If you've kept up with Seagal's direct-to-video career (as I diligently have) "Mercenary for Justice" is certainly a step in the right direction. No, it's not great movie, but it's a whole lot better than most of his previous direct-to-video efforts. First and foremost the cinematography is really well done. This movie looks great and feels "bigger" than most of Seagal's previous direct to video movies. Second, although there's more gun-play than Aikido, Seagal performs in all his own action sequences (no stunt/body doubles) and the fight choreography is relatively classic Seagal (arm and wrist twisting / body tossing). Third, Seagal's voice doesn't appear to be dubbed at any point during the movie (as it's been in several of his other releases). What's bad is the usual: muddled story, poor supporting cast, some of the dialogue. The first 20 minutes of the movie lack a real cohesive setup / story (in fact, beside a brief freeze frame / still, Seagal doesn't appear for the first 11 minutes or so). The opening also suffers from the classic low budget, "shooting a stunt from multiple angles – then intermittently cutting those different shots of the same stunt into the movie trying to sell it as a new event each time" trick. Oh well. Bottom line: If you've kept up with Seagal this far in his career you won't be disappointed with "Mercenary for Justice." Favorite Seagal theatrical release: Out For Justice / Favorite Seagal direct-to-video release (as of 04/19/06): Belly of the Beast
46 Reviews
Too much love for this film.
supertom-324 April 2006
Seagal has of late been doing material so utterly poor, to suggest that it may be time for him to call it a day, and concentrate on a promising music career. Seagal looks old, overweight and lethargic in his recent films and aside from the slightly more professional twosome of Into The Sun and Belly Of The Beast, looks utterly bored. Add to this fact he is not doing his own stunts, fighting or even dialogue, then clearly many fans are getting annoyed. However Seagal has one of the most forgiving and undemandingly loyal fan bases out there, so he's getting away with it.
Mercenary For Justice is on one hand the usually bog standard he's been doing lately, but on a slightly more positive not he does most of his ADR looping and also all his own fights. Now that might seem like something that should be a given for an action man but these days Seagal films are rated on the following: Participation in fights, stunts, in the shooting itself (not using stand ins!) and participation in performing his own dialogue. As such this film is a step up from Black Dawn and Today You Die, his previous two, poor, poor movies.
The trouble is that the film has an awful script, poor direction and of course an incredibly wooden performance by its lead. The action is all filmed rather than using stock footage, as in the other Seagal and Don E Fauntleroy team up, Today You Die, which borrowed from several films. This it least has Fauntleroy showing slightly more control behind the camera, but unfortunately the film is one of a line of contractually obligated films Seagal had to do. Sure he got well paid to do them, but the fact is there have been rumours of on set troubles with Seagal, turning up late, changing the script. How true this is I don't know but certainly in this film and TYD, Seagal is probably only present for 2/3 of the movie. Thankfully MFJ marks the last time Seagal will work with these producers and this director, following a much publicised legal battle of suing and counter suing.
MFJ makes no sense whatsoever, perhaps largely due to the slipshod and difficult production thanks to the problems between the producers and the star. This is so poorly constructed and shabbily put together that it makes one wonder just how Seagal fans (myself included can keep coming back in the vein hope he'll do a good movie again. Similarly the film is not helped by a poor cast around Seagal, who lest we not forget is not in the movie that much. However Luke Goss isn't bad, but he is sorely underused. In perhaps the most awful performance ever committed to a B action film, Roger Guenveur Smith, grates, and annoys in the most clichéd British bad guy role, in which every word is ludicrously overly enunciated. As such the poor cast fails to engage in the dull and dragging scenes without the main man Seagal. The action itself ranges form mediocre to bad. There's plenty of explosions but the film is badly edited and the fights sequences are particularly dull, despite Seagal's participation in them. They unfortunately lack imagination and aside from some bone breaking and flushing peoples heads down toilets, it's all pretty brief and uninspired.
The sad thing is that many Seagal fans will "settle" for this junk. It shouldn't be that way. I only hope that the far more promising sounding projects, Shadows Of The Sun and Prince Of Pistols will have a more interested Seagal. I don't blame the big man for not raising his game in a film this poor, he was allowed to give minimal effort to collect a big fat paycheque, so fair play to the man. However he will have to deliver better films otherwise the paycheques could well dry up. DTV films don't have to be awful and Lundgren and Van Damme are proving that. I hope Seagal takes note in his next few films, but thankfully I see there will be little chance they are as bad as this. *1/2
Mercenary For Justice is on one hand the usually bog standard he's been doing lately, but on a slightly more positive not he does most of his ADR looping and also all his own fights. Now that might seem like something that should be a given for an action man but these days Seagal films are rated on the following: Participation in fights, stunts, in the shooting itself (not using stand ins!) and participation in performing his own dialogue. As such this film is a step up from Black Dawn and Today You Die, his previous two, poor, poor movies.
The trouble is that the film has an awful script, poor direction and of course an incredibly wooden performance by its lead. The action is all filmed rather than using stock footage, as in the other Seagal and Don E Fauntleroy team up, Today You Die, which borrowed from several films. This it least has Fauntleroy showing slightly more control behind the camera, but unfortunately the film is one of a line of contractually obligated films Seagal had to do. Sure he got well paid to do them, but the fact is there have been rumours of on set troubles with Seagal, turning up late, changing the script. How true this is I don't know but certainly in this film and TYD, Seagal is probably only present for 2/3 of the movie. Thankfully MFJ marks the last time Seagal will work with these producers and this director, following a much publicised legal battle of suing and counter suing.
MFJ makes no sense whatsoever, perhaps largely due to the slipshod and difficult production thanks to the problems between the producers and the star. This is so poorly constructed and shabbily put together that it makes one wonder just how Seagal fans (myself included can keep coming back in the vein hope he'll do a good movie again. Similarly the film is not helped by a poor cast around Seagal, who lest we not forget is not in the movie that much. However Luke Goss isn't bad, but he is sorely underused. In perhaps the most awful performance ever committed to a B action film, Roger Guenveur Smith, grates, and annoys in the most clichéd British bad guy role, in which every word is ludicrously overly enunciated. As such the poor cast fails to engage in the dull and dragging scenes without the main man Seagal. The action itself ranges form mediocre to bad. There's plenty of explosions but the film is badly edited and the fights sequences are particularly dull, despite Seagal's participation in them. They unfortunately lack imagination and aside from some bone breaking and flushing peoples heads down toilets, it's all pretty brief and uninspired.
The sad thing is that many Seagal fans will "settle" for this junk. It shouldn't be that way. I only hope that the far more promising sounding projects, Shadows Of The Sun and Prince Of Pistols will have a more interested Seagal. I don't blame the big man for not raising his game in a film this poor, he was allowed to give minimal effort to collect a big fat paycheque, so fair play to the man. However he will have to deliver better films otherwise the paycheques could well dry up. DTV films don't have to be awful and Lundgren and Van Damme are proving that. I hope Seagal takes note in his next few films, but thankfully I see there will be little chance they are as bad as this. *1/2
More Shooting Than Martial Arts
tarbosh2200013 May 2010
I liked Seagal.... In his prime. A long time ago, (Okay, 1989) Steven Seagal was the master of the martial arts, A man who speaks little, but makes up for it in kicking ass... and he was lean and mean. Nowadays, he's fat, he can barely talk above a whisper, and he just doesn't care. But he keeps churnin' out the junk.
And I keep falling victim to it. For Seagal DTV standards, (does that even make sense?) it isn't as bad as "Submerged" , but it's not as good as "Belly Of The Beast".
The plot: John Seeger (you know who...) is an ex-mercenary, CIA, FBI dude, who has to break into a prison, while orchestrating a bank robbery. Then Seeger shoots lots of people. That's about it.
What's with the three word titles? Enough already. I guess people don't think it's a Seagal flick without a three word title. The title doesn't even make sense. A mercenary works for money and he has no soul, he doesn't do it for justice.
The only actors good in this is Roger Guenveur Smith as the villain Mr. Chapel and Luke Goss as Dresham. But even they were coasting.
If you want a good Seagal flick, go with "Out For Justice" instead.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
And I keep falling victim to it. For Seagal DTV standards, (does that even make sense?) it isn't as bad as "Submerged" , but it's not as good as "Belly Of The Beast".
The plot: John Seeger (you know who...) is an ex-mercenary, CIA, FBI dude, who has to break into a prison, while orchestrating a bank robbery. Then Seeger shoots lots of people. That's about it.
What's with the three word titles? Enough already. I guess people don't think it's a Seagal flick without a three word title. The title doesn't even make sense. A mercenary works for money and he has no soul, he doesn't do it for justice.
The only actors good in this is Roger Guenveur Smith as the villain Mr. Chapel and Luke Goss as Dresham. But even they were coasting.
If you want a good Seagal flick, go with "Out For Justice" instead.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Slick garbage
gridoon9 July 2007
"Mercenary for Justice" is garbage. Sure, it looks slick, with above-average (by DTV standards) production values, international locations, and some great stunts. But don't let the looks fool you. The story makes no sense whatsoever from beginning to end, and Seagal's ego-feeding is in full-force here (he is introduced as "the most decorated soldier in Gulf War I" - apparently he wouldn't even settle for "second most decorated" - and, of course, nobody can land a single tiny hit on him in a fight, despite the fact that these days he has to send his stunt double to climb over a 10-foot wall). The viewer has no idea what is going on or why, and in a turn of events that shows just how utterly moronic this script is, Seagal and his female partner Jacqueline Lord kill several perfectly innocent Cape Town cops and security people who were just trying to protect the bank that these two were (inexplicably) robbing, yet the film apparently expects us to continue regarding them as the good guys (!!!), because they are trying to save a black kid and his mother. What the hell? Oh, and why does that kick-ass muscular and deadly female mercenary we see in the opening sequence get killed off so quickly? At least SHE could climb over a wall. (*1/2)
Absolutely Dreadful
tdouangnoy30 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This had to have been one of the most awful movie I have seen in my life. I have seen quite a few stinkers, believe me, but this movie takes the cake. It seems Steven Seagal's moves are becoming slower and slower after each film he makes. He really should start to lay off the Burger King meals if he wants to move two seconds quicker. You will quickly notice his huge gut within 10 minutes into the movie (God forbid should you watch this crap longer than 10 minutes).
The movie starts off with scenes of men gunning each other like they're auditioning for Saving Seagal's Private. The camera shots were terrible. It was like watching a toddler trying to control the camera steady while learning to walk. I didn't quite understand why they were fighting; actually, I didn't understand what the movie is supposed to be about other than John Seeger, Seagal's character, wanting to get revenge after someone used him for whatever purpose the writers threw into the script. Seeger's agenda also includes rescuing a little boy and his mother after being kidnapped by the same villain that used Seeger. At least the kidnapping gave the lead character a purpose to go on his 'mercenary mission'.
There were also moments where you think to yourself "Are you freaking kidding me?" There is a scene where Dresham gets into his car and never realized that Seeger was in the backseat (honestly, how could you miss seeing an ape in the backseat of your car). Seeger holds a gun to Drasham's head from the backseat while having difficulty spitting out his witless dialogue. Dresham signals for a policeman's attention, policeman walks over, Seeger somehow manages to master the art of teleportation, and mysteriously ends up in a van that happens to drive by when Dresham jumps out of the vehicle the split second Seeger disappears.
The acting is just pure trash. I honestly do not know how some of these actors can bare the embarrassment of being cast in such garbage. Seagal's dialogue are even worse in this film. It seems that he's trying maybe a little too hard to be witty by mumbling humorless one-liners. Should anyone find them remotely funny deserves a slap to the face.
I just really can't go on about this poor mess. Steven Seagal should retire from film now and rest in peace. God forbid him to continue torturing those that he call his loyal fans.
P.S. - Seagal, please take notes from Wesley Snipes movie, "The Detonator" At least his movie had somewhat a story to it. And please, please, man hit the gym.
The movie starts off with scenes of men gunning each other like they're auditioning for Saving Seagal's Private. The camera shots were terrible. It was like watching a toddler trying to control the camera steady while learning to walk. I didn't quite understand why they were fighting; actually, I didn't understand what the movie is supposed to be about other than John Seeger, Seagal's character, wanting to get revenge after someone used him for whatever purpose the writers threw into the script. Seeger's agenda also includes rescuing a little boy and his mother after being kidnapped by the same villain that used Seeger. At least the kidnapping gave the lead character a purpose to go on his 'mercenary mission'.
There were also moments where you think to yourself "Are you freaking kidding me?" There is a scene where Dresham gets into his car and never realized that Seeger was in the backseat (honestly, how could you miss seeing an ape in the backseat of your car). Seeger holds a gun to Drasham's head from the backseat while having difficulty spitting out his witless dialogue. Dresham signals for a policeman's attention, policeman walks over, Seeger somehow manages to master the art of teleportation, and mysteriously ends up in a van that happens to drive by when Dresham jumps out of the vehicle the split second Seeger disappears.
The acting is just pure trash. I honestly do not know how some of these actors can bare the embarrassment of being cast in such garbage. Seagal's dialogue are even worse in this film. It seems that he's trying maybe a little too hard to be witty by mumbling humorless one-liners. Should anyone find them remotely funny deserves a slap to the face.
I just really can't go on about this poor mess. Steven Seagal should retire from film now and rest in peace. God forbid him to continue torturing those that he call his loyal fans.
P.S. - Seagal, please take notes from Wesley Snipes movie, "The Detonator" At least his movie had somewhat a story to it. And please, please, man hit the gym.
A Routine Fare!
namashi_15 August 2015
'Mercenary for Justice' is a routine fare, that works only in parts. Its a regular Steven Seagal film, with good action & a strictly passable story.
'Mercenary for Justice' Synopsis: A mercenary gets involved in a mission that threatens the lives of his kin. In order to succeed, he must break into one of the most well guarded prisons in Eastern Europe and free the son of the most notorious drug lord in the world today.
Not much really stands out in here, besides Seagal of course. I've been a fan of his & he does deliver some kick-ass action here too. Although appearing morbidly overweight, the action star still has the chops. As for the Screenplay, it has some interesting moments & some sequences, particularly the penultimate portions, are engaging. Don E. Fauntleroy's Direction is alright.
On the whole, 'Mercenary for Justice' is, at best, a one-time watch.
'Mercenary for Justice' Synopsis: A mercenary gets involved in a mission that threatens the lives of his kin. In order to succeed, he must break into one of the most well guarded prisons in Eastern Europe and free the son of the most notorious drug lord in the world today.
Not much really stands out in here, besides Seagal of course. I've been a fan of his & he does deliver some kick-ass action here too. Although appearing morbidly overweight, the action star still has the chops. As for the Screenplay, it has some interesting moments & some sequences, particularly the penultimate portions, are engaging. Don E. Fauntleroy's Direction is alright.
On the whole, 'Mercenary for Justice' is, at best, a one-time watch.
Lousy Piece of Trash!!
mbudd8230 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This movie isn't bad if your comparing it to Wesley Snipes' DTV movie The Detonator. They both score about a 1 out of 10. This movie is absolutely awful!! The plot...there isn't one, not that I could find anyway. If you watch this, DON'T RENT, and find a plot please let me know what it is because while watching the 84 minutes of this trash, in between the horrible acting and watching Seagal being out of breath, I couldn't find one.
Now lets talk about the scenes a little. Seagal (John Seeger, who's the genius who came up with that one) in one scene goes to "punch" someone in the bathroom and you can see obviously that he doesn't, I mean the guy he's trying to hit isn't even in the picture, and there's a punching sound. Where's the editing director?!?! Must have been cut to pay for Seagal's drinking/smoking habit. Anyway, another one is the same scene Seagal is throws this guy into a stall in the men's bathroom and knocks the stall off the wall and no water comes splashing out. There's not even a hole in the wall where the pipe goes. I guess Seagal didn't want to get wet or the floor because his fat a$$ may have fallen down and not gotten back up. There are many others but I just keep getting more and more mad the more I think about how awful this crap was. Seagal is supposed to be some bad-a$$ mercenary but he can't even talk without being out of breath. I just couldn't accept the fact that he's supposed to be some mercenary. And speaking of mercenaries, who has ever heard of a "Good" mercenary. That's like saying a good murderer. They just don't go together. Terrible, simply terrible.
Don't rent don't even give it the benefit of the doubt and certainly don't contribute to Seagal's drinking/smoking habit.
Now lets talk about the scenes a little. Seagal (John Seeger, who's the genius who came up with that one) in one scene goes to "punch" someone in the bathroom and you can see obviously that he doesn't, I mean the guy he's trying to hit isn't even in the picture, and there's a punching sound. Where's the editing director?!?! Must have been cut to pay for Seagal's drinking/smoking habit. Anyway, another one is the same scene Seagal is throws this guy into a stall in the men's bathroom and knocks the stall off the wall and no water comes splashing out. There's not even a hole in the wall where the pipe goes. I guess Seagal didn't want to get wet or the floor because his fat a$$ may have fallen down and not gotten back up. There are many others but I just keep getting more and more mad the more I think about how awful this crap was. Seagal is supposed to be some bad-a$$ mercenary but he can't even talk without being out of breath. I just couldn't accept the fact that he's supposed to be some mercenary. And speaking of mercenaries, who has ever heard of a "Good" mercenary. That's like saying a good murderer. They just don't go together. Terrible, simply terrible.
Don't rent don't even give it the benefit of the doubt and certainly don't contribute to Seagal's drinking/smoking habit.
Another terrible low budget Seagal effort, will he ever make a decent flick again?
poolandrews26 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Mercenary for Justice starts as corrupt CIA agent John Dresham (Luke Goss) & all round bad guy Anthony Chapel (Roger Guenveur Smith) arrange the kidnapping of the French Ambassador in a remote African island using hard as nails Gulf war veteran John Seeger (co-executive producer & uncredited co-writer Steven Seagal) & some of his mates as cover, plausible deniability & all that apparently. John isn't happy when he learns the truth & is even less happy when his best mate Radio Jones (Zaa Nkweta) is killed during the fighting. Back in the US & John promises to look after Radio's widow Shondra (Faye Peters) & young son Eddie (Tumi Mogoje) but Chapel is hired by billionaire Greek Arab arms dealer Ahmet Dasan (Peter Butler) to break is son out of prison & kidnaps both Shondra & Eddie in order to force Seeger to carry out the break. Seeger isn't happy & his mood doesn't improve & sets out to gain revenge on those who double crossed him & are threatening the lives of his friends family...
This Arubian, American & South African co-production was directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy who is also credited as cinematographer Mercenary for Justice was the second of three awful straight-to-video/DVD action flicks he made with Seagal (the other's being Today You Die (2005) & Urban Justice (2007) which are just as bad) & at this stage I seriously doubt whether Seagal will ever make a decent action film again, entertaining action fare such as Hard to Kill (1990), Marked for Death (1990), Out for Justice (1991) & the two Under Siege (1992, 1995) films seem a distant memory from a very long time ago. One of the main problems with Mercenary for Justice in my opinion is that it's insanely complicated & tries to be too clever, there are all sorts of vague double crosses & ulterior motives & supposed twists & turns that are just so contrived & convoluted that they make little sense & are so badly written & presented end up making the whole film feel like a complete unfocused mess. No-ones motives are ever fully revealed, I still don't really know what that CIA guy played by Luke Goss is all about, why were Seagal & his men fighting at the start, who was Chapel & why did he hire people he couldn't control & the whole thing is just a mess that jumps around from scene to scene trying to be clever but it's so poorly put together it's annoyingly confusing. Even though it only lasts for about an hour & a half it feels much, much longer which is never a good sign, the dialogue is terrible, the character's are not fleshed out & their motives are never made clear & there isn't even much action in it which is the final nail in it's coffin really as far as I am concerned.
These days Seagal is fat, you can see it & he's out of shape & not that menacing & he looks sluggish, slow & unconvincing in the action scenes. There are one or two fights which are quite violent but for the most part he leaves the action to other people & is it any coincidence that one of the other main character's is fatter than he is? I am sure that guy Bulldog is there to make sure Seagal isn't the fattest person on screen during the action! During the old days Seagal's action scenes were based around brutal martial arts violence & amusing one-liners, these days he can barely walk yet alone pull those moves off. There are a few explosions, a few shoot-outs & some fights but nothing special or that memorable.
According to the IMDb this had a budget of about $15,000,000 which I don't believe for a second, there is no way this cheap looking film cost that much. Apparently shot in Bulgaria & South Africa. The acting sucks, Seagal minus pony tail mumbles his way through the film as usual while Luke Goss has managed to put this turkey behind him having appeared in the recent Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).
Mercenary for Justice is another terrible low budget shot in Eastern Europe action flick with Seagal who really should either lose some weight or call it a day & realise that he can't make these action films anymore. Not good.
This Arubian, American & South African co-production was directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy who is also credited as cinematographer Mercenary for Justice was the second of three awful straight-to-video/DVD action flicks he made with Seagal (the other's being Today You Die (2005) & Urban Justice (2007) which are just as bad) & at this stage I seriously doubt whether Seagal will ever make a decent action film again, entertaining action fare such as Hard to Kill (1990), Marked for Death (1990), Out for Justice (1991) & the two Under Siege (1992, 1995) films seem a distant memory from a very long time ago. One of the main problems with Mercenary for Justice in my opinion is that it's insanely complicated & tries to be too clever, there are all sorts of vague double crosses & ulterior motives & supposed twists & turns that are just so contrived & convoluted that they make little sense & are so badly written & presented end up making the whole film feel like a complete unfocused mess. No-ones motives are ever fully revealed, I still don't really know what that CIA guy played by Luke Goss is all about, why were Seagal & his men fighting at the start, who was Chapel & why did he hire people he couldn't control & the whole thing is just a mess that jumps around from scene to scene trying to be clever but it's so poorly put together it's annoyingly confusing. Even though it only lasts for about an hour & a half it feels much, much longer which is never a good sign, the dialogue is terrible, the character's are not fleshed out & their motives are never made clear & there isn't even much action in it which is the final nail in it's coffin really as far as I am concerned.
These days Seagal is fat, you can see it & he's out of shape & not that menacing & he looks sluggish, slow & unconvincing in the action scenes. There are one or two fights which are quite violent but for the most part he leaves the action to other people & is it any coincidence that one of the other main character's is fatter than he is? I am sure that guy Bulldog is there to make sure Seagal isn't the fattest person on screen during the action! During the old days Seagal's action scenes were based around brutal martial arts violence & amusing one-liners, these days he can barely walk yet alone pull those moves off. There are a few explosions, a few shoot-outs & some fights but nothing special or that memorable.
According to the IMDb this had a budget of about $15,000,000 which I don't believe for a second, there is no way this cheap looking film cost that much. Apparently shot in Bulgaria & South Africa. The acting sucks, Seagal minus pony tail mumbles his way through the film as usual while Luke Goss has managed to put this turkey behind him having appeared in the recent Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).
Mercenary for Justice is another terrible low budget shot in Eastern Europe action flick with Seagal who really should either lose some weight or call it a day & realise that he can't make these action films anymore. Not good.
One of the better Seagal films of recent years...
nerph2013 April 2006
"Mercenary for Justice" has one heck of an opening. It starts on a war-torn battlefield with Seagal and a group of mercenaries fighting a legion of French soldiers after having kidnapped and killed the French ambassador. Director Don E. FauntLeRoy, who did the so-so "Today You Die" with Seagal, proves his worth with this sequence as the action is fluid and crisp and looks like it cost way more than the reported $15 million it actually did. It's clear with this film's opening: Seagal is hearing the fan's pleas for better films, and he's going to start trying better. Another thankful gesture to his loyal fans in this film is Seagal actually does his own fighting, and while the fight scenes are less impressive, at least it's him doing it. The plot is ridiculous and silly and most of it doesn't make a lick of sense, but since when did it have to in a Seagal movie? What matters is that the film looks good and makes Seagal look good. Having been a Seagal fan for a while, I must say I was pleased by this film.
If only Seagal had invested his Under Siege money wisely...
RogerBorg9 January 2010
...he wouldn't have to keep grinding out quota dross like this.
Look, we all know the plot by now. Bad People with Foreign Accents plan to do Bad Things to Good People with Domestic Accents. Seagal is the only man standing between blah and blah and blah de blah blah. OK, we know. We know. Let's just enjoy the ride.
The problem is that the "plot" of this movie jumps around so much that it's impossible to keep track of who is doing what to who and why. Really, I couldn't keep track of Good People and the Bad People, or when they switches sides or why, or which side Black Tech Guy is on from minute to minute.
On the plus sides, Seagal does his own "fight" scenes, but they're just sad now. His leathery skin clearly makes him invulnerable to conventional weapons, and while he does his usual twist/lock work, he's also forced to do some strikes that are simply pathetic. The guy can barely punch past his own belly these days.
The highlights are the supporting cast. Jacqueline Lord is surprisingly competent, and looks like she should have been in a lot more productions than her resume suggests. She clearly missed out on her big break a decade or so ago, but does well as mature totty.
Matt... uh, sorry, Luke Goss owns the few scenes that he's in, but there's just not enough of them to save this movie, and they're irrelevant anyway since Seagal is playing his usual immortal Myrmidon Let's give Goss the last word though: "This is unbelievable," he opines, and there's not much to disabuse that notion here.
Look, we all know the plot by now. Bad People with Foreign Accents plan to do Bad Things to Good People with Domestic Accents. Seagal is the only man standing between blah and blah and blah de blah blah. OK, we know. We know. Let's just enjoy the ride.
The problem is that the "plot" of this movie jumps around so much that it's impossible to keep track of who is doing what to who and why. Really, I couldn't keep track of Good People and the Bad People, or when they switches sides or why, or which side Black Tech Guy is on from minute to minute.
On the plus sides, Seagal does his own "fight" scenes, but they're just sad now. His leathery skin clearly makes him invulnerable to conventional weapons, and while he does his usual twist/lock work, he's also forced to do some strikes that are simply pathetic. The guy can barely punch past his own belly these days.
The highlights are the supporting cast. Jacqueline Lord is surprisingly competent, and looks like she should have been in a lot more productions than her resume suggests. She clearly missed out on her big break a decade or so ago, but does well as mature totty.
Matt... uh, sorry, Luke Goss owns the few scenes that he's in, but there's just not enough of them to save this movie, and they're irrelevant anyway since Seagal is playing his usual immortal Myrmidon Let's give Goss the last word though: "This is unbelievable," he opines, and there's not much to disabuse that notion here.
For those who miss the golden days of action movies...
johnbeer66630 April 2006
Steven Seagal might be getting old and he also might not have the same shape he had 20 years ago but he certainly still can make a movie great just by being in it.
Actually, this movie itself is pretty good. A lot of money has been spent on making it realistic and entertaining. Reminds you of the good old days when Van Damme and Seagal were backed by big budgets.
Mercenary for Justice is a colorful film filled with explosive action scenes, great dialogues and one-liners, fight scenes in which Seagal actually takes part. It had been a while since I really saw him perform anything close to his Aikido moves. The balance between realism and utter irrealism is just perfect.
You got to remind yourself that action movies are a genre in themselves. Lots of folks try to bring them down for various reasons...they just don't get the point. Just like romantic comedies and politic thrillers all follow some basic rules, action movies are also lead by a set of pre-requisites that you just expect to be there. Villains you can hate, a hero you can love, a beautiful girl, guns roaring...
The production is good. Direction sometimes reminded me of "24 esquire" hand held camera. Little part of scenes are sometime fast-forwarded to get a feeling of speed. Well... this still is a direct to video release, I guess they have to include some cheesy stuff.
The only downside to this picture is the story. It's pretty hard to follow but it does keep the characters on the move.
Actually, this movie itself is pretty good. A lot of money has been spent on making it realistic and entertaining. Reminds you of the good old days when Van Damme and Seagal were backed by big budgets.
Mercenary for Justice is a colorful film filled with explosive action scenes, great dialogues and one-liners, fight scenes in which Seagal actually takes part. It had been a while since I really saw him perform anything close to his Aikido moves. The balance between realism and utter irrealism is just perfect.
You got to remind yourself that action movies are a genre in themselves. Lots of folks try to bring them down for various reasons...they just don't get the point. Just like romantic comedies and politic thrillers all follow some basic rules, action movies are also lead by a set of pre-requisites that you just expect to be there. Villains you can hate, a hero you can love, a beautiful girl, guns roaring...
The production is good. Direction sometimes reminded me of "24 esquire" hand held camera. Little part of scenes are sometime fast-forwarded to get a feeling of speed. Well... this still is a direct to video release, I guess they have to include some cheesy stuff.
The only downside to this picture is the story. It's pretty hard to follow but it does keep the characters on the move.
Great D.T.V effort from Seagal...
rynlarson24 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I am not sure what fans of Seagal are complaining about given his recent disasters over the years from 2002's The Foreigner through "Out of Reach" in my opinion would be #98, 99, and 100 on IMDb's bottom 100 list. However, after slight improvements in the films "Into the Sun" and "Black Dawn" I have to say "Mercenary for Justice" is his best film since "Half Past Dead". I say this because the film had me interested from start to finish. The fight scenes are credible, the action staged well, and Seagal's old persona comes out in this film. It reminded me of "Marked for Death" in its style. Some faults are evident, such as the bad dialogue and acting from the supporting cast. That is Seagal's stunt double again jumping fences to get behind the truck after the initial war sequence. The bathroom fight sequence as well as the last 20 minutes of the film make it all worth it. Truly, *** out of **** in its class.
"I shall give you the best."
lost-in-limbo8 April 2012
Quite a sloppy and lethargic straight-to-DVD Steven Seagal action joint. I've been watching a few of these in recent times, hoping I might just come across a diamond in the rough, but it has mainly been depressing. However where else can you see Seagal being at the end of this line "Yeah, that's it for you poophole!". Yes I'm not kidding. That's what some macho said and Seagal made sure it wouldn't happen again. By taking out this guy, plus the bathroom it occurred in too. Surprisingly here Seagal looks like his doing most of his own stunts, but then again the martial art combat is lacking (plenty of slapping and people being thrown about) and more time is taken up with relentless gunfire and explosions. Like its jacked-up opening. While competent in execution, it remains a pedestrian display. The story follows that of a group of mercenaries being betrayed, and than going onto a mission to free an important figure from a highly protected South African prison. After the betrayal John Seeger is threatened into helping out in this new mission, when his late-friend's family is kidnapped and used to make him participate. The plot seems confounded with so many details, involving double crosses and political interest. Then throw in the usual words of wisdom from Seagal, which randomly come from nowhere and he slurps them out making the meaning of them just as hard to understand. Slapdash performances by the rest of the cast.
"The man's a f*cking ghost."
"The man's a f*cking ghost."
I just don't know
kornsme1829 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a Seagal fan and the rave reviews from other Seagal fans for MFJ brought me back to his films. After I was bored to death with OUT OF REACH and INTO THE SUN I gave up and said I would return till Seagal did a decent film again. I missed Submerged, Today you die and black Dawn, but then good reviews started to flood in for this movie. Supposedly he does all his own fights and the action is well done. So I went rented this movie along with Black Dawn because the thought of a good Seagal film got me overly excited. All I ask from a Seagal films is entertainment, but I was bored my MFJ. Did Seagal do his own "fight" scene?...yes. Was it a good fight scene?..No. The key word there is "Fight" and not "Fights". He has only one real fight scene in the movie. The plot was impossible to follow and the movie was just bad. I actually watched Black Dawn the next day and while Seagal was doubled for all his fight scenes the movie was much funner to watch than MFJ.
What the f...???
Elwood_Blues8 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
What in God's name has happened to Steven Seagal? Sure, his movies were never... the intellectual type but this film is so bad he should be ashamed to have done it. The action is boring, the story/script is a joke (where did the blonde from the beginning go? Where did Bulldog come from?), the characters are flawed (ie. John and Maxine kill everybody in the bank but when some guy asks not to shoot him John just punches him in the balls?!?) and the acting from the supporting cast is on porn-level. And that so called high security prison with it's 20 guards? It looked like it would cave in after the next storm. After this Steve should really consider to either stop acting or wait for a decent script to come along...
"Were having a communications problem"
hwg1957-102-26570412 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Steven Seagal is a mercenary called Seeger. And that's about as much as I understood of the convoluted story. There was lots of action but it didn't cohere into a sensible or interesting story. Mr. Seagal's body double seemed to be in it more than Mr. Seagal. Of the rest of the cast I liked soft spoken Roger Guenveur Smith as the duplicitous Chapel and Adrian Galley as doughty Bulldog, who isn't in it enough. Also some of the locations were quite pleasant and Steve Edwards' music score was pretty good. A standard direct to video action movie, no surprises and not many thrills.
From fairly good to hilarious to...ok
rcsipe21 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The first 30 minutes were not bad at all. The guy playing Chapel was over acting, Maxine was good, Seagal was Seagal, and the blue eyed Eastwood wannabe was ok. BUT, whomever decided to put "poophole" in the dialogue should win an award. I haven't laughed that hard lately. Assassin comes at Seagal in the bathroom and calls him a "poophole" just before the inevitable Seagal gun removal maneuver. It was so out of nowhere I had to rewind and watch it thrice. You gotta be in a goofy mood and not looking to think much, but there's always a place for some B movies. There wouldn't be A's without B's! OK, maybe that's not true, but this movie was OK. Pretty good storyline and trickery going on.
Confused and careless
unbrokenmetal31 December 2007
"Mercenary For Justice": a confused mixture of a bit of warfare in the "Black Hawk Down" vein, a bank robbery, a prison break and a mission to save an abducted mother and her little son. In between all the bullets flying around, you hardly get to know the characters, and thus you don't really care about any of them. I liked most of Seagal's recent movies such as "The Foreigner" or "Out For A Kill" (and many who watched those don't agree with me). However, "Mercenary of Justice" was the weakest among those I've watched. Seagal defeats bad guys without wasting any blood, sweat or tears. It's all coming too easy to be exciting. The two only good points were some camera work (many shots were hand-held, looks more realistic than nice crane moves) and beautiful Jacqueline Lord who bears a strong resemblance with Catherine Zeta-Jones and plays her role convincingly no matter if she is at a dinner party or a battle.
Oh my God! Its Robert Loggia! Or not...
freakfire-124 February 2008
I will have to view this film again to see how the story really comes across. Because it sure was a mess to follow throughout the entire movie. However its Seagal, and Seagal films are never much for great stories. Some of them have been OK, but not great.
Seagal, the action star that would be mistaken for a less fat John Goodman, is hired by a billionaire to kidnap a French embassy official. Then he get betrayed by somebody in the CIA, co-operating with arms dealers. His friend is killed and the widow is kidnapped to force Seagal's hand. So chubby Seagal gets off his butt and fights.
The story is convoluted and mixed up. Sometimes Segal comes across with a good voice, then he reverts to his 'whisper speak' and you have to turn up the volume to hear him. (That was a huge problem if you have ever watched "Flight of Fury (2007)").
Overall, the acting is decent, the story almost un-followable, and the action is good. Seagal gets to go his 'karate chop' and break urinals. So it was entertaining. Worth a look. "B-"
Seagal, the action star that would be mistaken for a less fat John Goodman, is hired by a billionaire to kidnap a French embassy official. Then he get betrayed by somebody in the CIA, co-operating with arms dealers. His friend is killed and the widow is kidnapped to force Seagal's hand. So chubby Seagal gets off his butt and fights.
The story is convoluted and mixed up. Sometimes Segal comes across with a good voice, then he reverts to his 'whisper speak' and you have to turn up the volume to hear him. (That was a huge problem if you have ever watched "Flight of Fury (2007)").
Overall, the acting is decent, the story almost un-followable, and the action is good. Seagal gets to go his 'karate chop' and break urinals. So it was entertaining. Worth a look. "B-"
Average
mr_pivac198528 March 2007
Steven Seagal might be getting old and he also might not have the same shape he had 20 years ago but he certainly still can make a movie great just by being in it.
Actually, this movie itself is pretty good. A lot of money has been spent on making it realistic and entertaining. Reminds you of the good old days when Van Damme and Seagal were backed by big budgets.
Mercenary for Justice is a colorful film filled with explosive action scenes, great dialogues and one-liners, fight scenes in which Seagal actually takes part. It had been a while since I really saw him perform anything close to his Aikido moves. The balance between realism and utter irrealism is just perfect.
You got to remind yourself that action movies are a genre in themselves. Lots of folks try to bring them down for various reasons...they just don't get the point. Just like romantic comedies and politic thrillers all follow some basic rules, action movies are also lead by a set of pre-requisites that you just expect to be there. Villains you can hate, a hero you can love, a beautiful girl, guns roaring...
The production is good. Direction sometimes reminded me of "24 esquire" hand held camera. Little part of scenes are sometime fast-forwarded to get a feeling of speed. Well... this still is a direct to video release, I guess they have to include some cheesy stuff.
The only downside to this picture is the story. It's pretty hard to follow but it does keep the characters on the move.
Actually, this movie itself is pretty good. A lot of money has been spent on making it realistic and entertaining. Reminds you of the good old days when Van Damme and Seagal were backed by big budgets.
Mercenary for Justice is a colorful film filled with explosive action scenes, great dialogues and one-liners, fight scenes in which Seagal actually takes part. It had been a while since I really saw him perform anything close to his Aikido moves. The balance between realism and utter irrealism is just perfect.
You got to remind yourself that action movies are a genre in themselves. Lots of folks try to bring them down for various reasons...they just don't get the point. Just like romantic comedies and politic thrillers all follow some basic rules, action movies are also lead by a set of pre-requisites that you just expect to be there. Villains you can hate, a hero you can love, a beautiful girl, guns roaring...
The production is good. Direction sometimes reminded me of "24 esquire" hand held camera. Little part of scenes are sometime fast-forwarded to get a feeling of speed. Well... this still is a direct to video release, I guess they have to include some cheesy stuff.
The only downside to this picture is the story. It's pretty hard to follow but it does keep the characters on the move.
More action, but plot is all over the shop
dolemite7221 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Another ninety days, another Seagal release. This one seems like a sequel to Submerged, in that Seagal is working as part of a team again (thus meaning that other actors get the bulk of the meaty action sequences) and this movie (sadly) is all over the place (plot-wise) as Submerged. Seagal plays John Seager, freedom fighter and freelance mercenary, who after getting shafted by his current employer, goes to work for an enemy of the said employer, and proceeds to shaft him. Any further explanation would be either: a major spoiler.....or news to me, as i couldn't keep up with the movies many plots and twists. What is of major importance to all Seagal fans however, is the action. And this movie (the second by Faunteroy, director of the equally fragmented Today You Die) has plenty of action (to make up for the lack of logic, perhaps?) and (what seems like) no fight-doubling for the stout sensei. Upon further inspection, the fight scenes (as usual) are shot extremely fragmented (why use one edit, when forty will do) so it's hard to tell. Seagal certainly performs a few of his (feared lost) classic Aikido moves (the fight in the bathroom, being a brutal notable) but the surrounding stuff (i.e, plot) is up there with the manic confusion of The Foreigner, Out for a kill, Out of reach and Submerged.
A fair portion of this, could be down to the fact, that Seagal crammed filming this one with (roughly) about three other direct-to-video classics......so i guess you've got to credit quantity over quality, nowadays? As a lifelong Seagal fan, i enjoyed it, but i fear it'll lose him more fans, than create new ones. Technically, it's sound, the performances are OK, the action scenes are fine....i just wish these Direct-to-video releases would tone down the 'filler' plot, thus making the movie easier to understand? As for Seagal, one can only hope that the forthcoming Prince Of Pistols puts him back on the big screen (where he belongs) as i feel these 'small' studios (and their directors) are doing this once great action icon, no favours.
Bottom line, If you're a Seagal fan, you have to buy it. If you're a casual viewer, rent it, but i'd be surprised if you rented another, given the somewhat superior quality of other equally budgeted releases on the shelves at the moment. One for the fans. 7 out of 10 (only for the presence of Seagal)
A fair portion of this, could be down to the fact, that Seagal crammed filming this one with (roughly) about three other direct-to-video classics......so i guess you've got to credit quantity over quality, nowadays? As a lifelong Seagal fan, i enjoyed it, but i fear it'll lose him more fans, than create new ones. Technically, it's sound, the performances are OK, the action scenes are fine....i just wish these Direct-to-video releases would tone down the 'filler' plot, thus making the movie easier to understand? As for Seagal, one can only hope that the forthcoming Prince Of Pistols puts him back on the big screen (where he belongs) as i feel these 'small' studios (and their directors) are doing this once great action icon, no favours.
Bottom line, If you're a Seagal fan, you have to buy it. If you're a casual viewer, rent it, but i'd be surprised if you rented another, given the somewhat superior quality of other equally budgeted releases on the shelves at the moment. One for the fans. 7 out of 10 (only for the presence of Seagal)
Not the Seagal movie I used to know
adritheogmes13 December 2013
My dad bought a DVD of this. As I read your comments, YOU ARE ALL RIGHT. It's not the Seagal movie what I expected to be. The opening sequence is too plain. Compared to Hollywood blockbusters, who had very striking opening sequences with too much graphics. I felt pity for for the French ambassadors family who was blown away in a truck just like that. & WORSE, at end part was like, "THAT'S IT??" What I only like is the character of the villain Anthony Chapel. His personality & the way he talk is pretty annoying. But it suits better for the movie. Steven Seagal was my favorite martial arts superstar. But it shows in 2006, he already grown old & gone bloated. Now that Sylvester Stallone called to join "Expendable 3", I hope he lose some weight for his next movie.
what the h...
sadoka14 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
i have just seen this movie and i and have to talk to Steven about this , Steven this is the worst action movie i have ever seen. What happen to you ? you look like Marlon Brando and the plot what happen to the plot i just saw a lot of people shooting and cars driving fast though the city. Come one man you can do better than this ,i used to like your movies until now that is . And was the point of kidnapping the fr ens ambassador and his family whit servants be cores they wasn't mention until late in the movie did they survived or what ? and the bad guys whats the deal about them did they work together or against each other,and the Greek minister ??? the bankdirektor arrested the F.B.I man can he do that ? i could go on forever whit this see it for a god laugh
Awful
stevepwm-024854 June 2021
Not THAT bad.
Dr_Sagan23 August 2015
This movie isn't bad. Obviously it is not like Nico, above the law or under siege. Not even the glimmer man. But considering the facts is OK.
Again an ex-CIA agent/mercenary blah-blah-blah...
You will see Seagal shooting a few rounds, kicking some butts here and there. An attractive presence (Jacqueline Lord) in his side. There are some smirks (if not laughs) in some points and a semi-satisfying ending.
I don't recommend to watch it with any degree of serious attention, but if you catch it on TV check it out.
Overall: It is what it is!
Again an ex-CIA agent/mercenary blah-blah-blah...
You will see Seagal shooting a few rounds, kicking some butts here and there. An attractive presence (Jacqueline Lord) in his side. There are some smirks (if not laughs) in some points and a semi-satisfying ending.
I don't recommend to watch it with any degree of serious attention, but if you catch it on TV check it out.
Overall: It is what it is!
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