I don't get why some people sho are fans of Seagal can't accept the fact that Seagal has been making pretty bad movies lately while Van Damme has been making some very good ones. Since Replicant all of his movies have been AT LEAST above average (with the exception of Derailed).
I am a Steven Seagal fan. I love Above the Law, Under Siege 1 + 2, Marked for Death, Out for Justice, Exit Wounds, basically since Half Past Dead all of his movies have been bad. Had I not been a movie geek and a Seagal fan I don't think that I could have wathced Out for A Kill (worst movie name EVER) or Out of Reach. Since Exit Wounds he's made only 3 watchable movies: Belly of The Beast, Into the Sun and Shadow Man. And yet, a couple of my friends, big Seagal fans can't stand to watch them. Face it, Seagal is out of shape and his recent movies are mostly a mess of bad stories (how many times has he played a CIA agent???), voice doubling and body doubles. I respect the fact that he has focused on his music and that is where I will not let anybody make fun of him. He's a talented musician and he really cares about the music he puts out. The same thing can't be said about his movies.
Same thing goes for Wesley Snipes. He is a very talented actor, not just an action star. He's made great movies like Murder at 1600, Rising Sun, Passenger 57, Money Train,White Men Can't Jump and New Jack City. Not to mention Blade 1 and Blade 2. Since Blade Trinity he has obviously given up. 7 Seconds, Unstoppable were pretty good DTV movies, but The Marksman is just AWFUL, a movie in which he does not even bother to act, he just SAYS his lines. Detonator was a mess of a movie in which his voice was doubled and he acted so bad it hurt. People wonder why Snipes is making his movies in Romania. Simple, he gets paid around 5 million USD per movie, gets to live in a HUGE luxurious house, gets great food for very low prices, enjoys a colorful and rich nightlife, meets beautiful women and only works for about a month (maximum).
Van Damme and Lundgren are the only ones of the former action stars that are still putting out quality material.
Stallone is coming back with Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI - and it looks GREAT) and a possible Rambo IV.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is apparently staying in politics and has given up on movies.
And I am a fan of all these guys, but I believe that a fan should not defend an actor when he is not putting out quality material. I am a fan of Seagal but I will not blindingly defend his recent movies as most of them have been really bad. His passion is clearly directed as his music nowadays and I respect and admire that, same way I respect and admire Van Damme and Lundgren for taking control of their DTV movies and putting out some quality movies (The Mechanik and Wake of Death SHOULD really have been released in theatres). I respect Arnold for going into politics and I also respect Stallone for taking the director's chair for Rocky VI and (the yet uncofirmed) Rambo IV in order to save his career and to put out some quality movies that are faithful to their history.
What I don't like is Snipes making crap WILLINGLY just for the money and Seagal making bad movies only because there are fans out there who buy them and help finance his music career.
I am a fan, but I am not a blind worshiper. Seagal was a great action star. Exit Wounds proved to me that he can get back in shape (he was thinner in Exit Wounds than in Glimmer Man) and make a good and succesful action movie. I really hope that he can do it again, but I doubt it. He seems to be making movies just to make money and he is clearly more interested in his music than his movies. Hell, I was the only one who was happy when they decided to play Glimmer Man on the bus that took me and my girlfriend to Greece for our vacation.
Van Damme has made some great movies in recent years In Hell, Replicant, Wake of Death, The Hard Corps. He has really improved as an actor and he cares about the quality of his movies. He even had the courage to admit that he only made Derailed for the money, and yet he gave it his best shot in that movie as well.
Til Death looks great and it's a movie that I am honestly looking forwards to. I really can't say the same thing about Harvester and Enemy of the Unseen (both Seagal movies that will be released in the future). Both bad titles, both lousy ideas, both made by people who only want to make a quick buck (money).
The only hope that I have of ever seeing a great NEW Seagal movie is Prince of Pistols. Seagal wants to direct that one and it may go to cinemas (if the rumors of this being in his contract with the distributor are true), BUT it is getting postponed so many times that I doubt it will ever be made.
I have a 13 year old cousin who loves action movies. He loves most of what Stallone, Van Damme and Arnold have made, new or old. He loves those movies to death, but after I showed him Seagal's recent movies I had a hard time to get him to watch even the great old Seagal movies. He said that it's just sad to see a fat sweaty man who does not even use his own voice pretend he is still the coolest and meanest guy around. He even asked me why can't Seagal make his weight and age a part of his characters like Sammo Hung has?. I did not know what to tell him. And he is 13 and figured all that on his own.
He is a fan of all these guys, but he is not a blind worshiper. When a movie is bad, he'll say so even if his favorite actor is the movie.
