The Keeper - Reviews

marky96

Active Member
I agree that the reviewer has been lazy with his review. However I understand why and I understand the point he is trying to make, and on that basis I think it is a good review.
I also agree that this is only one review and that none of us should be getting too worried. As you say Kotegeshi, once more reviews have been written and more of us have seen the film ourselves, then a more accurate picture will emerge. However, what I would say is that for a first review it does set alarm bells ringing, and we can only hope that the film is better than what is presented in this review.
The trailer for this film does look better than some of Seagal's others, and of late he has been putting in more effort. However we have seen upward trends in his career before, only for them to be followed with a spectacular fall backward. After Belly of the Beast (2003) we had Out of Reach (2004), after Into the Sun, we had Submerged, Today You Die and Black Dawn (all 2005), and after Shadow Man, we had Attack Force (both 2006).
I am not trying to rob your anticipation Martin01, yours or anyone else's. However I am just saying that none of us should get our hopes up too high, else they be crushed.
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
This is from someone on imdb:

I was surprised to learn this airs tonight on Israeli satellite TV.
Not expecting much... Will let you know what i thought.


This person posted this Saturday. Still no review...
 

Kotegashi

Master Of Disaster
Staff member
DiDa;199207 said:
This is from someone on imdb:

I was surprised to learn this airs tonight on Israeli satellite TV.
Not expecting much... Will let you know what i thought.


This person posted this Saturday. Still no review...

Probably is the 2004 Dennis Hopper movie The Keeper.

Peace
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
First user comment in imdb:

Dear Seagal fans,
Sorry to keep you waiting so long. Its been more than a week already since i got to check out "The Keeper". As you can guess, I wasnt too anxious to write this review...
If youre interested in what I have to say, then this question is for you -
Why do keep getting dissapointed every time a new STV Seagal flick comes out?? Does anyone really expect them to be any good?? I guess us fans still do :)
Every time the same hopes....Maybe this time he would loose some weight, maybe we'll see some of the old moves, some cool one liners perhaps, something...something to remind us why we still watch his movies....
I cant think of any other action star that needs to do so little to satisfy his fans and still almost never pulls it off...
"The Keeper", unfortunately doesnt mark a positive change for Seagal. Its about average in Seagals 2000's standards.
The first part of the film is weird. Not believable (which I have come to expect) but also like a complete other movie inside the movie... Once the real story begins its ok, nothing too dumb, but definitely nothing exciting or new.
The acting is ok, but the actors are very average and some miscasts... The guy who plays the boxer (doesnt look like a fighter to me...) is just annoying. The villan isnt really mean or threatening. Him and his body guard (I wouldnt hire him) are no match for Seagal... These guys just keep getting smaller! Or is it the other way around...
To a completely different matter, Seagal himself looks as fat and out of shape as always. In a training montage, reminiscing of "Hard to Kill", Seagals training plan consists of throwing 3-4 daggers and taking pills !
If you want action, there is some fighting, but very little, and mostly car chases or gun fights (but not very good one and thanks Steven, I was so looking forward to see you drive a car... Or your stunt double...)
On the other hand, it does look like he put a little more effort into this acting wise. You can even see him smile from time to time, like he's really enjoying it :)
Some other positives - I didnt really notice any stunt doubles for the fighting scenes. There are some punches and oldschool Seagal moves, but as I said very little (nothing like "Urban Justice" or "Belly Of The Beast" which were the only ones I enjoyed lately). Also I didnt notice any voice overs, and it seems like Seagal was actually there for the filming... He does talk funny again, I couldnt figure out his accent. Whats wrong with him? Why doesnt he just talk normally?? But I cant say its not amusing, and he speaks some spanish! The lead actress, the one he guards, is cute, and it actually seems like they had some kind of chemistry, in a father daughter kind of way... I think... :) Finally he doesnt hook up with a 20 year old... Thats getting embarrassing and weird...
All and all, I'd say if you really like Seagal like me, you dont need me to tell you how this movie is, because you will check it out anyway :)
This wasnt a bad film, it was actually an ok B movie, but its not what us Seagal fans are waiting for. I really believe all Seagal needs is a normal simple story, more hand to hand combat action scenes and decent production value to make an enjoyable film for his fans. Sounds easy enough doesnt it? Guess its not :) I hope Seagals role in the upcoming "Machete" will get him more motivated than in the past 10 years... He still has time to shine... I think...
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
Just got mine today, will watch it tonight (with my beloved) and review it later
 

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supertom

Disgruntled fan!
My review.

The Keeper:

Seagal’s delivers another film. The regularity of his releases brings a sense of excitement (well, to Seagal’s fans anyway) but also trepidation. Will it have dubbing? Will it have doubling? Will it just plain old suck? On the most part, Seagal’s DTV release normally tick a yes to all those questions. In recent years, Pistol Whipped and Renegade Justice were watchable exceptions. Pistol Whipped in particular was almost worthy of Seagal films of old. His last two have been pretty poor. Kill Switch was abysmal, while Driven To Kill was mediocre, suffering from lacklustre direction, poor cast, an all too whispery Seagal, and terrible editing. So does the Keeper deliver? On the whole…yes!

Okay, this film isn’t great by any stretch. But it’s serviceable, and it kicks ass as well. Seagal actually has a bit of character in this, and shows off a bit more of the charisma that made him a star. As well as that, the co-stars are better than in his last few films, while the previous company he worked with, for Kill Switch, and Driven To Kill, has a reputation for half-assing. At least for The Keeper, there’s a greater sense of effort to make something that delivers for the fans.

The Keeper opens with a worrying start. Dubbing! Oh dear lord! Not dubbing. However it’s just in the beginning few lines, and in truth it’s a couple of lines that are really needlessly added in. There was only one other moment later in the film I noticed any, but again, it was pointlessly added in. Mr Stand in still gets some screen time of course, but not that much. I’m also pretty sure, Seagal’s double was given a supporting role in the film as another character, because one of the cast looks like he could double for Seagal for behind shots.

But anyway, The Keeper is a Seagal film, and first and foremost, it needs to kick ass. And it does. The action has a bit of punch to it. The gun fights are quick and punchy, while the fights are bone-breaking and violent. Sometimes in Seagal films, they stretch the action scenes out, and make them dull, when short and snappy would be better, particularly in hiding the budget. Generally here, the action is short and to the point. The only problem is, that the film could have done with more action, as the pace drags at times. There aren’t many fights, but they are tightly edited, and Seagal beats the hell out of the bad guys. There’s not quite some of the ingenuity to the fights that we saw in Pistol Whipped, which is a shame.

Keoni Waxman does a service-able job in direction. He’s got more of an eye for direction than Seagal’s previous director, Jeff King (who’s first name is actually Wan). Truthfully he never does anything beyond okay, but in DTV land, that can be a blessing. And in fairness to him, he never does anything that’s too lame. Seagal himself seems more interested in what he’s doing here. He’s back to his badass self, and showing some charisma again too. He won’t be winning any Oscars, but at least there is some sort of character for him, and the film manages to throw in some moments of humour too. His last couple of films were slightly wretched to be honest. Elsewhere, the music is not too bad, and the film is his best looking one for a while (the main disappointment on Pistol Whipped was that it was shot on Super 16).

Overall though, this is a decent DTV film. It delivers what you’d expect. Some action, and some badassedness. The plot is simple, and again, for Seagal, that is better. No CIA intrigue sub plots to drag the film down. It also avoids the usual Seagal, revenge line, that’s become a little tiresome for him. Early on in the film there’s a few moments in the plotting that are just really, really (and I mean really) dumb, but they don’t really drag the film down too much. At least The Keeper delivers the minimum you’d want and expect from Seagal. As for Seagals next two DTV specials, he’ll be back with director, Keoni Waxman, which is a good sign. On The Run looks more action packed, so hopefully won’t suffer the pacing issues of this film. It might lack some of the character of this one though. ***
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Great review supertom! Thanks.
But I'm dissapointed that the dubbing is back....So it isn't that much?
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
No, it's the first couple of lines, but it seemed like needless filler to kick the film off. There's one extra word added into a conversation later, which is pointless too.
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
A few questions supertom:

How is the carchase?

How is the language in the movie? Does Steven uses some cool lines (the f-word) when killing the bad guys?

Does the movie has a real climax fight like in Driven To Kill?

What is Seagal wearing in the movie? Is it always the suit as in the trailer?
 

Martin01

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Does the film have a good optical and good locations? The latest ones were mostly set in backyards...
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
SeagalMovieFan;199338 said:
Supertom: Is this movie on the same level as Pistol Whipped by the technical way? I mean camera, editing etc.

Not really. It looks better overall, because it's 35mm, and not Super 16, but Roel Reine has more flair, and the editing was better in PW. It's not too bad in The Keeper though, a lot better than in his last two films.
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
Martin01;199337 said:
Does the film have a good optical and good locations? The latest ones were mostly set in backyards...

There's more backyards, more night clubs. There's not much of a change from the usual locations. It looks okay though, not big screen worthy, but better than a lot of DTV.
 

supertom

Disgruntled fan!
DiDa;199336 said:
A few questions supertom:

How is the carchase?

How is the language in the movie? Does Steven uses some cool lines (the f-word) when killing the bad guys?

Does the movie has a real climax fight like in Driven To Kill?

What is Seagal wearing in the movie? Is it always the suit as in the trailer?

The car chase was pretty good. There was a good sense of speed. It was a little dumb in certain ways, but I'll let you see that for yourself.

Seagal has some lines as usual. The stunt men all seem to have a lot f-bomb lines, really badly delivered, but Seag's teaches them some manners, fist style.

As for the climax fight...wait and see! :)

Seagal mostly wears what you see in the trailer.
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Does Steven use aikido in his fight scenes or is it just a lot of fist punching as in Driven To Kill?
 
At last,Ive just watched The Keeper!I would like to say it was worth the wait,so I will!It is a decent film though nothing close to his early work,but I dont think that is ever going to happen now.The Keeper is certainly on par with Renegade Justice and Pistol Whipped.The lighting is better than in RJ and looks more similar to PW.The fighting is scarce though what there is,is good and looks decent with some one-liners to match!Couple of things niggled me though and they are 1;the case says his name is Roland Sallinger,yet in the film he is referred to as Roland Ballinger.Secondly is the girls boyfriend on the cover says he is a star forward for the Tornadoes football team and that his name is Marcus Inescu,however in the film he is a boxer called Mason!oh and one other thing the cover says its set in Romania,yet its actually Texas they are in!Silly niggles aside the film is a step forward;Seagal looks and sounds more interested than in previous DTV efforts,the fighting though short and scarce is still good,shootouts were good,dubbing seemed to be at a minimum,doubles very scarce,lighting and location good.I think personally this is as good as PW,though there are things of both that I like and dislike.Hopefully On The Run/Dangerous Man will continue to expand on his regained interest in film making!Sorry if this all sounds vague but if anyone has questions that I havent covered please ask!
 
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