Out for a Kill [DVD] [2003]

I set aside tonight for a feast of Steven Seagal films. Firstly I watched 'Half Past Dead' which I found entertaining, but certainly not in the same class as 'Under Seige' or 'Exit Wounds'. However, set against 'Out for a kill', 'Half Past Dead' was a 'Bridge of the River Kwai' compared to 'Out for a kill's' 'Plan 9 from Outer Space'. What has happened to Steven Seagal? He is credited as producer, so he must have some creative input. Okay, Steven has made some creative mistakes (some say bold artistic experiments) in the past, but come on. These departures to foreign lands do not do his C.V. any good. This happened to the great (and sadly late) Charles Bronson in the late 60's, early 70's when he made films on foreign shores. Charles Bronson films that are (and rightly so) forgotten. I'm afraid that 'Out for a kill' and 'The Foreigner' fit into this mould. The Direction of 'Out for a Kill' is way out of sync (as is most of the over dubbing). The itsy bitsy frame editing is annoying and half way through your mind starts to drift to Steven Seagal films of old when you used to be entertained. Is Steven Seagal past his sell by date? No, I don't think he is - nor should he be...but I do wish he would not only look at the script he is producing, but also the choice of Director, who in this case seems to have exercised all the fancy movie techniques known to man, but not to the benefit of the script or the great man himself.

Please, if you are a Steven Seagal film with a dull evening ahead of you - watch the clock on the wall instead of this film - Time will pass much faster!!!

With one of the worst titles for any kind of movie in recent memory, this Seagal actioner is another in his long line of conveyer belt straight to video movies. Produced by those kind folks at Nu Image (who have continually amazed us with such direct-to-video nightmares such as DERAILED, SPIDERS and OPERATION DELTA FORCE), this is the kind of movie that makes you want to stop watching films altogether.

The story has The Tall Guy playing renowned archeologist Robert Burns, who has unearthed precious artifacts in Eastern China. However, the chinese mafia are using these artifacts to smuggle drugs overseas and within seconds, Seagal is framed, has his assistant murdered and is sent to prison. MInutes (which seem like hours) unfold as Seagal is released by the US/Chinese police, using him as bait to lure the mafia into the open. As these things usually do, everything goes wrong for the police and Seagal's wife is killed in a fiery explosion, leaving him distraught, angry and (ahem) out for a kill.

With a plot that resembles a convoluted DEATH WISH sequel crossed with a dozen Hong Kong actioners, this movie fails to involve the viewer at any point. Seagal himself seems bored out of his mind, as he casually walks around seedy areas of town tracking down the men who killed his wife, getting up to the odd rough and tumble with every kung fu villain around who manages to look at him the wrong way. A fight sequence in a gent's hairdressers manages to be not only boring, but also mildly embarrassing as Seagal's opponent is obviously on wires and his movements defy any gravity at all, and the scene comes across looking awkward and pointless.

Director Michael Oblowitz (who collaborated on Seagal's first awful direct to video flick, a dreadful number called THE FOREIGNER) seems to have no flair for action whatsoever, insisting on long takes, dull characterisation, lazy pacing and making no effort to get the best out of his performers at all. His MTV-lite camera work is dull, and everyone in his movies seems to be acting as though they were in a Calvin Klein commercial. What with this, the aforementioned THE FOREIGNER and the awful vampire 'non' action flick THE BREED, Oblowitz needs to take an 'Action Movie 101' course. Quickly.

Adding another dud to his CV, Seagal seems to be intent on destroying any chance of a movie career that he reclaimed with the fun actioner EXIT WOUNDS (which seems like a lifetime ago now), by appearing in films like this. What with this, and his new gems like the headache inducing ATTACK FORCE, OUT OF REACH and TICKER, its sad to see a former action giant running around in non-events such as these. Granted, he has made the entertaining actioner RENEGADE JUSTICE, but that is a minor diamond in the rough amongst these turds.

Columbia-Tristars' disc is clean of any extras, except a trailer. The picture and audio quality are sharp, and the only picture problems arise from the film being shot in fake neon-lights and awful bare-bones locations.

All-in-all, not a winner. If you have to put yourself through it, make sure you have a copy of EXIT WOUNDS or OUT FOR JUSTICE ready to jam into your DVD player once this one is over. Rent before buying.

I was wondering how low SS could go after watching 'Out of Reach' - and lo! He answers this with 'Ofak'...Ofuk is nearer. Uninteresting, unconnected, unappealing...come on, Steven, you must try harder.