is how Seagal repeatedly talks in English to his Japanese costars while they only answer back in Japanese, as if people really hold conversations this way. He has an entire conversation with his love interest like this that makes the scene almost as painful as having to see him briefly get busy with her later. What is it with Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme anyway? Both stars have repeatedly felt the need to show off their prowess in bed onscreen recently, although Seagal thankfully does so only briefly. Do they even know their audience? Nobody really wants to see these action stars make out with chicks. Can the romance and bring on the gratuitous violence!
Into the Sun is another in a long string of backward steps for Seagal that briefly saw a promising about-face with the Ching Siu-tung-directed Belly of the Beast. There's nothing much to recommend here including soulless direction from a fellow who goes by the name of "mink" except for a bit of gruesome violence and a modest English-language performance from Ken Lo who sadly is reduced to doing a cheap Bruce Lee imitation at one point.
2 / 5
- Mark Pollard
----------------------------------------------------
For your information
suzi
SweetChinMusic
big gulps huh
why did he use stunt walkers again, is he that out of shape that he simply cant walk around anymore? And I guess the rumors were true about them losing a lot of the budget because the movie really shouldnt have cost more than 15 million.
Clement3000
aka The Phoenix
Clements Into The Sun Review
*****Spoilers Alert***** *****Spoilers Alert*****
WOW!! Ok, here goes!
I honestly thought this movie was amazing. I didn't know what to expect when I put the movie in but I was overly impressed by the film. 
It is a very proffessional movie and it's really pretty to watch, even on mute I'd bet!
I heard people say this movie was going to be bloody, and yes indeed it is!!!!!!! I didn't honestly think I'd see blood squirting off in every which direction done ever so nicely, haha, sorry I'm a little desensetized to violance & gore.
But the action was excellent, some of the longest fight scenes in a Seagal movie, the one at the end was super coool. The fight with Ken Lo was amazing, the market fight was great and funny, ok, I'm kinda going off on a rant here. But this is definatly my favorite movie since Exit Wounds, and I might even like it better than a couple of his other not direct to video movies.
I give this movie:
**** out of *****
*****Spoilers Alert***** *****Spoilers Alert*****
WOW!! Ok, here goes!
I honestly thought this movie was amazing.
I didn't know what to expect when I put the movie in but I was overly impressed by the film. It is a very proffessional movie and it's really pretty to watch, even on mute I'd bet!
I heard people say this movie was going to be bloody, and yes indeed it is!!!!!!! I didn't honestly think I'd see blood squirting off in every which direction done ever so nicely, haha, sorry I'm a little desensetized to violance & gore.
But the action was excellent, some of the longest fight scenes in a Seagal movie, the one at the end was super coool. The fight with Ken Lo was amazing, the market fight was great and funny, ok, I'm kinda going off on a rant here. But this is definatly my favorite movie since Exit Wounds, and I might even like it better than a couple of his other not direct to video movies.
I give this movie:
**** out of *****
aikidoboynj
"Lookin fit Nelson"
I dont think any of the DTV's have been worth a dime, Its not really Seagal up there anymore its totally some other dude. But in the end im the one that wasted my money again.=(
Clement3000
aka The Phoenix
http://www.scoopy.com/intothesun.htm
And then there's the dialogue. Check this s#&t out ..
Woo-hoo! Ten thousand dollars! Tokyo is mine! Mua-ha-ha-ha! (Raise pinky to lips.) Ten thousand dollars in Tokyo won't buy them a decent steak dinner.
And then there is the DVD box. I swear to you, that scene on the left has absolutely nothing to do with this movie.
Looks cool. May have happened in another film. Not in this one.
The colorful scene on the right might have made a cool cover for THIS film's DVD, especially since the director went to the trouble of getting it all framed and symmetrical.
Finally, there is the plot. The CIA has to figure out how Kuroda, a Yakuza boss, is getting heroin around Tokyo. Gee, let me think. He runs a fish company called the Kuroda Fish Company, and they deliver stuff all around Tokyo. OK. I'm ready to make my guess ...
... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Kuroda the crime boss delivers his stuff around Tokyo in the trucks marked "Kuroda".
The regular and special CIA agents were not able to figure this out. I guess they figured that since Kuroda carted fish around in a truck marked with his name and a fish symbol, he would cart heroin around in a truck marked with his name and a poppy. Those foolish Westerners! Will they never understand the subtlety of the Asian mind?
Luckily, the cultural virgins were able to call in the Stout Swordsman, a certain pony-tailed super special agent who grew up in Tokyo, and the big man duped it all out with his intimate knowledge of Asian cultures.
Of course, before the Fleshy Fencer could bring the baddies to justice, they had killed his sensei, his fiancée, and his partner, but ... well ... those are the sacrifices one must make for straight-to-video honor.
http://www.scoopy.com/intothesun.htm
http://www.scoopy.com/intothesun.htm
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Into the Sun (2005) from Johnny Web
Into the Sun is the latest in Steven Seagal's seemingly infinite series of straight-to-vid action pictures in which he works for or used to work for the CIA, loses one or more loved ones in some way, and incorporates stylized Asian fighting techniques into his revenge and/or rescue.
IMDb says he has made nine pictures in the new millennium, and this one is ranked in the top half.
- (5.29) - Exit Wounds (2001)
- (4.50) - Clementine (2004)
- (4.22) - Belly of the Beast (2003)
- (4.21) - Into the Sun (2005)
- (3.91) - Half Past Dead (2002)
- (3.53) - Out of Reach (2004)
- (3.34) - Ticker (2001)
- (3.27) - The Foreigner (2003)
- (3.09) - Out for a Kill (2003)
I have not seen Clementine but amazingly, I have seen all of the others, and I'd say that IMDb ranking gives a fair picture. Into the Sun is not as good as Exit Wounds, but is very comparable to Belly of the Beast in many ways, and is a better film than the others on the list. I was ready to write Big Steve off in mid-2003, but Seagal continues to make a pretty decent little comeback after his back-to-back 2003 disasters with director Hounddog Oblowitz (the two lowest rated films above).
There are some reasons why the Bulky Battler's career is recovering:
1. Belly of the Beast and Into the Sun take place in Asia. Seagal is genuinely interested in Asian cultures and languages, as well as their fighting styles, so he brings much more passion and personal interest to the Asian films than he does to his adventures in Eastern Europe.
2. Seagal is taking a bigger role in the production of these films. He received writing credits for Belly of the Beast and Into the Sun. That doesn't mean that he sat down and wrote the screenplays, but he did get sufficiently involved to create a situation and a storyline that was appropriate for him, thus allowing him to do what he does best. On the other hand, Seagal may have overdone the hands-on approach a bit for Into the Sun. It seems that Steve the Beefy Battler and Steve the Weighty Writer were also joined by Steve the Stout Singer and Steve the Copious Composer in this film. Yup, no kidding - Seagal actually wrote and performed four songs on the soundtrack!
3. He is doing the kinds of fight scenes which obviate the need for a body double. By keeping the action restricted to close hand-to-hand combat and swordplay, Seagal is able to do all the work, so the scenes can flow naturally, and the director can do his job. Big Steve still has fast hands, and he looks mighty impressive with those swords. In some of the earlier films, with more full-body fighting and footwork, the transitions between the Pudgy Paladin and his stand-in were clumsy, or there were too many blue-screen tricks, and the fight scenes flowed strangely, stilted by the fact that "Seagal's" head had to be missing from some takes, or that Seagal and the bad guy were not actually in the room together!
4. He may even have dropped a few pounds. His chin count is definitely down to the low single figures. As much as I hate to lose so much of my Seagal schtick, I have to admit that the big fella is not as big. Seagal definitely looks trimmer and moves better than he did a couple of years ago.
5. Production values are improving. This film is reputed to have cost $20 million, and that may be so, although I have no idea how one may recover such an amount with a straight-to-video release. There is, for example, an action scene with six elephants and a helicopter, and there are also lots of dizzying helicopter shots of Tokyo. It does not look cheap, and the Tokyo street scenes are gorgeous.
So my hat is off to the Chubby Commando for grabbing his career by the horns and taking personal control of it. I don't know if he's going to make it back into theatrical releases, but the quality of his video offerings is definitely on the rise. If you like his brand of Asian gangster pictures, this is a pretty decent one.
Not that there aren't some good things to make fun of:
There's continuity, for example. These images are actually cropped from adjacent frames in the film. Notice any problem?
What happened to the message scrawled in black magic marker? If the director had cut away to a picture of Seagal (the author of the letter) staring off into the middle distance, then cut back to Atherton here, I might never have noticed, but ... adjoining frames? How could I miss it? I know that both characters worked for the CIA. Maybe the message was written in disappearing ink. On the other hand, in that case I'm not sure why Atherton kept reading from it after it disappeared!
And then there's the dialogue. Check this s#&t out ..
Woo-hoo! Ten thousand dollars! Tokyo is mine! Mua-ha-ha-ha! (Raise pinky to lips.) Ten thousand dollars in Tokyo won't buy them a decent steak dinner.
And then there is the DVD box. I swear to you, that scene on the left has absolutely nothing to do with this movie.
Looks cool. May have happened in another film. Not in this one.
The colorful scene on the right might have made a cool cover for THIS film's DVD, especially since the director went to the trouble of getting it all framed and symmetrical.
Finally, there is the plot. The CIA has to figure out how Kuroda, a Yakuza boss, is getting heroin around Tokyo. Gee, let me think. He runs a fish company called the Kuroda Fish Company, and they deliver stuff all around Tokyo. OK. I'm ready to make my guess ...
... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Kuroda the crime boss delivers his stuff around Tokyo in the trucks marked "Kuroda".
The regular and special CIA agents were not able to figure this out. I guess they figured that since Kuroda carted fish around in a truck marked with his name and a fish symbol, he would cart heroin around in a truck marked with his name and a poppy. Those foolish Westerners! Will they never understand the subtlety of the Asian mind?
Luckily, the cultural virgins were able to call in the Stout Swordsman, a certain pony-tailed super special agent who grew up in Tokyo, and the big man duped it all out with his intimate knowledge of Asian cultures.
Of course, before the Fleshy Fencer could bring the baddies to justice, they had killed his sensei, his fiancée, and his partner, but ... well ... those are the sacrifices one must make for straight-to-video honor.
http://www.scoopy.com/intothesun.htm
Littledragon
Above The Law
SweetChinMusic said:
As much as I hate to say it, it was true. In SOME of the scenes Seagal did have stunt walkers walking for him, you could tell because when he is in Chinatown when they profile him from the back he is wearing his black leather jacket and that is not Seagal, then he walks into the Chinese master's house and he is wearing that long black COTTEN jacket, that was a little blooper there, and Seagal did use a walking double which I have no i dea why they did that.
I just watched my "Into The Sun" DVD!!!
I just watched “INTO THE SUN” and I liked it very much. But, I’m afraid it may be a little deeper than some action fans like. There is plenty of action and a lot of bloody sword play Kendo fashion too. The story is written in a very Japanese style which is difficult. I still liked it. It’s kind of sad that the woman always gets killed.
I just watched “INTO THE SUN” and I liked it very much. But, I’m afraid it may be a little deeper than some action fans like. There is plenty of action and a lot of bloody sword play Kendo fashion too. The story is written in a very Japanese style which is difficult. I still liked it. It’s kind of sad that the woman always gets killed.
I like deeper action stories, Hallarian! LOL And that "plenty of action" sounds like a good thing, too! He does have trouble hanging onto women, doesn't he? I guess that's the best incentive for the tough guy in these movies, eh? The loss of the woman he loves. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I hope to see it very soon.
P.S. After a day or so, we will merge this thread with the rest of the reviews for Into the Sun. Craig has requested they all be kept in one thread, which is located in the Movie Reviews sub-form of the Movies section.
LOL And that "plenty of action" sounds like a good thing, too! He does have trouble hanging onto women, doesn't he? I guess that's the best incentive for the tough guy in these movies, eh? The loss of the woman he loves. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I hope to see it very soon.P.S. After a day or so, we will merge this thread with the rest of the reviews for Into the Sun. Craig has requested they all be kept in one thread, which is located in the Movie Reviews sub-form of the Movies section.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Hallarian said:
I am glad you liked it, I enjoyed the Japanese culture, and the sword fight scenes were brutal.
gunslinger
Member
Just saw Into the Sun. Really liked it. Definitely his best DTV effort. Several things
came to mind after watching the movie.
1. It should have had a theatrical release.
2. Although there wasn't much action, the action scenes that were there were well
done.
3. Pacing reminded me of The Glimmer Man (not much happens until the end)
4. Seagal used his own voice in the movie...what a refreshing change.
5. Direction was good.
6. Really loved the ending where Seagal goes back to work. Cool.
7. Nice score.
8. Nice cinematography and location work.
However, a few things bugged me.
The storyline was incorherent to say the least: The Yakuza get the Tong to assassinate the Japenese governor so it will distract the CIA from investigating their drug activities? All it did was make the CIA MORE aware of it!
The Jewel character. What was the point of her role? She did absolutely jack.
Ditto for the Japanese dude who was the detective. What was the point of having him in the damn movie? He only said two words.
Overall Into the Sun is a good Seagal movie. Here's hoping he continues the trend with Submerged. Fingers crossed.
came to mind after watching the movie.
1. It should have had a theatrical release.
2. Although there wasn't much action, the action scenes that were there were well
done.
3. Pacing reminded me of The Glimmer Man (not much happens until the end)
4. Seagal used his own voice in the movie...what a refreshing change.
5. Direction was good.
6. Really loved the ending where Seagal goes back to work. Cool.
7. Nice score.
8. Nice cinematography and location work.
However, a few things bugged me.
The storyline was incorherent to say the least: The Yakuza get the Tong to assassinate the Japenese governor so it will distract the CIA from investigating their drug activities? All it did was make the CIA MORE aware of it!
The Jewel character. What was the point of her role? She did absolutely jack.
Ditto for the Japanese dude who was the detective. What was the point of having him in the damn movie? He only said two words.
Overall Into the Sun is a good Seagal movie. Here's hoping he continues the trend with Submerged. Fingers crossed.