The film is released here in the UK on 22nd February, and I hope to see it that day, though the premier was last night. I agree completely there Dmoj. With action stars from the last two decades making cinematic comebacks, the chance for Seagal to do the same has never been more realistic. Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Sylvester Stallone in both Rocky Balboa (2006) and now Rambo (2008), have proved that with a good script, decent production values, the desire to stay in shape and the drive to make a good film, then anything is possible. It has now been six long hard years since Half Past Dead (2002), Seagal's last film to go to theaters, and yet with the exception of Into the Sun (2004), none of the other 15, yes 15 films have really come close. Sure he has had other opportunities, such as the cinema released commercials for both Mountain Dew and Orange, but the quality of the films or his own passion has never really been there to back it up.
I think that one of the reasons that Into the Sun came so close to theaters is down to Seagal's interest in the project. It was filmed on his 'home' territory back in Japan and he was involved in every aspect of the production, from the story to the music. I think if Seagal ever wants to play theaters again, and to be honest I'm not seeing much proof that he does, he needs to find something that will get him interested enough to lose the weight, make and effort and to put it bluntly, not act like a jerk on set, something we are all too often hearing about these days.
Seagal has said that Under Siege 3 is not something that interests him, and to some degree I can agree with that. In several interviews, Stallone has said that for years he tried to get away from his Rocky and Rambo tough guy image with different roles in comedies and dramas and nothing really worked for him. In the end, once he embraced who he was, he was able to actually start making decent films again. No I would love to see Seagal do other things apart from action but I think that as that is all he has done up to this point, I am inclined to think it is getting a bit late for him to try anything new now. And if he does want to try a greater range of emotional depth, then why not try it in an action film, there is nothing to say action has to equal a lack of emotional investment?
I think Under Siege 3 represents Seagal's best chance of a cinematic outing. Now although he doesn't really want to, I think he should bite the bullet and make the effort. He should see it as a stepping stone both to get back into theaters and as a way of financing the projects he wants to, for example, his long cherished Prince of Pistols, now languishing firmly in development hell. This is something that Stallone has done, as he now looks set to finally make his biography of Edgar Allan Poe, something which he, to much derision, has been talking about making for years. There is even a possibility of him starring with Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorcese's adaption of Dennis Lehane's novel Shutter Island (2009) and in a remake of action legend Charles Bronson's signature film Death Wish (1974).
Overall I think that there is an opportunity here for Seagal and that he, and all those around him, should do their best to make sure he takes it. Our hero is not getting any younger and another chance like this may not come around again.