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For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

As Good As It Gets

Blistering performances.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Don't you just love watching insane people in movies? Take Screwface for example; he's so over the top and out of control that you don't know what he'll do next. Even made his posse shudder.This is one of the few Seagal flicks that got by me back in his heyday. Probably because between him and Van Damme, the pictures have such similar titles I probably thought I'd already seen it. No matter. This film delivers pretty much like all the rest if you go for this stuff.But there's always been something that bothered me about action films in which the bad guys never follow through. This picture had two instances where Hatcher (Seagal) was on the ropes - in the car wreck and at the warehouse in Jamaica. Both times Hatch would have been a goner if the bad guys just finished him off right then and there. Especially the second time when it was Screwface (Basil Wallace) holding all the cards. Not that I'm rooting for the bad guys, but in real life, wouldn't you want to just get things over with? Instead, Screwface must have thought about revenge just a bit too long and then just lost his head.

I find the movie acting and action scenes over-toned, but I am not a fan of Steven anyway. What does come at deeper level is the "choice of enemy".Well, its no secret Jamaican gangs (posse) exist. Whether they rule US streets, that is pretensions. However, Stevens movies were never realistic, but about action and "defense of US pride and justice" but this one kicks it over the edge with a lot of stereotypes.Dreadlocks are criminal stereotype, instead of Rastafarians who are peaceful and certainly not a violent international drug dealers (even when it comes to herb).While Screwface does display some Rastafarian features such as Patois language, and observing US as "Babylon system" he does practice belief in Voodoo and magic (which isn't prominent in Jamaica at all). Gang members call each other Rasta - while real faith opposes crime and violence and is often victim of it (e,g. Robert Nesta aka Bob Marley was a a wound victim of a paid assassins of such a posse)Such elements have ruined something that could have been a good action movie with a message, and depicts overall Jamaicans as primitive and drug dealing people.That this isn't alone voice is indicated by real Jamaicans / Rastafarian protest at time of movie release, being put on a list of most racist movies ever and overall today perception "of how not to do movie and play with other cultures".What is even strangest is that movie featured some nice reggae and rap music, such as Jimmy Cliff. I suppose buying music for soundtrack goes before movie is presented to the musicians. They do also appear live in clubs of Jamaica.

When DEA agent John Hatcher's partner is killed he decides it is time to retire as no matter how much they do and how many villains they arrest there is always somebody else waiting to take there place. When he returns to his home in Chicago he finds the Jamaican Posses are selling drugs. At first he doesn't want to get involved but eventually he has no choice and deals with one of the gang. This puts both him and his family firmly in the sights of Screwface, the gang's leader. After an attack on his home leaves his niece critically injured he sets about hunting Screwface down; a mission that will take him from Chicago to Jamaica and back again and everywhere he goes he fill have to take on Screwface's many men and the black magic they claim to wield.If you enjoyed other early Seagal films you are sure to like this as it is packed with bone crunching action; he frequently has to fight several thugs at once. As well as the expected martial arts action there is plenty of gunplay, a car chase and even a sword fight! The story isn't too deep but there is an unforgettable twist that first time viewers are sure to enjoy. Seagal isn't the best actor in the world but he knows how to do action so if that is what you want you won't be disappointed. Some of the Jamaican patois is a little hard to understand but that doesn't spoil anything as most of what they say can be guessed anyway… it is nearly always a threat of some sort!

DEA Agent John Hatcher (Steven Seagal) is busy kickin' ass in Colombia when he decides to make his return to the U.S. after some spiritual enlightenment from his priest. He returns to find his city overrun by Jamaican 'posses', and when at a bar, he and his old friend Max (Keith David) find themselves caught amidst a gang war shootout. Hatcher, naturally, kicks the s**t out of some of them and finds that he and his family have been 'marked for death' by gang boss Screwface (Basil Wallace). His sisters house is attacked and when his niece is shot, Hatcher and Max team up with Jamaican police man Charles (Tom Wright) to find Screwface and end his reign of terror.Clearly neither Screwface nor his ever-dispensable gang of cronies have ever seen a Steven Seagal film, or they would have left him the f**k alone. Guns, swords and even voodoo cannot stop the pony-tailed action hero. This is actually considered to be the 'finest' of Seagal's vast action backlog, which is quite tragic given that this film is pretty s**t. I will say this for it, however - it's relentlessly entertaining. Yet this derives from the unintentionally hilarious dialogue, woeful acting, some appallingly gruesome action scenes, and plot devices that simply defy logic.Possibly the funniest moment in the film has Hatcher, who has, by the way, just committed murder (he's retired from the police) and has to be the police's main suspect, taking part in a high speed chase through the city that sees one car drive along the pavement causing massive damage, only to later fly through the window of a department store. Hatcher walks in shooting and stabbing his way through the bad guys only to calmly stroll out afterwards. Surely the police would have noticed something during the carnage? Yes, yes, I'm missing the point, this is a dumb action film - this is hardly trying to be The Wire.Marked for Death does have the sense to show off Seagal's martial arts skills. While many of his other films have him mainly either carrying a gun or simply throwing people onto tables, this has him breaking many, many bones with his bare hands. It's shockingly gory for an 90's action film, which naturally makes the whole film more likable. Basil Wallace is plenty of fun as the interestingly named Screwface, all wide-eyed and using an over-accentuated Jamaican accent. The voodoo element is certainly different, and the practises shown in the film are apparently well-researched and accurate. Definitely one for the action junkies, but for me, it's a laughable nostalgia trip into an overly macho time, and ultimately a rather forgettable one.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com