Rating: 
Summary: Steven Seagal washed up.
Review: I'm a big fan of Steven Seagal but this latest movie was a mistake.He looks like the Pillsbury dough boy and his acting has gone down hill.This movie was made in China because no Amercian director wants a over weight martial arts actor.It's a real shame he fell apart and I say skip this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Belly of Seagal
Review: If you ever had the morbid curiosity or even the love of Seagal films, then this entry should get a few laughs.
Seagal is now firmly in straight to DVD territory, now over 50 and with an ever-expanding face. He's getting paid quite well to make the same film over and over and over again, now with Asian directors and other assorted action hacks who are experienced at making the same film over and over and over again.
The story, plot, etc, are totally irrelevant. This one takes place mostly in Thailand, and looks to have been photographed there, so we have exotic locations as one drawing point. However, you may have difficulty figuring out where the action is happening because the direction and editing are appalling--the film is borderline incomprehensible, and probably for the better.
As for the action, it's quite funny. Seagal nows seems firmly dedicated to avoiding any and all stunts except for very amusing shots of him sliding across the floor (being pulled by wire hoisted by at least four men, I bet) or a quick tumble in the frame. The action scenes are all the same. A lot of constipated closeups of Seagal grunting, squatting, and moving his hands around martial-arts style that, though probably just a bit theatrical, is downright funny. People fly through the air like Crouching Tiger, making a lot of faces before being dispatched by Seagal, or rather his stuntman. The violence is not the brutal, wrist-snapping, bone-crunching spectacles of his American films, which seem like masterpieces of cinema compared to this, but rather the more fluid, theatrical fight scenes of a Jackie Chan, except everybody (presumably) dies after being sliced, smacked, and thrown through walls and other convenient pieces of the set. And there's always a nod towards Seagal's ridiculous ego and absurdity, which he is apparently unaware of. Go ahead and count the number of times Seagal's character is shown in a fight scene with his head cut out, followed by a closeup of Seagal, followed by a shot of his 'character' flying through the air, which only heavy duty wires could accomplish even if it was Seagal.
Seagal would actually be perfect for an hourly TV show like this, sort of a Walker Texas Ranger show with international spies as the gimmick. Your TV may have difficulty accomodating the countless closeups of Seagal's bloated, tanned face, but it would be good fun and many chuckles on a weekly basis.
Only die-hard and extremely morbid Seagal fans need apply to this one. There is too much to talk about here, from the cheap titilation to the absolutely unacceptable hints of a Seagal love-scene, with a Thai prostitute of all people. Oh, and don't forget the Buddhist sub-plot. The man should really be applauded for trying.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad for later stage Seagal
Review: In the late 1980s and early 1990's, it looked as though Seagal would join the ranks of Hollywood's top action stars. You would hear his name in the same sentence with Arnie and Stallone, no small feat indeed. And to a large degree, Seagal's films deserved the comparison. "Under Siege" was a winner, as were "Hard to Kill" and "Above the Law." The actor's greatest appeal isn't hard to fathom; Seagal embraced a brutal form of martial arts that, at least onscreen, allowed him to slap down thugs, break bones, and wreak massive havoc without batting an eye. Literally, Seagal would stand in place and put down one goon after the other with an ease that looked not only natural but also realistic. I still enjoy watching that pool room scene where Seagal's character used pool cues, billiard balls, and whatever else he could lay his hands on to put out the trash. Alas, how the mighty have fallen. The early 1990s may as well be ancient history as far as Steven Seagal is concerned. Although he's still capable of making a few moderately entertaining films, which "Belly of the Beast" ultimately is, far too often we're seeing movies like "The Foreigner" and "Ticker."
Seagal plays international man of mystery Jake Hopper, a guy who used to work for the CIA, the DEA, the FBI, or a dozen other intelligence gathering agencies--take your pick. As the movie opens, we see Hopper and his partner Sunti (Byron Mann) setting up a bunch of drug dealers in Thailand. Something goes wrong, probably a double cross, and the two agents must fight their way out of the building. In the process, Sunti accidentally kills a mother holding her infant child. He's so torn up over the incident that he goes off to join a Buddhist order, presumably leaving Hopper partnerless and a little lonely. Flash forward ten or so years. Hopper now works as a freelance operative, the sort of guy the agencies come to when they need a safe broken into. The only thing that matters to our hero is his lovely daughter Jessica (Sarah Lane), but tranquility shatters when a radical Islamic terrorist cell called the Abu Karaf abducts Jessica and a Senator's daughter. Abu Karaf sends a videotape of the two girls to the government, threatening to kill them if the authorities refuse to release a few prisoners. Predictably, Jake Hopper vows revenge for this horrible injustice. He goes on a series of rampages throughout the Far East in an effort to find his daughter.
Hopper suspects that someone other than the Abu Karaf is behind the kidnapping of his daughter, so he brings back Sunti from the Buddhist sabbatical for back up. The two men run into all sorts of problems. On a mission to track the whereabouts of the Abu Karaf, Hopper and Sunti touch off a gang war during an arms deal turned suddenly bad. Then there is a serious sword fight with a bunch of ninja type thugs in a warehouse. Hopper learns that General Jantapan (Tom Wu) and a cross dressing martial arts expert are the ones responsible for his current troubles, so he heads after them with guns blazing. All the while, Jake Hopper presents the American authorities with a dilemma. Our government is running an operation to free the girls, but Hopper keeps getting in the way. The conclusion to the film looks like it came right out of "The Matrix," as Seagal's character battles for his daughter's life. There are super slow motion arrows and bullets whizzing through the air, bodies suspended in mid jump, millions of rounds of ammunition expended, and even shell casings clattering on the pavement. We even get some sort of super magic fight between a group of Buddhist monks and some Hindu witchdoctor. Sure it sounds ridiculous, but it is entertaining.
Compared to Seagal's dreckfest "The Foreigner," "Belly for the Beast" is an Oscar candidate. The performances aren't terrible, the action is steady and decently choreographed throughout, and the settings look authentic. Still, I couldn't help but notice a few problems. One concerned the rapidly expanding bulk of Steven Seagal. Fans of the man have long commented on his deteriorating physique, and this problem is fully apparent in the movie. At one point, Seagal's character slides along the floor in order to stay out of sight during a burglary. I laughed heartily at both the expression on his face and the sneaking suspicion that someone just off frame was pulling him on a wire. And that scene where he takes a bottle of water out of the refrigerator! Oh brother! Seagal looked like a television repairman lumbering around the house. Another problem centers on some of the illogical plot problems. For instance, why did the CIA guy help Hopper get out of jail? His orders were to keep Seagal's character out of the way, which a short stint in the stir would have accomplished. But there's the CIA guy watching him walk off. It probably has something to do with Hopper being too cool to keep under lock and key because he's SEAGAL. Hear him roar!
If you're interested, the extras on the disc consist of a bunch of trailers for films like "Returner," "The Foreigner," "Belly of the Beast," and "Out for a Kill." While this film cannot compare to early Steven Seagal actioners, it does stand on its own as a rather decent flick. It's derivative, full of action film cliches, and tries to pass off an overweight fifty year old as a spry intelligence operative full of take no prisoners bravado, but what else were you expecting? By the way, did you hear they are thinking about making "Under Siege 3"? Hopefully, Seagal will shed some pounds before starring in that one.
Rating:
Summary: King Of The Pudge
Review: Nowadays, Steven Seagal seems to be eating a lot and doesn't seem to be working out much but still sees fit to make movies. At least this time, Lord Steven hooked up with a killer director, Hong Kong's own Ching Siu Tung('Naked Weapon', 'Duel To The Death'), and together they've made a pretty good little action movie.When I say that its good, you have to get by the fact that Stevie is completely out of shape, talks in a different voice during every scene, and at one point in the movie rummages through a refrigerator. Ching Siu Tung's action is beautifully done(if you can suspend disbelief as Stevie does a few spinning jump kicks high in the air when we all know that the man can't get more than two inches off the ground these days)and the special effects are practically seamless and amazingly done for lower budget picture such as this. There is some cool stuff done with bullets and arrows, you'll know what I mean when you see it. Top-notch action from one of the world's best action directors, a decent if generic plot, and a whole lot of killing make for a nice little gem of a straight-to-dvd movie, despite Seagal's attempts to sabotage the proceedings.
Rating:
Summary: Time to call it a day Steven?
Review: Oh dear, oh dear. Yet another "straight to video" release from Steven Seagal who this times plays a former government agent on the edge of retirement (yes I know you're shocked). He just happens to be in Thailand visiting his niece or granddaughter or whatever when she is kidnapped by some local ruffians. The CIA are on the case but this is simply "not good enough" for Mr. Seagal, who after all trained all of their fathers anyway, and he sets off on a one man mission of justice to sort everyone out, and of course save the girl. The usual mindless and implausible "action" ensues, interspersed with plenty of opportunity for Seagal to change into black clothing and perfect his "hard stare", which is now his preferred weapon, (when not crunching bones that is). As enjoyable as missing the last train home, I ask Mr. Seagal again - "when are you going to retire?"
Rating: 
Summary: Is The Title Referring To Seagal?
Review: Ol' Slabface is back and still doing his thing, only recently it's all been downgraded to the direct-to-video market(like we didn't see this coming years ago). Steve plays an ex-CIA agent who has to jump back in action after a ten year......oh, hell, who cares? It's Seagal being Seagal, who gives a rat's behind if he's ex-CIA, a cop, a SEAL, a cook, a dance instructor, etc? In this film he gets bit by the Bronson bug as his daughter is kidnapped by terrorists in Thailand. He teams up with an old CIA buddy turned monk(actually a very cool character that upstages Seagal), and go on your typical B action film rampage to get his daughter back. You get the bad techno music, the good guy who's really the bad guy, Seagal's irritating way of cocking his head from side to side when he speaks, the gang of thugs who start a fight with Seagal in a bar(or in this case a dance club)for no real reason other than to show another Seagal action sequence. And speaking of Seagal action sequences, the process of film editing has become Seagal's best friend as it tries to hide his lack of physical speed. This is done by speeding up the film when needed as well as going into slow motion. By the climax of the film a supernatural element is thrown in at the last minute in the form of a Steven Seagal voodoo doll! The final fight scene has Seagal and villian shooting at one another(Seagal with gun, villian with bow) in a hallway and it's done with that crappy Matrix "bullet time" technique. I thought it looked silly in the Matrix, but this has to be one of the most inane things I've ever seen. If you can make it through the final battle without laughing, you're a much better man than I. But as much as I rip on Slabface, I have to love him or else I wouldn't bother watching these films. Just keep it under your hats, people.
Rating:
Summary: He keeps churning them out
Review: Seagal really does put together a good guns&fights action flick. In fact, he keeps doing it, year after year, giving us a subscription to watchable movies, Seagal-style. That style seems to have solidified, if not congealed. There are only about three changes from one movie to the next. They are A) the good cause that needs saving from B) the bad guys, with a side order of C) pop spiritualism. In this case, A = his daughter, B = some Thai gunrunners and kidnappers, and C = Buddhism for the good guys and Kali-worship/voodoo for the bad guys. The Buddhoo angle makes for an interesting power-pray during the culminating fight scene, but otherwise seems improbable - like so many other things in the movie. It's just an action movie. Among action movies, it's just a Seagal movie. If that suits your taste, then improbability won't get in your way.
Rating:
Summary: He keeps churning them out
Review: Seagal really does put together a good guns&fights action flick. In fact, he keeps doing it, year after year, giving us a subscription to watchable movies, Seagal-style. That style seems to have solidified, if not congealed. There are only about three changes from one movie to the next. They are A) the good cause that needs saving from B) the bad guys, with a side order of C) pop spiritualism. In this case, A = his daughter, B = some Thai gunrunners and kidnappers, and C = Buddhism for the good guys and Kali-worship/voodoo for the bad guys. The Buddhoo angle makes for an interesting power-pray during the culminating fight scene, but otherwise seems improbable - like so many other things in the movie. It's just an action movie. Among action movies, it's just a Seagal movie. If that suits your taste, then improbability won't get in your way.
Rating:
Summary: STEVEN SEAGAL'S BEST YET!!!
Review: This has got to be the best Steven Seagal movie I have ever seen. This movie is packed with a lot of action that keeps your eyes glued to the tv till the end. I DEFINENTLY RECOMMEND!!!
Rating:
Summary: STEVEN IS BACK FOR FIGHTING
Review: THIS IS NOT THE BEST STEVEN SEAGAL BUT FILMED IN THAILAND I LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND A LOT OF GUNFIGHTS AND OUF !!!!! NOW STEVEN IS FIGHTING AGAIN BUT SOMETIME I WONDER IF IT IS HIM WHO FIGHT OR IS IT A STUNT WHO MADE THE FOOT FIGHTING BUT OK THIS MOVIE IS OK BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET MARKED FOR DEATH OR OUT FOR JUSTICE
WELCOME BACK
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