Rating: Summary: actually quite entertaining Review: Don't let some reviewers fool you. This is a ctually a very entertaining movie, with many less cliches than you may expect. Seagal does as usual a good job in beating up punks, but this time he's not the only person in the movie. There are at least 3-4 other spotlights here, and the movie gets pretty comical at times. The highlight is the simulated talkshow at the end, with 5 minutes of continued, uncensored south-park style talk which made me laugh hard. This is a good movie, I swear!
Rating: Summary: pure agony Review: this glop sets new standards in movie incoherence. We open with an attack on the vice president by people dressed as cops, seagal runs in and saves the day by throwing the VP off a bridge into what we've just been shown is shallow water with jagged rocks. he looks back over the side of the bridge after throwing him and guess what the VP is fine, rocks nowhere to be seen. We're told the attack was the work of 'some michigan militia', case closed, which is on a par with the substitute when one guys asks why there aren't any cops on the scene our hero responds 'He (the badguy) paid them off'. 'some michigan militia' sounds interesting, how come they were so organised, what were that political beliefs? who cares! the VP and the 'michigan militia' (sounds even stupider every time i write it) abandoned for some story bout crooked cops. seagal gets demoted for saving the VP's life, which is the most ridiculous 'ain't authority stupid' happening in any action movie ever, makes dirty harry's superiors seem reasonable, and the guys behind the demotion are segal's friends (?). Enter tom arnold, always excruciating, no different here.Anyway forget the plot, its not important, lets examine the bare faced stealing of lines from better films. DMX explains that he promised his father he would always be 'his brother's keeper' (new jack city). the villain swivels around in his chair and says 'the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist' (the usual suspects) so cringeworthy was this moment i struggled hard to stop myself throwing something at the tv. a good guy authority figure blows away a crooked cop 'you're fired' (robocop and probably a few arnie movies). As for action... at one point seagal (who is totally impervious to pain and physical harm) jumps at a car heading fast for him, we clearly see that he is barely going to clear the windscreen, but whadda you know? next shot shows he successfully vaulted the thing. Seagal seems to added new tricks to his armoury, now when kicking people it seems the man can fly ala crouching tiger etc. The inanities just keep chalking themselves up, we're told a big cop is 'real dumb' then told as if to confirm this that he infiltrated and brought down an entire Ku klux klan chapter undercover, what a dummy eh? Seagal walks out of a shoot out with his gun at his side straight into a swat team, he flashes his badge and they go straight past him (just like in real life). the list goes on and on and on, add to this an actress who seems to have been selected because she looks like gina gershon (gina obviously too good for seagal movies now) and a hilarious ending where facing imminent death the character that demoted seagal earlier in the film bursts in to his rescue with a shotgun. This moment brings to mind the DVD of 'the great silence' with klaus kinski which has an alternate happy ending as an extra in which a character who we see killed earlier in the film suddenly appears from nowhere and shoots all the villains in the back. All the cops in the precinct below captain are crooked, in the final shoot out we see dozens of villains in their police uniforms running around with machine guns. Where are the gangster's in this city? where are the drug dealers that would object to the cop's operations? How were all these cops corrupted into being merciless killers? And to top it all off, the head traitor gets to do his 'after all my years on the beat what have i got to show for it' (ransom springs to mind, as well as a hundred other movies) routine. Still its a step up from the patriot and the glimmerman, this is total trash, but at least i made it to the end.
Rating: Summary: Good, cheesy fun!!! Review: Although hes always been the worlds laziest action star, Steven Seagal shows his age in EXIT WOUNDS. Heck, Seagal even lets himself take some punches this time around. The director, Andrzej Bartkowiak (ROMEO MUST DIE), keeps the action mean and fast, staging fight scenes with lots of different types of weapons. In its cheesy fun way EXIT WOUNDS is efficient, exciting entertainment. Rapper DMX, cast as a drug kingpin who is not what he seems, shows true command. Hes one of the major reasons that this film becomes as entertaining as it does.
Rating: Summary: Exit Wounds review Review: I am a extremly big Steven Seagal fan. I know alot about him i have studied his philosophy and style. I also have had a long time interest in law enforcement. This movie gives, in a lot of aspects a realistic view of the "law enforcement" world. Basic overview is you have a police officer who in a sense is a lone ranger in police work, who disobey's orders who has a set judgement on authority figures. As a form of a disiplinary action he is sent to a run down police precint. This certain precinct has officers in it who are your quote "bad cops" who present serious police corruption to Detroit City Steven seagal comes into this as officer Orin Boyd and begins to investagate the situation he has come across. Through out the movie he quickly gets to the bottom of it. With the help of Tom Arnold this movie has it's comical points as well as great action. Well written movie. Very understandable and clear on the story line and plot. Although Steven Seagals age is certainly noticable in this movie he certainly carries himself very well like always. Highly recommended movie
Rating: Summary: Down and Dirty, Pure Escapist Fun Review: Stephen Seagal is not one of my favorite actors, and "Exit Wounds" is not going to win any film awards. What this movie has going for it is that it doesn't try to take itself too seriously. It's a bang-up action movie and doesn't try to be anything else. Seagal usually comes across in most of his films as a deadpan heavyweight with all the emotion of a steamroller; but in "Exit Wounds" he shows a sly sense of humor which makes this movie much more enjoyable to watch than others he has acted in. This time around he is doing his usual turn as a one-man demolition team in the character of Orin Boyd, packing an attitude, who rescues the Vice-President of the United States in one of the most improbable assassination attempts ever to be put on film. Were the Secret Service asleep at the switch or what? After rescuing the veep and nearly drowning the poor guy in the process (he heaves the veep over a bridge into the river, disregarding his yells of "I can't swim"), he is called on the carpet for acting without orders from a superior and transferred to a precinct that bears an eerie similarity to the lowest circle of Hell. He manages to start off on the wrong foot with his commanding officer Mulcahy (nicely played by Jill Hennessy) and is assigned to the traffic patrol; after he manages to cause gridlock at the intersection where he's supposed to be directing traffic, his CO decides he might do less damage walking a beat with his assigned partner George Clark (played by Isiah Washington). Turns out that Boyd, Clark and Commander Mulcahy are probably the only honest cops in the precinct; everybody else is neck-deep in corruption. Attempting to investigate a rumored drug dealer variously known as Latrell Walker and Leon Rollins (played by the rapper DMX) who walks around carrying enough cash to choke a herd of elephants and bankrolls a club managed by his friend and partner T.K. Johnson (Anthony Anderson is a riot in this role), Boyd discovers that the bad guys are not Walker/Rollins and his partner, but six very bad cops who have stolen five million dollars worth of confiscated heroin out of the evidence room and are preparing to sell it back on the street. Things take off from there; there are fights galore, a car chase (not a spectacular as the chase in "The French Connection" but pretty good on its own); the body count piles up, and justice wins the day. How could it not, in a Seagal movie? Most of the actors range from adequate to very good; the plot is off the wall but nobody in their right mind would take this movie seriously anyway; and there are a lot of laughs to lighten things up. Be sure to stick around for the credits at the end of the movie, for a dialogue between T.K. and the celebrity wannabe Henry Wayne (very well played by Tom Arnold), an absolutely hysterical exchange which had me practically rolling on the floor. This is no movie for the kids; wait till after they're in bed and asleep, load up the DVD player, grab the popcorn and enjoy. Profound and thought-provoking it ain't, but as pure escapism, it succeeds on all counts.
Rating: Summary: Suspension of Disbelief Review: I felt that this is the first movie I have seen Steven Seagal in where he showed any talent at all for acting, which is why I gave it 2 stars. The mechanics of the police / protection scenes were poorly written. First off, I have issues with the vice-presidential scene. In a fire fight, the Secret Service are sworn to protect the VP or President. Somebody walks up and tries to get the person being protected away from them will be given full body ventilation and a third eye. The Secret Service men here just nod and turn him over to an unidentified person. Not going to happen. Additionally, flash a badge to a SWAT team when they are entering a building in a fire fight and they will search you and cuff you to a fire hydrant keep you out of their way until the building is secure.
Rating: Summary: Oh the Glory of the ACTION film Review: For too long we have had to sit through silly moralizing drama's, romantic tales, and pitiful comedies. The action movie has been away from the screen for far too long. At one time Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Steven Seagal ruled the cinema. Chuck got out of the big screen and into television at the right time, Van Damme disappeared into direct to video, and Seagal seemed to have bloated himself out of existence. His last movie was a direct to video joke. Thankfully the studios took a chance on this one and let the action fans get what they wanted. Seagal plays Orin Boyd, the longer cop with an attitude. After spectacularly saving the Vice-President from a terrorist attack he is bumped down to the most unholy of precincts. This is the place nobody wants to go. Crime is running rampant through the streets and the cops seem unable to do a thing about it. After a disastrous meeting with his new commander Boyd finds himself in an anger management meeting where he meets celebrity wanna-be Henry Wayne, played by Tom Arnold. The two interrupt an attempted theft of Boyd's truck in true Seagal fashion. Later that night Boyd sees a drug transaction taking place. He is able to capture one man but Latrell Walker, rap star DMX, and his associate T.K., played by Anthony Anderson, escape. Much to Boyd's disgust he finds the guy he busted is an undercover cop. Even more to Boyd's disgust he is busted first down to traffic cop and after that fails he is partnered on the beat with the idealistic young George Clark, Isaiah Washington. Boyd is able to convince George to help him track down Latrell and T.K. They find to their horror that Latrell and T.K. may not be the bad guys that they thought they were and the cops may actually be behind most of the drug running on the street. Okay, that's the basic plot and I admit it...it sounds silly. But guess what? You don't go to a Seagal movie for the plot or the character development. You go for the action scenes and maybe if you are lucky some funny dialogue. Does the movie succeed in that aspect? Oh Yeah! Andrzej Bartkowiak shows much the same skill directing this feature as he did with his previous movie, Romeo Must Die. In fact many of the faces from Romeo also appear in this film. Bartkowiak keeps the story moving at a quick pace and lets the action speak for the rest of the film. The fight scenes are all choreographed well. Seagal seems to have lost weight and got back into more of a fighting trim with this one. His action scenes are more in depth than anything he has done in awhile and he even takes a bow to his age with letting the younger bad guy in essence win. The key to his performance though is the fact that he looks back to his previous success in Under Siege and plays this role for laughs. He still delivers his lines with the strangely serious gaze but there is a glint of a smirk in everything he says. Rap star DMX does a fine job too. He handles all the lines well and doesn't force anything off the screen. The comedy is provided in this movie on two fronts. One being from Anthony Anderson's character T.K., acting strangely similar to his character in Romeo... and the other front being from Tom Arnold. Both are adept at reeling off lines in a rapid pace and one of the funniest scenes in the movie occurs during the credits when the two are just firing things back and forth. Is this movie ever going to win an Oscar? No way, but judging on some of the movies that one this year, that doesn't say as much as it used to. Does it succeed in delivering escapist fun? Oh Yeah!
Rating: Summary: Good Review: This is a cartoony action flick, but a lot of fun. DMX is a lousy actor, but he actually has a lot of charisma that almost makes up for his lack of acting ability. Don't expect brilliance, and you'll enjoy this movie.
Rating: Summary: Action, Explosions, Rap Music, DMX and Genius All in One! Review: This movie is packed beyond belief. The action is nonstop and it happens all over Detroit. On the bridge, in some clubs, on streets, and factories! The soundtrack is hoppage and DMX also stars in this tight movie. Talk about the stuff, Steven Seagal (comic genius) is the main star and he does more stunts than ever! Major flippage, one broken arm, fighting two guys who are bigger than he, fighting DMX, driving a truck, shooting a helicopter down, riding a motorcycle, jumping over a speeding car, catching keys in the air from his feet, rolling out of an upside-down van, fighting with cleavers, and eating roast beef sandwiches! Pure Divinity! This lord has now become a living legend of the human race. No more police corruption with this legend walking around!
Rating: Summary: Back with the old swagger... Review: Steven Seagal is back in top form in Exit Wounds, a slick, hip, and often humorous crime-action drama. Under the direction of Joel Silver (The Matrix), the production features some new touches, that bring a different look to a Seagal film. Innovative camera work, stunts, editing, slow motion, fight choreography and special effects are some off the effective techniques used. The story is better than average, and not entirely predictable. Segal is Orin Boyd, a veteran Detroit cop who seems destined to work his way down the police ranks for being insubordinate... His reward for being an unauthorized hotdog is reassignment to the "15th", one of the Motor City's low-life areas. There's a lot going down in the 15th. In addition to the usual crime, and drugs, there's big time police corruption. In the middle of it is mystery man Latrell Walker (DMX), and his buddy T.K. Johnson (Anthony Anderson) owner of nightclub called "Static"... Things get hot after thieves steal 50 kilos of heroin being held as police evidence. Just in time, Boyd gets back on the streets with a new partner (Isaiah Washington)... There's lots of action, including some deadly vehicular mayhem, culminating with Seagal leaping over a speeding car. The final shootout winds things up nicely and features trick shooting shotguns, swordlike fighting action, and foreign objects penetrating the human body. Though there is action aplenty, the comedic aspects really help to elevate this above the norm. Most of the credit for the laughs goes to Anthony Anderson, who brings a fresh approach to his character "T.K."... There is a scene where Walker and T.K. are shopping for a car in a luxury dealership that is quite funny. As is the brief scene where Segal directs traffic to James Brown's "I Feel Good". However, not everything that is supposed to be funny works. The bits where Boyd attends anger management sessions,... Tom Arnold, who plays a motormouthed talk show host, fails badly as a secondary source of comedy. The clip of Arnold and Anderson jive talking, that runs while the ending credits play, is a big mistake. A horrible example of poor taste, that leaves you with a bad final impression of the film. DMX does a commendable acting job, and is also competent in his action and fight scenes. Isaiah Washington is very impressive, and bigger things appear to be in this young man's future. Many others could have done with a little more screen time, such as Jill Hennessy, Michael Jai White, and beauty Eva Mendez. Bill Duke who communicates so marvelously with his eyes, has a small but critical role. ... Exit Wounds is highly recommended to aficionados of Steven Seagal, and to fans of action films in general.
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