Reviews: Mercenary For Justice

seagalfan128

New Member
Use the programs Movie Maker (if you have Windows) to cut, and create you're own type of "trailer." I had the ripped version too, with the watermark and Portuguese subtitles.
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
seagalfan128 said:
Well I just finished watching Steven Seagal's new film, Mercenary For Justice. Going in I was anticipating this movie more than any other Seagal DTV film. From some reviews and a few previews, the action looked pretty good. Well being a big film fan I wasn't expecting anything out of this...So I put myself in a Seagal action/adventure type mood and knew I wasn't going to see a masterpiece.

After watching the movie my final opinion is that is was below average and way over rated by the critics who said good things. It's really nothing special.

DIRECTING:
Don E. Lefauntle-talentless is wow, well he's just plain old bad. He puts no effort into his films and it always seems like he cuts corners...Or maybe because Seagal took off during shooting...But I've seen a Don E. film before and I was not impressed at all.

EDITING:
Wow. This was probably the worst editing job ever! There's a seen where the secondary character (the girl) is talking to a henchmen who is reminding her that they want to capture Seagal. Right before he finishes talking to her they cut to a farther shot and the man is already half way off frame on his motorcycle. Another example is when a man follows Seagal into the bathroom, literally he walks in right after Seagal. The next shot is the man looking for Seagal who's hiding in a bathroom stall. There's contunity errors everywhere.

The sound effects suck...Nuff said.

The cut jobs are terrible...Dialogue is cut too fast, almost like a fast paced action scene.

It's obvious the editing hardware was pure crapola.

ACTION:
Eh, I was expecting more. Seagal has an okay fight in the bathroom. Which is probably my favorite part of the film. Nothing special though. And the end scenes and short fights are pretty fun too.

The "war" scene is a complete waste of time. It's like 8 minutes of pointless shooting. Honestly, Don E. put no artistic imput in this scene AT ALL. It's just non-stop shooting. People hiding behind walls holding their guns out and firing away. Don E...next time put some artistic shots and movements in these scenes...Or make it look like you tried at least.

ACTING:
Well, we all know Seagal can't act for his life...But damn, Seagal is Marlon Brando compared to these secondary rejects. The villain was okay, he was probably the best performance of the film...Being a sub-par one anyway.

PLOT:
Stupid, typical, common, we've seen in a billion times.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
The cinematography was nicely done. Who ever the D.O.P was did a good job in my opinion. Having a small budget, the cinematography wasn't bad at all.

The movie had it's ups and downs...Mostly downs. But it did have it's moments. You guys will probably enjoy it since you guys aren't big film fans and are just looking for some entertaining fun stuff.

RATING:
As a film critic or an "IMDb" rating I give it a 4/10.

As a critic judging for Seagal standards, I'd give it a 6/10.

Totally agree with you on that one mate. I;m shocked at some of the love this film is getting, I really am. The Van Damme fans are actually complaining over his latest one Second In Command, cause it isn't all that great (yet still not bad and at least proffesional looking!), but I can garuantee it'll be miles better than MJF. It just shows how forgiving many of Stevo's fans are over his movie standards. If Steven never works with Don E Fauntleroy again, ever, I'll be more than happy.
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
Martin88 said:
Hello,

First i have to say that i don't speak English very good. (I'm Swiss)

I have a question for this film, Mercenary:

In "Today you die", (the same Director) the producers had stolen a lot of actionscences of other actionmovies. Not only the ideas, exactly these scenes! (for example from "Undisputed" with Wesley Snipes - Scences of the prison).
My question: Does someone know that the producers again stolen scences from other films for this movie? I hope not.

Thanks,

Martin

No there are no stolen action scenes in htis film ,although there are still a few stock shots.
 

seagalfan128

New Member
supertom said:
It just shows how forgiving many of Stevo's fans are over his movie standards.

I agree. A lot of his fans settle for a lot of the crap that gets put out on the shelves and just because they're die hard fans they say it's good quality stuff.
 

hofmae

New Member
Martin88 said:
Hello,

First i have to say that i don't speak English very good. (I'm Swiss)

I have a question for this film, Mercenary:

In "Today you die", (the same Director) the producers had stolen a lot of actionscences of other actionmovies. Not only the ideas, exactly these scenes! (for example from "Undisputed" with Wesley Snipes - Scences of the prison).
My question: Does someone know that the producers again stolen scences from other films for this movie? I hope not.

Thanks,

Martin

Hoi Martin!

Another one from switzerland :)

Welcome here!

Liebe Gruess
hofmae
 

pitts

New Member
I wish some of this site's critics, would go out and make their own movie, bring it back here and let the other site member take it apart frame by frame.

There is only one best, film, director, actor, actress, etc, etc a year by movie standards. To EXPECT everything you watch to be the best is inconceivable.
 

take-sensei

Die Hard Seagal fan!
latinojazz said:
I will post an extended review as soon as posible.I only want to say that I´ve seen the California copy and it´s a really good Seagal movie comparing with his others DTV.Enough fights, good locations, different from other movies and good screen presence, a bit fat, but cool.

This is not the typical comment:¨His best movie since Exit Wounds¨....bla,bla,bla,IT IS REALLY HIS BEST MOVIE SINC EXIT WOUNDS!!!!!!

Black Dawn is another crap only for fans, but Mercenary For Justice is a good film to enjoy everyone.

I´m very happy.Steven can film Under Siege 3 with this attitude

Love everyone, see you soon

Yes that was also my first impression, thank you for agree with me :)
 

take-sensei

Die Hard Seagal fan!
seagalfan128 said:
Use the programs Movie Maker (if you have Windows) to cut, and create you're own type of "trailer." I had the ripped version too, with the watermark and Portuguese subtitles.

Thank you very much, I will try some things with Movie Maker ;)
And I have the normal dvdrip without a watermark or Portuguese subtitles, you see only the movie in good quality without subtitles or voice dubs :cool:.

I will try to make a trailer, and I hope I can help people with this service, who don't have seen Mercenary For Justice already.

Greets take-sensei
 

seagalfan128

New Member
take-sensei said:
you see only the movie in good quality without subtitles or voice dubs :cool:.

What's wrong with subtitles? :) And it doesn't matter which version or copy you have, there will always be the dubbings.
 
finally watched Mercenary for Justice :)

well I will chop my review in two parts:

good things

First of all the music. The best since "Into the sun" and "today you die". The action is great, specialy the "war" parts and exposions. Good special fx. I was enjoying watching this movie. After not so good Black Dawn it was something diferent. More fights made by Seagal himself. Not so bad script but nothing big like "Above the Law". Steven is not in shape but he was trying to be real in this. There were a good moments of drama. It's a good sign for his next project but we never know till we saw it.

bad things

Voice dubbing again. And I notice at the beginning a new voice dub for Seagal. So we have two voice dubs fos Steven :( He made his fight but again why to use a double to show him self only. The biggest bug is at the end when there is e memorial and "Steven" is walking towards to the grave. It's not Seagal but his double and the point is he had a pony tail. why I ask ?? just like the stair guy in Black Dawn. Like from diferent movie.

neutral things

I'am waiting for a good editor for his movies. It's not sob bad like others but it's not so good either. Too much change views in a fight or action. Why they not making scenes from one shot like in a final fight in Out for Justice. It's a dinamic for a video clip not a film. Couple mistakes and unnecessery scenes.

final

I was waiting for this like for any other Seagal movie. I'm not disapointment. I'm just sometimes out of good vibrations and power to believe it's going to be finally better. Like it was in Into the Sun. Poor script but great film it was. I'am waiting for his next movie. I hope he will stop using Halpin help in his movies. This will be his first step to a better films.

greets to all fans.....
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
Another ninety days, another Seagal release. This one seems like a
sequel to Submerged, in that Seagal is working as part of a team again
(thus meaning that most others get the bulk of the meaty action
sequences) and this movie (sadly) is all over the place (plot-wise) as
Submerged. Seagal plays John Seager, freedom fighter and freelance
mercenary, who after getting shafted by his current employer, goes to
work for an enemy of the said employer, and proceeds to shaft him. Any
further explanation would be either: a major spoiler.....or news to me,
as i couldn't keep up with the movies many plots and twists. What is of
major importance to all Seagal fans however, is the action. And this
movie (the second by Faunteroy, director of the equally fragmented
Today You Die) has plenty of action (to make up for the lack of logic,
perhaps?) and (what seems like) no fight-doubling for the stout sensei.
Upon further inspection, the fight scenes (as usual) are shot extremely
fragmented (why use one edit, when forty will do) so it's hard to tell.
Seagal certainly performs a few of his (feared lost) classic Aikido
moves (the fight in the bathroom, being a brutal notable) but the
surrounding stuff (i.e, plot) is up there with the manic confusion of
The Foreigner, Out for a kill, Out of reach and Submerged.

A fair portion of this, could be down to the fact, that Seagal crammed
filming this one with (roughly) about three other direct-to-video
classics......so i guess you've got to credit quantity over quality,
nowadays? As a lifelong Seagal fan, i enjoyed it, but i fear it'll lose
him more fans, than create new ones. Technically, it's sound, the
performances are OK, the action scenes are fine....i just wish these
Direct-to-video releases would tone down the 'filler' plot, thus making
the movie easier to understand? As for Seagal, one can only hope that
the forthcoming Prince Of Pistols puts him back on the big screen
(where he belongs) as i feel these 'small' studios (and their
directors) are doing this once great action icon, no favours.

Bottom line, If you're a Seagal fan, you have to buy it. If you're a
casual viewer, rent it, but i'd be surprised if you rented another,
given the somewhat superior quality of equally budgeted releases on the
shelves at the moment. One for the fans. 7 out of 10 (only for the
presence of Seagal)
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
I can;t believe a proffesional critic, getting paid would rate that film so highly. What's he been smooking? I can only imagine that the US cut is somehow miraculously much better and they chose alternate takes in Seagal's wooden as hell performance.
 

nomis

New Member
I have mixed feeling about MFJ but overall i think it is the best of the last ones Seagal has made. Postive points : Seagal does his own fighting scene's 100 % and can still show that he has something left inside of him from the good old day's. He is tough, breaking bones again and looks great. There are five or six enjoyable aikido scene's and the toilet scene proves he has still some speed while he unarms the bad guy. The film looked better and less cheap. Overall i was happy at the end of the movie, a feeling i have missed as a fan. Negative points : Three or Four times i heard voice dubs again, it was'nt irritating but noticeable and not neccesary. Seagal was not much in the picture, it felt like he played a sideroll. Also a little bit more Aikido should have been nice. But like i said, this film is still great for any Seagal fan out there and a little step closer to his good old day's. **** out of 5
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
You are completely right about all the good elements....but the one thing that annoys me, is the insistance in over-complex plot-elements in all these D-T-V's.
It's not over complex, in a thought-provoking way, it's just sloppy film-making.

SEAGAL is fine, it's the film-makers that are mostly to blame. But unfortunetly it's SEAGAL's name on the poster, and these substandard efforts aren't doing the big guy any favours (as far as getting back to the big screen)

Age, weight and speed have nothing to do with (or should hinder) a coherent professional movie.
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
I just watched my copy of MFJ and I can say that this one belongs to one of Seagals best DTV releases. Seagal has good screenpresence and does his own fights again. Although I have mixed feelings about this film, and that's not Steven's fault. The plot is pretty bad and confusing. And some things doesn't make sense. The plot is not the most important thing when you're watching an action movie, but this time I felt very uncomfartable with the plot. You can feel when you're watching MFJ that there were problems on the set (we all know about the law-suit).
But what the hell: at least we got Steven doing his own fightscenes (I love the toiletfight), we got a lot of action (sometimes without Steven) and we got good cinematography! MFJ is just a little bit better then the standard Seagal DTV movie. Can't wait to watch Shadow Man........
 

Administrator

Administrator
Staff member
Well i watched this move last week. I was not expecting it to be very good to tell the truth, but actually quite enjoyed it.

The action was okay, it was nice to see it was definately Steven Seagal doing the martial arts sequences rather than the stunt double. Maybe the stunt double was on holiday when this movie was made. :D The martial arts sequences were quiet short in length, but effective.

Certainly better than a few other DTV releases, but once again some rubbish dubbing took place! :(

Overall : 5/10
 

Timecop

New Member
I saw the final version and in my opinion, it was pretty decent, at least an improvement over submerged and today you die, seagal looked good action looked good and there was alot of it. Not saying it's a masterpiece it has a lot of flaws which other reviewrs mentioned but still it was above average, hope from now on the movies will get better. 6/10
 
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