I remember being in school back in the early 90's. I first got into Seagal when I saw MFD in '91. Seagal was hot property back then and in a time when the screen was being dominated by the likes of Schwarzenegger and, to a lesser extent, Van Damme, Seagal impressed me with his quiet confidence and ultra hard persona. I remember having a discussion with a friend back then who was adamant that Seagal was by far the hardest out of all the so-called action and martial arts 'stars' of that moment, and few would disagree. 1992, he peaked with Under Siege. That was a long time ago! From then on, from a commercial and critical point of view at least, his career has taken something of a nosedive. Now, 14-15 years on from then, times have changed. Seagal has gotten older, possibly grown a little complacent, his movies have lost the originality and sheen that they once had and personally, I don't think he is anything like the force that he once was. I don't think anyone can argue with that. I think he has had his time and would rather he retired from movies to concentrate on something else rather than keep churning out the same poor quality material of late. I hope he somehow makes a spectacular comeback with a really good, really brutal movie in the style of one of his earlier masterpieces, but personally, I can't see it happening, although I will always be a fan and follow his life and work whatever he decides to do. I still get excited when I watch any one of his movies from the 90's, particularly his first 5.
GlimmerMan