The Mercenary: Аbsolution (2014)

JoshStern

Active Member
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".

And that comes as no surprise. :rolleyes: The film lacks in the fresh US look alot of other DTV films have in stead of that Cold dark grany look and it lacks in longer and newly developed fight scenes, Seagal is always using the same moves, the least he could do is to come up with some new moves now and then, but he is to fat and lazy. :rolleyes:
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
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. The movie goes from A to B to C, in an efficient manner, ticking all the genre boxes where they count. By now, the audience must 'wink' along with each other, as we watch a succession of bad guys foolish enough to incur the wrath of Seagal. A fully working arm is hurled at our hero...and he returns it back, broken and bloodied. Sometimes it's predictability is comforting.

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 from 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 :)
 
Last edited:

rastafari

Well-Known Member
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 :)


Excellent Review

I saw the film yesterday as well and thought pretty much the same.....

I have mixed feelings about Code Of Honor so we will have to wait and see about that film
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
I tried uploading a new POWERDVD last night, and my PC would'nt take to it (something to do with a firmware issue....whatever that means?) as it stands, I post primarily on my tablet of recent. I need to invest in a new PC/Laptop :)
 

Martin01

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I have mixed feelings about Code Of Honor so we will have to wait and see about that film


We do know very little about COH (except story and cast), I think it's a bit early to both worry or partying.

All I know for now is that I actually enjoyed Winnicks movie "Guns, Girls and Gambling". It's nothing special or original, but still a nice little movie, solidly written and filmed.

Of course, his movie with Seagal could still end up bad. It's probably based on how good or bad he worked with Seagal.

After 7 years, I think it's pretty interesting to see what a different director could deliver.

And since Seagal plans to do about 3 more movies with Waxman, I guess the fans of Waxman-Seagal movies can pretty relax now with the actual situation.
To me Seagals work with Waxman was pretty inconsistent, some movies are pretty solid and above his average Dtvs, while others are terribly boring.

I don't have a problem if Seagal stays to work with Waxman, since Waxman is able to deliver some solid Dtvs under some circumstances (solid budget, good locations), but I hope he works with different directors in beetween, because I also would like to see what different writer/directors can bring to the table - and it brings some variety.
 

Administrator

Administrator
Staff member
I too watched it last night and was pleasantly surprised after all the poor online reviews. For me it is a massive improvement on the likes of Out Of Reach, Submerged and the other dreadful movies.
For me it would be on a par with any of his other better DTV releases.

The movie looked good too throughout, no low, low budget locations and some decent well shot footage.

3/5
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
Yeah, 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)
 

Paul Brown

Member
Yeah, 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)
I know you were joking man haha. So was I :D :p
 

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J.Lucas

Active Member
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)

lol......you're talking about changing the 'firmware' on the chip in the DVD player....I thought it was funny 'cause you mentioned something about 'firmware' in a previous post.
---
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?
 

lee nicholson

Well-Known Member
It's nothing to do with changing a chip in your player. But it's a well known fact thst most dvd players WILL play all regions of DVD'S (it's just that they're locked when manufactured) The only makes I know that won't unlock are SONY and PANASONIC. The unlocking requires little more than pressing a series of numbers on your remote control (usually whilst the player has it's dvd tray open, with no disc inside) Each code has different numbers (depending on make and model) and once activated brings up a hidden menu page on your player. The menu gives you a choice of 0-6 ( 1-6 being individual regions) choosing '0' enables the player to be multiregion. It does NOT involve opening the machine up, or changing 'chips' (or anything technical. There ae literally thousands of online sites with loads of multiregion codes :)
 

Administrator

Administrator
Staff member
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?

I have it, but from the back it looks like run time is 97 minutes. Think it has some special features such as a 'making of'.
 

rastafari

Well-Known Member
Dont Believe what IMDB says....it had it low a few weerks back before anyone had seen it

Just like Van Dammes movies are always at 8.4 etc when its not even been released yet
 
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