I wonder whose idea it was to pair up the unlikely combo of aging action star Steven Seagal and hip hop superstar DMX in an action film? And who could have guessed that they would put out an entertaining, not terribly good, but fun movie? I certainly wouldn't have. Of course, I am somewhat a fan of both of them. I always get a kick out of those old Seagal flicks from the late 80's and early 90's, and DMX is one of the few rappers that I make a point of tracking down new albums from. Anyway, they team up in this middling action film from the director of Romeo Must Die, Andrzej Bartkowiak.
The first thing to remember, as if you needed reminding, is not to watch this in a serious state of mind. This is a pretty far-fetched and goofy movie, but you could probably tell that by looking at the cast list, which also includes Tom Arnold and Anthony Anderson.
The movie opens with a lengthy segment featuring Seagal. It is that cliched section of film that introduces your hero by placing him a situation that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but establishes him as a good guy, but also as someone who stands up to authority. This gets him kicked out of his precinct and sent to the bad side of town. Here he has conflict with his fellow officers. who don't come across as the best of men, quite the opposite in fact, before teaming with the young cop out to make a difference. His work here leads him to suspect DMX as a drug dealer looking to make a big score. Of course nothing is as it seems here, and if you didn't see the flip coming, well, I don't know what to say.
The plot is strictly by the numbers, yet still retains a certain amount of pure fun. Seagal shows that an old dog can learn new tricks. This time, and for the first time in his career, he resorts to using wires to pull of some new stunts. DMX proves that he has the charisma to pull of a big screen role, he doesn't display much range, but he looks pretty comfortable and can give off an intimidating visage. The supporting cast adds a lot to the fun. Anthony Anderson, as TK, one off DMX's crew, is very funny, I have always enjoyed his supporting work. Also, Tom Arnold is gleefully goofy as an opinionated host of a morning talk show who also has a problem with rage control.
If they tried to play it straight, this movie would have failed miserable. Between DMX's decent, yet unspectacular star turn and Seagal's inability to express anything outside of constipation, there would not be much joy to be had. What I did like were Seagal still had the moves, and also how he could make fun of himself. At one point he points towards his head and says "This is my happy face." That is a brilliant line, possibly the best in the movie.
Andrzej Bartkowiak is making a habit of teaming up martial arts stars with music stars and creating a glossy, if shallow, exercises in action excess. His style would have fit well in the 80's when there were a plethora of films being put out by Seagal, Van Damme, Stallone, and Schwarzenegger. His films all seem to have a certain look to them, but never quite make the leap to greatness, otherwise they seem to prefer to wallow in their own mediocrity. And for some reason, I still like them.
Video. It is presented in it's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphically enhanced. It is serviceable yet unspectacular. Everything seems to be muted and flat, nothing really pops out at you. I have seen worse from major releases, but a top notch transfer would have enhanced the replayability of this title.
Audio. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, it sounds pretty good, levels all seem to be right on. It is not spectacular, but it serves the content well.
Extras. It's not a full fledged special edition, but it has a couple of extras.
-Making of Featurette. Runs nearly twenty minutes and is primarily fluff, but we get some interesting looks at Seagal learning the wires.
-A Day on the Set with Anthony Anderson. Runs about 8 minutes as we follow Anthony who talks us through a typical day, his personality carries what could have been a rather dry bit.
-Music Video. DMX's "No Sunshine" video from the soundtrack.
-Trailer, lastly we get the theatrical trailer, presented in widescreen.
Bottomline. This is not a must own by any stretch, but it is a fun movie for anyone who is a fan of the cast members, or is looking for a mindless action film to spend an evening with. I liked the movie, and I stand by that statement!
Also at Blogcritics.org.
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