The Mercenary: Аbsolution (2014)

JoshStern

Active Member
@andrey_hard
Many thanks for the Japanese trailer! It looks very entertaining. I am curious, why the Japanese receive the movie as Satellite TV premiere on February 21st. They can celebrate the movie premiere, long before April as Mr. Waxman annouced.

@JoshStern
One fair question to you: will you ever quit? You are by now constantly mockering, blaming, insulting. Stop here and right now! :wazzup: If you don't like Seagal efforts anymore, leave now! Yes, I am angry with you since you constantly show no signs of respect and honor for a very, very long time.

Do yourself a favor, please. As one of the truly long-term member of this forum, you are the only one who behaves like someone really stupid.
I am refusing to believe that you are that stupid. So either you leave or you behave rationally and analyze more carefully.

You won't change Seagal, nor will I nor will somebody else. It is Seagal who can change. Take your words to Seagal himself and convince him. You have my support in this regard. One time enough is enough. Think about it. :yinyang

First of all its not up to you if I should leave or stay so stop acting like you own this site.

Second of all I'm entitled to my opinion and I'm entitled to express my opinion ANYWAY I want. Just because my opinion doesnt sit well with others doesnt mean that I'm not entited to express it. And i will continue to express my truthful opinion wheter you like it or not dude.
 

Seagalzilla

Active Member
In only one point, you are correct - I am not owning this site.

But there is a difference between constantly presenting a negative impression and careful formulated negative statement. If something is truly negative, your words should be written more careful. But words like "edited like a fan-trailer" are not professional.

And if you think your entitlement of being behaving constantly negative is not causing someone's patience - mine in this case - you have to face my criticsm. Like it or not, words do hurt. And you do hurt, for a very, very long time.

Yes, I don't like your constant negative behaviour. It is the presentation of pure boredom, you have nothing to do in your fan-live than insulting. This is perversion of being a fan. Show me that you can be different! Show me how respect- and honorful you can be Josh!
Show me your power!

I am ready to face any kind of consequences by the admins. I even would enjoy a ban, because it would mean that you have reached a perfect negative goal! The kick-out of a loyal Seagal fan, who still enjoy his efforts, even if their nature is negative.

As a fellow intelligent human being, you will know now what I am talking about. Eyerything else is not discussion-worthy.
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
Whilst I'm not as spiritually passionate like Seagalzilla, nor do I expect you to praise everything Seagal does.....I do find it hard to fathom what you dislike about this trailer?
Like I said, what were you expecting?
It's not as if even vintage-seagal movies were known for their stunning cinematography and labyrinthine plot devices....Since 1988, it's been a case of (step 1) Seagal is the good guy.....(step 2) Bad guys mess with him.....(step 3) Seagal kills/maims them (roll credits, thank you for watching....see you next year)

Now (granted) there has been exceptions, whereas the technical faults and plots have been lackluster (but this has usually been determined upon viewing the finished project) as far as I can see, this trailer looks no less accomplished than the trailer for ABOVE THE LAW.

Personally, I like the trailer, and I like what the Japanese have done with it. I like the 'regimental' inclusion of text in between scenes of bad guys approaching Seagal.....And his brutal response (a sort of 'calm before the storm', if you will)
If you're expecting TRANSFORMERS VIII, it's not going to happen amigo.
But please take off the rose tinted glasses in thinking that Seagal only makes gratuitously violent B-movies of recent....becsuse (bar a few exceptions) he *always* has throughout his career. This movie probably won't diversify from the formula.....But maybe it's Seagal you've outgrown?

I for one, wouldn't tell anyone to leave this site.....But I do worry why a fair percentage reside here? :)
 

Kotegashi

Master Of Disaster
Staff member
I totally agree with Lee.

The only movies that stand out from the standard 'Seagal-formula' are, i.m.o., US, US2, Glimmerman and Machete.

But you also gotta give Seagal some credit for sticking with this formula. The only reason why Seagal had cinema succes in the beginnimg was his fresh fighting, his seemingly mysterious past and refreshing 'non-standard' locations.

I mean if you look back, atl and sorts are on the same level of quality as let's say the keeper and sorts.

I think the combination with Byron Mann will make this more enjoyable then recent productions. The trailer is decent and everything we could or perhaps should expect for this genre/segment.

Having said this, I also see an increasing negativity before seeing a total product here on the forum. This is a bit of a let down and not very inviting for potential new members. Sure, we are all entitled to our opinion and we should be able to share your thought with other members. But we have to be respectfull to each other, be hopefull for future projects and judge what you see (so don't condem a movie based on a trailer)

If you cann't do this, then you need to question yourself wether or not this forum is still a forum you want to be part of.

For now no one is getting banned as long as we keep respectfull to each other.

Peace
 

Mason

Well-Known Member
.... I also see an increasing negativity before seeing a total product here on the forum. This is a bit of a let down and not very inviting for potential new members. Sure, we are all entitled to our opinion and we should be able to share your thought with other members. But we have to be respectfull to each other, be hopefull for future projects and judge what you see (so don't condem a movie based on a trailer).

If you cann't do this, then you need to question yourself wether or not this forum is still a forum you want to be part of.

For now no one is getting banned as long as we keep respectfull to each other.
Peace

Off topic for a minute:

This is why i dont come in here that much any longer, people are arguing way to often and it sets a negative mood in here. I have several times thought about getting my usename deleted and just say goodbye, because it is not the same in here as it use to be.

If anybody want to discuss this further, please join me here:
http://www.steven-seagal.net/xen/index.php?threads/negative-attitude-on-the-board.15485/#post-221114

Back on topic.
 
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JoeDirt

Active Member
I really wish I could be as positive as some of you guys about the trailer, but I can't.

It's better than the first unofficial trailer, I will say that, but otherwise it is a mess.

First of all, everyone is sort of mumbling their lines, and the sound mixing is so bad, all the sound effects are drowning out the dialogue. All I could make out was "I'm a bad man..." "Afghani national..." and that's it.

The trailer didn't tell us what the plot is. And to me that's the most important part, yes there is action, there is gun fire, there are fight scenes, but what's the story?

No matter how simple the premise is, tell us. Taken is about a man going after his kidnapped daughter, the most simple plot there could be, and the trailer for Taken told us the plot, the trailer for this movie told us nothing.

The fight scenes look decent, and I couldn't make out any too noticeable doubles for Seagal, allthough I'm sure they were used.

The action scenes otherwise looked very generic, low budget stuff. Digital muzzle flashes and digital blood. But that's to be expected.

But my biggest concern is that it looks just so low-fi and unappealling. It looks like the entire movie was filmed in three small dark rooms.

And Steven himself seems to have zero energy, he looks sleepy and he's mumbling his lines so that you can't hear what he's supposed to be saying.

The last shot of the explosion and the stunt guy falling out of the window looked cool.

This looks to be the lowest budgeted Seagal movie in years, maybe ever?

And a low budget doesn't mean that it should be bad, but it doesn't look like they tried to do anything new or even slightly inventive. It's just the same old same old.

That's why Maximum Conviction was so dissapointing. I thought that it could be a nice little "Die Hard ripoff" like Under Siege, you know, all the action taking place in a single closed location.
But it ended up being a major borefest.

I'd love to be wrong about it, but to me this looks like the worst and most unappealing Seagal movie in years.
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
I think it looks more polished than A GOOD MAN.
The Japanese trailer seemed to concentrate on the action, and added it's own dramatic music over proceedings (if you listen closely, there's quite a long monologue by Seagal at the beginning of the trailer, but the music drowned it out)
At a guess, I think the plot will be similar to A GOOD MAN. From what I can ascertain, Seagal is some kind of Government hitman, who gets pitted against Vinnie Jones (who appears to be either torturing young girls, or trafficking body parts?) Seagal probably fights his way through the henchmen, before squaring off with Jones?

Just a guess (probably wrong?) :)
 

Seagalzilla

Active Member
I am wondering if Seagal's character is definately now Alexander again. I re-watched all trailers and one government official names Seagal's character - John (or Jon). Mr. Waxman said it is Alexander, but the audio in the bootleg trailer is different.

So is this the third movie with Seagal as Alexander, the third installment with Jonathan Cold (after The Foreigner + Black Dawn) or as I long ago intially thought a sequel to Mercenary for Justice, where his character was called John Seeger?

I would be pleased with Alexander, but the others are also welcome alternatives.

@lee nicholson
This scenario seems most likely, if we consider the bootleg trailers and previous released information.
 

DiDa

Super Moderator
Staff member
I think the trailer looks good for what it is. A lot of action and not only fightscenes! I also see explosions and shoot outs. The action is wider then in A Good Man. And Mann and Seagal have charisma together.
 

Seagal1969

Active Member
The most important thing is that Seagal should lost 30 pounds. It isn´t so hard but you have to do sports and I guess Seagal is to lazy for it because you must have motivation to gain that.

He loses credibility in terms of producers. The first thing what he gotta do is losing weight. Maybe afterwards he gets better scripts and better producers, budgets, directors etc...

As long as Seagal doesn´t lose weight, it´s a hopeless situation and we´ll see the same formula films.

Remember when Seagal was "Above the Law", Hard to kill, Marked for Death and Out for Justice. That´s my man-that´s the Seagal I love. I continue to watch those old movies of him.

At the time he was simply the greatest.

Moreover, his hairline is ridiculous nowadays. His fake hair looked so great in "Marked for Death", Out for Justice etc.
Why didn´t he keep his old hairline?
 

JoshStern

Active Member
The most important thing is that Seagal should lost 30 pounds. It isn´t so hard but you have to do sports and I guess Seagal is to lazy for it because you must have motivation to gain that.

He loses credibility in terms of producers. The first thing what he gotta do is losing weight. Maybe afterwards he gets better scripts and better producers, budgets, directors etc...

As long as Seagal doesn´t lose weight, it´s a hopeless situation and we´ll see the same formula films.


Remember when Seagal was "Above the Law", Hard to kill, Marked for Death and Out for Justice. That´s my man-that´s the Seagal I love. I continue to watch those old movies of him.

At the time he was simply the greatest.

Moreover, his hairline is ridiculous nowadays. His fake hair looked so great in "Marked for Death", Out for Justice etc.
Why didn´t he keep his old hairline?

Yeah and thats what i have been saying SO many times but nobody wants to listen because they are blinded by their extreme obsession with Seagal :rolleyes::rolleyes: I mean come on, in Maximum Conviction his weight didn't fit his character, a fat black ops operative , yeah right HA HA :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

JoeDirt

Active Member
The most important thing is that Seagal should lost 30 pounds. It isn´t so hard but you have to do sports and I guess Seagal is to lazy for it because you must have motivation to gain that.

He loses credibility in terms of producers. The first thing what he gotta do is losing weight. Maybe afterwards he gets better scripts and better producers, budgets, directors etc...

As long as Seagal doesn´t lose weight, it´s a hopeless situation and we´ll see the same formula films.

Losing weight would make him look better on screen and probably result in him having more energy and drive, not to mention benefit his health, but unfortunately it would make little change to his career.

Seagal has been in the DTV game for 12 years now, on and off before that, in the eyes of "Hollywood" he is washed up, a former star. His name value is enough to still get hired for these low budget movies, and that's not gonna change no matter how much weight he loses.

Even though the business and distribution of movies has changed a lot in recent years, DTV or even VOD still has a stigma.

I was reading a news article about the upcoming Jackie Chan movie that co-stars John Cusack and Adrien Brody, the article slammed all three as "former movie stars" and in the comments section people were shocked to see Jackie work with these "has been DTV stars".

And mind you John Cusack starred in a $700M grossing movie only 5 years ago, but due to his prolific DTV work in recent years his reputation has tarnished so much, that Jackie Chan, by simply being in the same movie (the highest budgeted Chinese movie in history no less) has now been "dragged down" to his level.

That is the reason why the big studios will only hire relative unknowns, rising stars or respected actors like Michael Douglas, Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones etc. for the big comic book movies for example.

They wouldn't be caught dead signing someone like Seagal, Van Damme, Lundgren etc. for a high profile movie.

They only hire the "fallen stars" if they make a grandiose comeback a'la Mickey Rourke or Michael Keaton, or if it's a stunt casting like David Hasselhoff cameoing as himself or something.

The only chance Seagal has to ever appear on the big screen again is if they end up making a fourth Expendables and if they again offer him a part, since it appears he turned them down before.

If he brings his A-game and perhaps loses some weight, it could lead to supporting roles in some slightly bigger VOD release movies like the ones Nicolas Cage and Bruce Willis are doing, but nothing is given.

Look at Wesley Snipes, after EX3 he only signed up for one movie, which they haven't been able to fully finance yet.

I would rather Seagal put more effort to his acting and on screen presence and focus on working with better and more ambitious filmmakers working in the DTV field like John Hyams or Isaac Florentine, that is at least achievable.
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
Great post Joedirt, I totally agree.

Despite his DTV status, Seagal still has a huge following. He still get's swarmed wherever he goes, and is recognized globally. He's still a huge name (except in the box-office stakes) The sad state of affairs is that a much younger demographic now rule the cinemas (be it audience, or actors) Like you said, a lot of well-respected actors can still make the big screen....but usually as support in 'kiddie' fare. It's a shame really, but action stars aint' what they used to be. I'd sooner watch Seagal on the big screen, than (say) The Rock......But the younger majority rule....Sad, but true.

I don't expect any huge blockbusters coming Seagal's way....But it would be nice to see him finish off his career with a handfull of well made (and more importantly 'Well-Received') movies. EXPENDABLES IV needs him, just about as much as he needs *it* at the moment (even a combination of former Box-Office heavy hitters, can barely make a dent against Iron Man 9 or Transformers 26)
 
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