Segall had a misfire with his second film, HARD TO KILL, and it is fair to say this was his next big misfire. He plays a government operative sent to Alaska to deal with a ruthless oil tycoon (Michael Caine, slumming in greasy dark hair and tailored suits) who is about to destroy some wilderness. Caine's hambone villain also has no use for the local populace, who oppose his plan. The action, which is what we came for, is sporadic and only partly satisfying. There is a serious disconnect going on here. Seagall can still fight, which he pretty much stopped doing after EXIT WOUNDS, but he spend more time parading around in buckskins and horseback riding. He also goes on a destructive tear near the end that in my mind is not justified, and ends up doing more damage than the oil mogul might have! There's some laughable mystical mumbo jumbo in the middle involving the dative populace, and it is very similar to another Seagall film involving Native Americans. What we have here is a vanity flick, pure and simple. And a very bad one at that. To make matters many times worse, Segall makes a very odd "eco-friendly" speech at the end. It may remind some of Superman's mind-grinding world peace speech at the conclusion of SUPERMAN IV. Yuck.
Review of On Deadly Ground
