lee nicholson
Well-Known Member
Will have to pop down to Tesco tonight
Seems to be a disappointing movie again.
That would be the 4th bad movie in a row.
He needs to work with different directors and producers now. And should film more movies in the US or Asia.
I hope he soon starts with "Cypher".
In stock in Tescos here too.Will have to pop down to Tesco tonight
Watched it last night, here goes....
THE PLOT:
John Alexander is an off-the-grid government hitman, who takes out the garbage that the shadowy organization no longer need. Tired of the endless killing, he seeks redemption for all his sanctioned killings. He needs to readdress the balance of the bloodshed, and perform a good dead to counterbalance the carnage. Alexander has a loyal friend Chi (Byron Mann) who accompanies him on 'jobs' The two are laying low in a bar, after terminating a Afghan terrorist in Ukraine. When a terrified screaming girl (being chased by a bunch of gangsters) runs into the said bar, pleading for Alexander to save her, he siezes his chance to do the right thing and intervene. Both Alexander and Chi beat up the gangsters and flee the scene (with girl in tow) Unbeknownst to them, the girl has escaped the clutches of a sadistic mob boss (Vinnie Jones) who likes to multilate and murder women (on camera) in his mini dungeon. The girl has stolen his camera (which contains footage of her captor murdering her sister) before escaping his clutches. However, this sadistic mob boss has shady links with the very organization that hires Alexander....Making escape from the Ukraine for our 2 heroes, near impossible. Cornered (but never scared) Alexander (and Chi) must take the fight to the bad guys.....to complete his absolution.
OVERVIEW:
Whilst lacking the big budget spectacle of earlier movies like ON DEADLY GROUND or UNDER SIEGE 2, ABSOLUTION succeeeds over more recent releases by having a clear narrative (and not much 'filler' plot) If the movie had a bigger budget, then this could have easily held it's own against any action blockbuster blocking up the multiplexes. As it stands, the movie is technically proficient enough for a DTV release (hampered only by limited locations and scaled down set-pieces) Compared to the likes of heavily padded affairs like BLACK DAWN or FLIGHT OF FURY, the movie is a triumph in it's simplicity. Director Keoni Waxman uses the low budget wisely and gives the fans want they want to see.....Seagal in full-on badass mode.
PERFORMANCES:
Seagal (looking a little older, but wiser) whispers a lot of his dialogue in his usual world-weary manner. However, given his character's motivations (or lack of them) this perormance works in his favour. He seems to have slimmed down a little (since FORCE OF EXECUTION) and remains imposing in his fight scenes. Co-star Byron Mann compliments Seagal admirably (and performs the more acrobatic fight scenes) as with BELLY OF THE BEAST, he proves to be a vital asset. If Seagal wishes to sit-back a touch in future movies, he could do a lot worse than share centre stage with Byron Mann more often. They have good chemistry.
Vinnie jones (in his few limited scenes) is brutally effective enough to still convince as the crazy tough guy (an image that he built his career on in the first place) I wouldn't have minded seeing more of him. All the other actors (in the self realisation that this *isn't* King Lear) give no less than what is expected of them. The actress playing Nadia (the girl Seagal saves) is a real looker, and a cut above the usual generic eye-candy that poplulate the DTV genre. Plainly put....she's gorgeous....based on her looks alone, she'll be in a few more movies in the near future.
THE ACTION:
Whilst Seagal won't be giving the stunt team of THE RAID series sleepless nights, he acquits himself well (for a guy in his 60's) the rapid edits in his fight scenes are an unfortunate attempt to keep up with the Hollywood 'standard' of fast paced action....*not* to cover any inadequacies in his skills. Seagal is still fast and furious with his hands (and a few limited kicks) However, given his assassin credentials in the movie, he executes a lot of targets from a distance (so expect gunplay) before moving onto a fight scene. Fighting and shooting take a 50/50 share of the movies action. As mentioned previously, Byron Mann is on hand to do the acrobatic stuff, anc he's still very good at it.
As with A GOOD MAN, I especially liked the rumble between Seagal and Ron Balicki. They have a sense of mutual respect for each other, there is a feeling of intense 'parry' (as with swordfighting) before they combat (their fights in both movies, being the action highlights) Vinnie Jones in comparison, gets tossed around like a rag doll (*hardly a spoiler*) which is a shame, but an unavoidable fact/gripe/trait in Seagal movies (although it does help validate the notion that money doesn't always equate power) and it's enjoyable to hear Seagal refer to Jones as "Bitch" before and throughout their brief rumble. A little more of the final showdown wouldn't have hurt anyone (apart Vinnie Jones, that is)
THE PROS:
As previously mentioned, the plot is straightforward enough, and doesn't contain filler scenes, story or actors (unlike say, OUT FOR A KILL or SHADOW MAN) whether deliberate or not, Seagal seems purposely 'lethargic' (but never bored) the action is spread out evenly across the running time, and there's nary a dull moment. Seagal is on-screen throughout the movie (no long periods of inactivity, unlike stuff like FORCE OF EXECUTION) Editing is top notch, and the soundtrack sounds semi-orchestral (and cinema worthy in places) seagal might have been back as an A list, had he made more films of *this* standard 10 years ago.
THE CONS:
Sadly, however brutal the fight scenes are, Seagal (who surely possesses a huge repertoire of moves and techniques) could do with mixing it up a little from his usual punch, chop, kick combos of his recent movies. I know these kinds of movies have brief shooting periods, but a little more fight coreography wouldn't go amiss.
The 'body doubles' for Seagal are noticable, but not entirely his fault. Maybe if Waxman didn't feel the need to film inserts that link all of Seagal's filmed scenes, they wouldn't be so apparent? It's not that Seagal can't walk into a room, but if he isn't on film doing it, why feel the need to over-elaborate matters with linking doubles to the scene. Not every single geographical position needs accounting for (audiences can comprehend the fact that Seagal *is* in the room....not everything needs spelling out) it dodsn't add that much to the running time. If Waxman wants establishing 'shots' he should be filming Seagal as much as possible (it's not as if he just materialises on set, then dissappears likewise) Trust your audience enough to not explain everything.....and the money saved on 'doubling' might go towards afford an extra explosion or two? The bottom line is that I'm not overely interested in seeing the REAL Steven Seagal walk to his car (or up a flight of stairs) let alone his double (or any other character for that matter) so scenes like this don't even need to be filmed at all.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
ABSOLUTION (whilst not a world beater) is action packed (and coherent) enough to qualify as an above average DTV movie. It *might* have worked on the big screen, but a lack of big budget CGI spectacle and limited location work, may have left mainstream audiences checking their watches (and maybe even their calandar's?) As it stands, it's an old school biff em' up, with no pretentions to be anything else. It's not OUT FOR JUSTICE, nor should we expect it to be. Seagal is still the 'Baddest Man On Planet Action'...but would/could benefit from a shift in gear (and a change in directors and crew) Whilst hardly likely (at this stage in the game) to win any new converts....longtime fans (who have endured some really shoddy movies in the past) should enjoy the movie on it's own limited terms. I enjoyed immensely, but would like to see something a little different with CODE OF HONOUR (a change in director might lead to a change in direction?)
NOTE: Sadly, I cannot add loads of photos (as I used to do with my reviews on here) having changed computers now, and cannot take screen shots from my DVD's (via the POWERDVD programme) sorry folks
NOTE: Sadly, I cannot add loads of photos (as I used to do with my reviews on here) having changed computers now, and cannot take screen shots from my DVD's (via the POWERDVD programme) sorry folks
I have mixed feelings about Code Of Honor so we will have to wait and see about that film
Not available here in the UK I don't believe. That's his only film am missingNice collection (no MY GIANT?)
I know you were joking man haha. So was IYeah, I know. I was just joking, that's an awesome collection you've got there. I still need to get some of those latter TRUE JUSTICE titles (I held off buying them at the time, due to them not having Blu-Ray releases)
You should invest in a multiregion DVD player, because a lot of early Seagal releases (especially his Warner Bros stuff) are badly cut for violence. Most 'cheaper' Dvd players are usually multi-region out of the box.....or if not, you can usually find codes online that can change them (ALBA are a reliable make, that are 99% multiregion out of the box)
You should invest in a multiregion DVD player, because a lot of early Seagal releases (especially his Warner Bros stuff) are badly cut for violence. Most 'cheaper' Dvd players are usually multi-region out of the box.....or if not, you can usually find codes online that can change them (ALBA are a reliable make, that are 99% multiregion out of the box)
I don't have it but the Japanese ONLY DVD of 'Into The Sun' is supposed to be 8mts. longer than any other DVD release of it(Seagology).....was wondering if anyone could shed some light on that...does anyone own a Japanese version of it?