Aside from the obvious (Steven Seagal's career is half past dead), there's really not much to say about this one. Seagal lumbers his way through another action movie that's been geared to appeal to a new generation of fans (how else can you explain the presence of rapper Ja Rule?), and has been filmed as though it were a product of MTV. Sasha (Seagal) and Nick (Rule; or is it just Ja?) are a pair of buddies that wind up in jail right around the time a criminal mastermind (played by Morris Chestnut) breaks in. His intent is to coerce a soon-to-be-executed prisoner into giving up the location of $200 million worth of gold. Half Past Dead's been directed by Don Michael Paul, and calling him a student of Michael Bay is an insult to Michael Bay. Paul shows absolutely no restraint whatsoever, and turns the film into an admittedly kinetic but ultimately obnoxious heist flick. Seagal is given a couple of decent fight scenes, but since the film's been saddled with a PG-13 rating, his trademark limb-breaking is absent. Chestnut is appropriately menacing, while Rule's performance makes one long for the subtle nuance of Vanilla Ice in Cool as Ice. Some mention must be given, though, to former Party Machine host Nia Peeples - who shows up here as an ass-kicking minion. Could Arsenio Hall's comeback be far behind?
*1/2 out of ****
Source : Reel Film.
*1/2 out of ****
Source : Reel Film.