Caffeinated Clint
By Clint Morris
Steven Seagal is back – and unfortunately so is his huge beret of baggage.
It hasn’t been a good decade for the one-time king of action cinema. Playing to small-screen audiences, battling to rid of the belly, and copping flack for both – – one wouldn’t be surprised if Seagal had packed up shop by now. But he hasn’t. And you have to give the man credit for sticking it out. He’s still pumping them out – -even though he’s probably quite aware what he’s making isn’t gone to be a shade on any of the flicks he was contracted to make for Warner Bros in the late 80s and early 90s.
There might never be another “Under Siege” or “Nico : Above the Law” for Seagal – and from the outset he seems fine with that. So long as there’s food on the table…. And he gets to kick someone’s head in on film… the big guy’s not going to bust into his superannuation any time soon.
To his merit, his last effort “Pistol Whipped” was quite good. Cheap, yes, but much better than some of the other junky efforts he’d been putting out. This one at least had a story. It also had action – and Seagal was actually partaking in that action, something that was seriously missing from some of his pics there for a while. It was an indication that Seagal might be on his way back – or at least determined to make sure those direct-to-dvd movies that he’ll always be doing play a little more entertaining than they have been. And it was a welcome gesture.
The film sees Seagal wearing the badge – and dodgy accent – of a Memphis detective assigned to track down two serial killers. He’s already caught one of them, but due to a technicality he was set loose. The other is carving Zodiac symbols into victim’s bodies. Needless to say, both get a pounding.
If you’re into violence and head thrashings…. This is the Seagal movie for you! The man takes no prisoners in this one. If you look at him the wrong way, chances are you’re going to be pushing your eyeball back into its socket tonight. He’s that bad-ass. But he’s also bad-ass for no real reason. The guy’s actually a bit of a nutter – possibly as nutty as the guy’s he’s supposed to be chasing.
The messy character is just one of the many flaws of “Kill Switch” – inarguably a big step back for Seagal. There are plot holes everywhere, some of the scenes are just frankensteinly stitched-together without any kind of interconnected flow … and then there’s that dodgy accent.
I really tried to like it, because I’ve never had anything against Seagal, but it just didn’t do anything for me. Hopefully Warner, who are apparently considering an “Under Siege 3”, don’t see this one – otherwise it’ll never happen.
Extras
Previews. Yep. That’s it.
