On Deadly Ground (1994)

Mystical martial artist/environmental agent takes on a ruthless oil corporation.

Director:

Steven Seagal

Writers:

Ed Horowitz, Robin U. Russin

Stars:

Steven Seagal, Michael Caine, Joan Chen

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Seagal	...	Forrest Taft
Michael Caine	...	Michael Jennings
Joan Chen	...	Masu
John C. McGinley	...	MacGruder
R. Lee Ermey	...	Stone
Shari Shattuck	...	Liles
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Homer Carlton
Richard Hamilton	...	Hugh Palmer
Chief Irvin Brink	...	Silook
Apanguluk Charlie Kairaiuak	...	Tunrak
Elsie Pistolhead	...	Takanapsaluk
John Trudell	...	Johnny Redfeather
Mike Starr	...	Big Mike
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Otto (as Swen-Ole Thorsen)
Jules Desjarlais	...	Drunken Eskimo

Storyline

Forrest Taft is an environmental agent who works for the Aegis Oil Company in Alaska. Aegis Oil's corrupt CEO, Michael Jennings, is the kind of person who doesn't care whether or not oil spills into the ocean or onto the land, just as long as it's making money for him. He even makes commercials that make him look like he cares about the environment. Jennings is almost finished with building his new state-of-the art oil rig: AEGIS-1. The problem is that if he doesn't finish building the rig in thirteen days, the land rights will be returned to the Eskimos and the Alaskan government. When Jennings finds out that Taft's best friend Hugh Palmer has a computer disk that contains information about defective equipment on AEGIS-1, he sends out his goons to murder Palmer. When Taft tries to interfere, Jennings tries to kill Taft. But an Eskimo woman named Masu, who introduces Taft to her father Silook, the chief of her tribe, rescues Taft. With Masu's help, Taft begins a trek through the ...

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Plot Keywords:

oil | oil rig | tribe | environment | oil spill | 

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Taglines:

His Battle To Save The Alaskan Wilderness And Protect Its People Can Only Be Won...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Inuktitut

Release Date:

18 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rainbow Warrior

Filming Locations:

Carson, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$38,590,500 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Seagal/Nasso Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Forrest Taft asks the question, "What does it take to change the essence of a man?" to an oil worker. A similar question is posed and answered in an aftershave commercial by Kelly LeBrock. Steven Seagal and LeBrock were married at that time.

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Goofs

Forrest Taft seemingly goes from Alaska's North Slope to the coast on a Snowmobile with no extra gas in a day's time.

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Quotes

[Stone confronts Taft]
Stone: Yeah, that's right! Go ahead, big boy! MAKE YOUR MOVE! Then I'm gonna shove this goddamn shotgun up your ass and blow the top of your FUCKING HEAD OFF!
[Taft grabs the shotgun barrel and reverses it, causing Stone to shoot himself]

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Crazy Credits

The first half of the end credits run over images of Alaska and its various wildlife, until we see Forrest Taft & Masu in a canoe, with Taft pointing out to Masu, a crow in front of them circling over the water (supposedly meant to be Silook in another form)

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: X-Men Origins Wolverine (2010)

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Soundtracks

"ONE LAST GOOD HAND"
Written by John Jarrard and Gary Burr
Performed by Reba McEntire
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Honestly one of the worst movies I have ever seen

You know, commenting on how bad a Steven Seagal movie is is a bit like beating a baby with a 2x4... too easy as there is no defense. : ) But Seagal has had some movies that worked well enough for teens to eat popcorn to at the cheapie cinema on a Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do. I remember loving "Above the Law" when I was in high school and "Under Siege" was worth it to see Gary Busey chewing the scenery. But "On Deadly Ground" is truly awful, not even worth having on the TV in the background while you do something else, it's badness seeps from it in an unholy miasma that taints your soul. : ) I cannot be sure but I would venture that this was the moment in time where you can see Seagal's career just take a huge nosedive into vile obscurity. On a related note, I caught the first 5 minutes of "Half Past Dead" on WOWOW the other day... couldn't watch anymore as it was so laughable, but not in a "Plan 9 from Outer Space" way more in a "my God they paid him MONEY to make this" way. I like the cinematic film tricks used to disguise his huge bulk... not very effective as he is so big now he has his own gravitational pull, but they did the best with what they had.