Out For A Kill

GlimmerMan

Huge Member
kokoro said:
I have to say Glimmer, I'm starting to feel like you!

HPD? TF? dunno if I want to see OFAK!
Just show me The Yakuza, and I'll feel better (I hope)

Kokoro - I am sorry for all this negativity and I hope I haven't spoiled the movie for you before you have even seen it. Please watch it with an open mind and do not let your judgement be coloured by the things I have said. Take it easy.

Glimmer
 

Administrator

Administrator
Staff member
Well i can post my own short review.

I must admit i was not expecting this movie to be very good, but first of all i must say it is not worse than The Foreigner or Half Past Dead. Overall it seems to be not bad. Direction of the movie is a slight improvement over The Foreigner, the special effects still look low budget! Although the bullet sequence was not too bad. Have a look at the segment when Steven Seagal is supposed to be flying the plane, we cut to the two DEA agents, have a laugh at the background.

I was extremely surprised by the martial arts sequences, these are a vast improvement over Half Past Dead and The Foreigner. There are a few excellent parts. I especially like the sword sequence and the restaurant. Some fights were over very quickly.

The plot was 10 times easier to follow than The Foreigner, but why does Steven Seagal always have to have a mysterious past? Can't they just make him play the normal guy?

The supporting cast was reasonable, the chinese at the table were funny, every time one disappeared the leader said the usual 'this guys becoming a problem' or something like that each time!

The DVD was quite poorly put together, the picture wasn't too great, i was struggling to read the beginning credits! The soundtrack was very good, but i found it strange how the soundtrack especially Seagal talking looks as if it was recorded elsewhere, have a look at the beginning sequence at the dig, when he's talking you don't see his face, when he stops you now get shown his face. Weird!

The extras were poor too, 3 trailers and scene selection. They could at least have shown us how the special effects were created.

Overall a much better movie than The Foreigner and Half Past Dead in my opinion, but still not near Steven Seagal's early work unfortunately.

3/5

Craig
 

rgray_aikido

New Member
Even though this movie is bad in almost every way, the sad reality is this film contains the best Seagal fight sequences since The Fire Down Below.
 

kokoro

Protector
GlimmerMan said:
Kokoro - I am sorry for all this negativity and I hope I haven't spoiled the movie for you before you have even seen it. Please watch it with an open mind and do not let your judgement be coloured by the things I have said. Take it easy.

Glimmer

Hey, no worries Gman, I'm used to this negativity from you!! :D At least your honest.
Like you, I just wasn't impressed with the previous two that much. I'll definately watch with an open mind, after all, I enjoyed Ticker!! :eek:

You take it easy too dude!

Cheers

kokoro *hands a cold beer to Glimmer*
 

Gino Felino

Registered User
well i liked the Foreigner about ten times better than this. The fights were better, but when a movie is all fighting and no plot... Oh my God, the munky man was so bogus i laughed my ass off. he even was itching him self like a monkey. im suprises he didnt start flinging poo at seagal. Seagal didnt even fight the Arch Villan, (who was an AWFUL actor) he throws a sword at him. he kicks the **** out of every guy in the movie then desides to thorw a sword. This movie was second to ticker only for being seagals worst flick. i rented it cuz i didnt have 20 bucks and the only reason im going to buy it is so i can say I have them all.
 

mikek7316

Engorged Member
Seagal is Out for Justice and Hard to Kill in "Out for a Kill"

This is definitely the best direct-to-video Steven Seagal film ever. That may not be saying much, but Out for a Kill surpassed my expectations, low as they were.

Seagal has gone back to his roots, including many Aikido fight scenes, some with elaborate sword fighting. As well, he has incorporated his Buddhist traditions into the character of Robert Burns, giving the doctor a more spiritual and thoughtful side. These were both great ideas that give this film the edge over previously released, nearly action-less Seagal dtv movies like The Patriot, The Foreigner, and to a lesser extent Ticker (Ticker did incorporate Buddhism and spirituality).

While watching the film it is obvious to see why it was not released in theatres. Poor dubbing, weird (not in a good way) direction, and as always wooden acting dominate the film, along with a shaky, unclear storyline. Nonetheless, for what it is- a direct to video movie with a low budget- it delivers action and intrigue that makes it worth the 4 dollars (U.S.) to rent. Actually, I though that Out for a Kill was easier to watch than some of Seagal's theatrically-released films, ie. The Glimmer Man or Half Past Dead.

On a lighter note, I thought Seagal's hair looked quite fashionable in the scenes where he has released it from its previously ubiquitous pony-tail. A courageous fashion statement on the part of Seagal, and one that definitely pays off. Of course, it was nice to see the pony tail in some scenes, for those who feel that the pony tail makes the man.

There were also several memorable lines peppered throughout the film, which will appeal to H2K fans who enjoy Seagal's quick, rapist wit. They give the film a cutting edge over the monotonous banter of some of Seagal's more recent films.

In summary I am pleasantly surprised by Out for a Kill :D !
 

TDWoj

Administrator
Staff member
I think you meant "quick, rapier wit". At least, I hope you did....

:)

-TD, who can't stop editing even for a minute
 

suziwong

Administrator
Staff member
".....Of course, it was nice to see the pony tail in some scenes,..."


I was an able to see ponytail !! Which scenes it was ??? :rolleyes: :confused:

sincerely
 

rastafari

Well-Known Member
i have just seen ofak and these are my views

1.fight scenes 3/5-good fighting the best since glimmer man(apart from exit wounds) altough the monkey fight was a joke and spoiled the film for me

2.acting 2/5-seagal was better in this than tf and it least he was not being dubbed over every 5 mins like that film,other actors were ok and the bad guy was awful

3.fx 1/5-terrible fx...in fact the worst in any seagal film like the house blowing up was bad and the monkey man was bad but the worst bit was when seagal is in the plane and it shows the 2 dea agents on the ground the background is so bad its worse than tickers fx.

4.overall film 2/5-the film overall was not bad but not great either and altough a improvment on tf and hpd it is not sadly as good as hard to kill and nico.also is it only 2 years since exit wounds was number one with 18mil opening in the us and having seen exit wounds yesterday and ofak today it shows seagal most make cinema release film and quick....just hope botb is better and then we have out of reach which WILL go to cinema.
 

Kwan

Be your self...
well, another Oblowitz film :rolleyes:

the plot is easier to follow if you compare with Oblowitz last movie The Foreigner (read TF), but it is to weak, to superficial.....the TF plot is more intresting to keep up with than OFAK.

Steven is very calm and cool trough the movie, maybe to calm, he can show his feelings better i think. :cool:

the F/X is overall good but there is some terrible things, for example; the plane scene when the 2 DEA agents on the ground...it looks like the editor have thrown the whole scene toghter in 1 minute?! :whazzup:

now to the best part :D
the fighting scenes....far better than TF´s,
in OFAK you see Steven a lot more and nice moves!!! :D
this part of the movie really pleased me :cool:

i give OFAK 3/5

+ nice fighting scenes
- bad F/X

edit: the audio and voices was a little messed up too :(
 

Nick

The Writer
My Detailed Review of Out For A Kill

Out For A Kill Review

Story:

The movie offered the viewers the same old revenge scenario, and nothing more.

Character Development:

The writers choose not to spend much time introducing us to the main characters, and decided to start the film with the threat, which just like a chain reaction caused other events to take place throughout the movie. I would have liked instead if the movie briefly introduced us to Steven Segal’s character the archeology professor. This movie avoided character development, and the outcome is that we are left staring at the same Steven Segal. The Patriot tried character development, and I think it succeeded. But The Patriot had so many other flaws, that I just didn’t appreciate the overall attempt at the character development in the end. The Professors wife is a perfect example of no character development. As soon as we are introduced to the wife, she is killed in an explosion. I mean character development could have made scenes such as Professors wife and assistant getting killed more dramatic. How do the writers expect us to show any emotions towards these characters if they only get two seconds of screen time….

The Director:

The director Michael Oblowitz in the end is not completely incompetent. But he needs to stop relying on other films to make his own better. He decided to use slow motion once again for the fight scenes, that I felt didn’t work most of the time. He also sped up a few scenes such as the car chase, which once again I felt wasn’t needed and was quite distracting as well. The problem I have with this director is that he takes certain ideas from other films/directors, and uses them in his own to enhance certain scenes. While many people do this, I just felt that this director fell short of his own expectations. For example the “Bullet Time Sequence” only looks good the first time, but so many movies are now using this technique that it just doesn’t look special anymore. Also the flashback scene went on for to long, and the background made this scene unbearable. Quentin Tarantino is a genius when it comes to flashback scenes, but Michael Oblowitz is not. While I think that Michael Oblowitz should be blamed for majority of things, he is not responsible for Steven Segal’s deciding to be in this film. The decision was Segal’s, and I am quite sure that he was aware that the movie was a failure from the start. An advise to Michael Oblowitz would be to find his own technique. His own individual style, and maybe then his craft will make it to theatres.

Steven Segal:

We received an emotionless performance from Steven Segal this time around. While Steven Segal received opportunities in the past to show us that he can act and even handle drama well, this time the script didn’t work in his favor. Steven Segal chooses these projects, and maybe its time he needs to reconsider a few things. He needs a project that will help his career rather than bring it down. I think because Steven Segal doesn’t care about the state of his shape and his career anymore that he makes films like these.

The Two Agents:

I found these characters to be quite annoying. While the female agent wasn’t that annoying, her partner was indeed that way. The actor that played him delivered a terrible performance. He tried being serious, funny, and dramatic but failed terribly. And the most annoying scene in the entire film is when he and his female partner are laughing, looking upon Steven Segal flying the plane.

Action:

This movie offered us more action sequences than any Steven Segal film in years. But the real question is how good are these scenes? Great in number but not so great in quality. While the fight scenes offered us glimpses of power, technique, and great choreography, but they were flawed in the end. The slow motion, the sped up scenes, the wire work, and MB in the director’s chair didn’t help to make these scenes any better. I felt that the fight scenes relied to much on Steven Segal throwing people around for affect, rather than showing him using technique to defeat the enemy. There were occasional glimpses of good hand-to-hand combat, and even a nice kick from Steven Segal. But all the negative factors mentioned above, had caused majority of the action to be unbearable to watch.

The Comedy:

The movie did offer us occasional comical relief to distract us from the overall failure of a film. The male agent tried to be funny several times, but failed miserably in my eyes. There was a funny scene involving the boss sitting at an empty table stating that he will take care of Segal himself after ten of his man have failed to do so. Another funny scene was the scene where Segal enters a gambling den and a girl states that he doesn’t look like he is here for mahjong. Very rarely there are films that have a perfect balance of drama and comedy, this was not one of them.

The Drama:

The writers could have added more dramatic moments to this film. I for one do not believe that The Professor who used to be a thief could just go out and kill so many people without showing any remorse for his acts. Maybe if there were more dramatic presence we wouldn’t be just looking at a character that travels to different countries killing everyone like a robot. I feel there should be more drama because of the mood of the film, and more dramatic scenes would help Steven Segal to show us that he is indeed capable of handling such a serious subject. Were we supposed to fell sorry for the male agent when he got shot? Well I didn’t simply because the movie introduced us to him as a bad guy in a way. The writers want us to feel sorry for him in one scene, and then hate him in the next. That simply doesn’t work in a movie like this. Also the scenes with the Professors assistant and his wife being killed are also supposed to be dramatic, but the lack of character development made me not care.

Locations:

For a film that took place partially in Paris, the movie didn’t offer us much visually. The director choose to shoot the ending of the film in a rather boring looking building rather than use some other visually spectacular location. Michael Oblowitz needs to watch films like Frantic to learn how to use the location to add that special touch to the film.

Special Effects:

The Special Effects in this movie were quite average, and also tended to be ridiculous at times. The house explosion is an example of low budget special effects at work. While I do realize that this movie only had a budget of 20-25 million, the Foreigner offered us better effects altogether with the same budget.

P.S After reading this review you might come the conclusion that I despise this film, but I did enjoy parts(short) of it. Here a question that we should ask ourselves: What can save Steven Segal’s career? Two simple words: Ringo Lam. He is a spectacular director that directed such epic films as: City on Fire, Prison on Fire, Full Contact, and Victim. This director saved Jean Claude Van Damme’s career three times. And he did that with three low budget films. We can only hope that Steven Segal will make that film.

Action Sequences Listed Below:

1.Car Chase-Short:

* “Bullet Time Sequence”

2.Funeral Home Fight:

*S.S uses two sticks to defend himself
*S.S fighting with a sword

3.Fight in a Restaurant Against Three Thugs:

*Almost the entire fight was slow motion
*Also shoots one thug with a gun

4. Barber Shop Fight:

*While the scenes with the Monkey Man flying around looked fake, the brief hand exchange in the beginning was quite good.

5. Half Moon Restaurant Fight:

*Has a brief exchange with three thugs
*Key Line: “This man doesn’t look like he is here for the mahjong”
*Chases one of the bosses and uses a rope to lift him to the second floor. After that he has a brief hand-to-hand exchange(Fast Motion), and sends the boss out the window.

6. Steven Segal climbs a building

7. Fight in another Building:

*Steven Segal briefly fights two thugs
*The female cop fights with a women

8. The female cop shoots one or two thugs and kicks another one

9. Car Chase #2:

*To many cuts, and fast motion

10. Laundry Fight with Another Boss:

*Good moment when Steven Segal’s fist connected with the thug’s

11. Gun Fight-Brief:

*Steven Segal shoots two thugs

12. End Confrontation:

*Brief exchange with four thugs.
*Throws the sword out the window, which cuts the boss’s head

Other Action:

*The Shootout(Basically lots of Asian thugs killing a bunch of people in a nightclub)
*The Plane Scene
*House Blowing Up.

P.S My DVD wasn't working properly in one spot. Was there a fight between Segal and three thugs in a hallway right before the female cop went in to the Tattoo Parlor?
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
Nick said:
P.S My DVD wasn't working properly in one spot. Was there a fight between Segal and three thugs in a hallway right before the female cop went in to the Tattoo Parlor?


Actually no...It starts out with Tommie walking with her partner, then some bellydancing scenes, and then he warns her not to come out with a tattoo right before she enters the parlor...

Then they show Steven (actually a stunt double) climbing the drain pipe up the building and finding the guy shot in the eye...
Then comes the hallway scene where Steven is cofronted by two thugs (not three) and he shoots them both dead rather quickly...

I hope this answers your question, thanks for the review...
 

Abby

Member
I watched it last night. I agree with Glimmerman totally!!!! The best part was watching Steven Seagal. That my friends was truly worth watching the movie but that was it!!!!
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
Heh, yes abby he's sure is something!
So big and Gorgeous and Powerful!
Watching the movies is a little bittersweet,
for me, to be totally honest...
But he is just facinating, so I can't help myself!
Sigh...
 

GlimmerMan

Huge Member
Why thankyou, Abby!

Nick - cool review mate, but you don't seem to be able to spell the word 'Seagal'!

Glimmer
 

suziwong

Administrator
Staff member
Thank you nick for this review !! You looked very detailed !! Interesting !!
in oneness
 

Nick

The Writer
suziwong said:
Thank you nick for this review !! You looked very detailed !! Interesting !!
in oneness

No problem. I actually want to be a writer, so this review is a good practice for me.

"Nick - cool review mate, but you don't seem to be able to spell the word 'Seagal'!"

Its not that I couldn't spell Seagal, its just that it was quite early in the morning when I started writing this review. And the night before I watched Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers so I was quite exhausted.

"I hope this answers your question, thanks for the review..."

Yes, thanks a lot.

Anyways I hope I can write a positive review when Belly of the Beast comes out.
 

J.Lucas

Active Member
Maybe I missed something in the movie.....but right after the fight in the Hiden Dragon with the Monkey Man......then the kid points down the street to where the Half-Moon is......Seagal stops at a restaraunt right?
but when he then walks into the Half-Moon he is in a complete wardrobe change....I mean everything shirt,pants,jacket...even shoes....so I take it this was supposed to be the next day?????
John
 
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