Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Stars: Steven Seagal, DMX, Isaiah Washington
Genre: Action | Comedy | Crime
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Violence, Language, Drug Content, Nudity, and Some Sexuality)
Running Time: 101 Mins
Format: DVD (Keep-Case Edition)
Tagline: "This is Gona Hurt"
THE MOVIE ITSELF:
Yes, there was a time when Steven Seagal made good movies...sadly, that time has long since passed. I am surprised how many hail Exit Wounds as the last good Seagal movie, when in fact it's far from it. I wish I could feel the same way about the movie, but I really don't.Exit Wounds can be defined as a failed attempt at a crossover between rap music and aikido martial arts.
What makes Exit Wounds such a failure? Let's start with the plot of the film; The inept sub-plot of the film centers on the story of Orin Boyd (Steven Seagal) a no-nonsense cop who is decommissioned after saving the vice president's life (throwing him over a bridge) from unknown terrorists. This segment in the film only serves the plot in explaining that Boyd is uncontrollable, and will not follow regulation, that is all. Furthermore, we see Boyd attending an Anger Management class, where we get a few chuckles here and there. All of this doesn't really help towards the development of the film.
The real plot, however, could have been turned into a good film had they dismissed the earlier story of Boyd's mishaps and conduct issues. The real plot of the film is Boyd attempting the capture of a drug dealer (DMX) who is working with corrupt cops. As the plot unfolds,we find out that the drug dealer isn't a drug dealer at all, but a self made millionaire trying to bring down a chain of crooked cops dealing drugs and laundering money.
The plot on it's own could serve for a decent enough picture; the execution taken however ruined what could have been. The main problem the movie faces is the cross over between Seagal and DMX. Unlike "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle To The Grave" the combination of a martial artist with a rapper doesn't work. Seagal may not be the most charismatic guy, but the chemistry on screen between both leads was terrible...it just didn't work. This is not to say that the other film I mentioned are masterpieces, they maybe in comparison to this film though.
However, the film does have it's positives, it was actually nice to see Seagal back in shape for once. We actually get to see alot of his own stunt work, with and without the assistance of a harness, but in essence it is Seagal doing the fighting. Also, Anthony Anderson was hilarious in this movie...so much so that his presence along Tom Arnold where better than the rest of the film. Lastly, the martial art sequence between Michael Jai White and Steven Seagal was pretty darn good and well choreographed. Aside that, the movie isn't worth the time. As a Seagal fan, I will admit I have seen this movie more than twice, but only because I am a Steven Seagal fanatic. For anyone else, this film will constitute as a pure stinker. So, if you didn't get to see this movie back in 2001, keep looking forward because there's not much to see here.
HOME THEATER QUALITY:
I first owned Exit Wounds on VHS back in 2001, and even then I noticed something very odd about the picture quality. At the time, I didn't know much about Pan & Scan and Widescreen presentation, so I really didn't know what was the matter with the picture. What was wrong? the pan and scanning on the VHS (from what I remember) was pretty terrible. I recall the scene where he Boyd is talking to his chief in the restaurant, you can barely see her , they made no effort in Panning to where she was sitting. The DVD I own as of now corrects that problem. Presented in 1:85:1 widescreen- the picture quality is pretty decent. A Blu-Ray will be made available sometime in the summer I believe, probably already released by the time I publish this review. But, all in all, I wouldn't recommend getting the Blu-Ray, the DVD is good just as is.
BOTTOM LINE:
The movie isn't worth it to those who aren't Seagal fans, and to those who are-they might be disappointed in the execution of the plot. I know for a fact that Seagal's glory days are over, but it would have been nice if they actually gave him a better script with more realism. Sadly, this movie lacks all the things to make a good Steven Seagal movie.
Stars: Steven Seagal, DMX, Isaiah Washington
Genre: Action | Comedy | Crime
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Violence, Language, Drug Content, Nudity, and Some Sexuality)
Running Time: 101 Mins
Format: DVD (Keep-Case Edition)
Tagline: "This is Gona Hurt"
THE MOVIE ITSELF:
Yes, there was a time when Steven Seagal made good movies...sadly, that time has long since passed. I am surprised how many hail Exit Wounds as the last good Seagal movie, when in fact it's far from it. I wish I could feel the same way about the movie, but I really don't.Exit Wounds can be defined as a failed attempt at a crossover between rap music and aikido martial arts.What makes Exit Wounds such a failure? Let's start with the plot of the film; The inept sub-plot of the film centers on the story of Orin Boyd (Steven Seagal) a no-nonsense cop who is decommissioned after saving the vice president's life (throwing him over a bridge) from unknown terrorists. This segment in the film only serves the plot in explaining that Boyd is uncontrollable, and will not follow regulation, that is all. Furthermore, we see Boyd attending an Anger Management class, where we get a few chuckles here and there. All of this doesn't really help towards the development of the film.
The real plot, however, could have been turned into a good film had they dismissed the earlier story of Boyd's mishaps and conduct issues. The real plot of the film is Boyd attempting the capture of a drug dealer (DMX) who is working with corrupt cops. As the plot unfolds,we find out that the drug dealer isn't a drug dealer at all, but a self made millionaire trying to bring down a chain of crooked cops dealing drugs and laundering money.The plot on it's own could serve for a decent enough picture; the execution taken however ruined what could have been. The main problem the movie faces is the cross over between Seagal and DMX. Unlike "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle To The Grave" the combination of a martial artist with a rapper doesn't work. Seagal may not be the most charismatic guy, but the chemistry on screen between both leads was terrible...it just didn't work. This is not to say that the other film I mentioned are masterpieces, they maybe in comparison to this film though.
HOME THEATER QUALITY:
I first owned Exit Wounds on VHS back in 2001, and even then I noticed something very odd about the picture quality. At the time, I didn't know much about Pan & Scan and Widescreen presentation, so I really didn't know what was the matter with the picture. What was wrong? the pan and scanning on the VHS (from what I remember) was pretty terrible. I recall the scene where he Boyd is talking to his chief in the restaurant, you can barely see her , they made no effort in Panning to where she was sitting. The DVD I own as of now corrects that problem. Presented in 1:85:1 widescreen- the picture quality is pretty decent. A Blu-Ray will be made available sometime in the summer I believe, probably already released by the time I publish this review. But, all in all, I wouldn't recommend getting the Blu-Ray, the DVD is good just as is.
BOTTOM LINE:
The movie isn't worth it to those who aren't Seagal fans, and to those who are-they might be disappointed in the execution of the plot. I know for a fact that Seagal's glory days are over, but it would have been nice if they actually gave him a better script with more realism. Sadly, this movie lacks all the things to make a good Steven Seagal movie.
