The Foreigner (2003)

A freelance agent must transport a package for a mysterious employer, leading him into a web of betrayal and deceit.

Director:

Michael Oblowitz

Writer:

Darren Campbell (as Darren O. Campbell)

Stars:

Steven Seagal, Harry Van Gorkum, Max Ryan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Seagal	...	Jonathan Cold
Max Ryan	...	Dunoir
Harry Van Gorkum	...	Jerome Van Aken
Jeffrey Pierce	...	Sean Cold
Anna-Louise Plowman	...	Meredith Van Aken
Sherman Augustus	...	Mr. Mimms
Gary Raymond	...	Jared Olyphant
Philip Dunbar	...	Alexander Marquee
Izabela Okrasa	...	Clarissa Van Aken
Grzegorz Kowalczyk	...	Rolls Royce Driver
Dianna Camacho	...	Hotel Clerk Imke
Deobia Oparei	...	The Stranger
Grzegorz Emanuel	...	Jonathan Look Alike
Przemyslaw Saleta	...	Security Guard
Jan Jurewicz	...	Man with Porsche

Storyline

Jonathon Cold is a freelance agent hired by a mysterious man to deliver a package from France to Germany. The contents of the package remain undisclosed, even between employer and employee, but whatever it contains seems to be attracting a swarm of political corruption, backstabbing bad guys and murder. However, Cold knows he must stay one step ahead of the evil powers at work, whoever they are, no matter what the cost, as it increasingly becomes a game of step on or be stepped on.

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Plot Keywords:

child gagged | cia central intelligence agency | package | van | assassin | 

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Taglines:

If they think they can stop him, they're dead wrong.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening scene with the soldiers is an actual "change of duty" at the "Grave of an Unnamed Soldier" in Warsaw, Poland - a symbolic tribute to all those killed in the Second World War.

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Goofs

The credits spell the character's name as "Van Aken". Likewise the street name is "Van Aken". However, when we first see the residence, the caption reads, "Van Aiken residence". The spelling is also 'Van Aken' on the front page of the newspaper Segal puts on the counter of the hotel's reception when checking in.

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Quotes

Mimms: Sweet dreams Bruce Lee.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Out of Reach (2011)

User Reviews

The plot is terrible, which means the film relies heavily on the action which is, sadly, just as terrible

Jonathan Cold is a freelance agent who is hired by Alexander Marques to carry a package across Europe to Jerome Van Aiken. When the simple collection turns into a gunfire that ends with the building in flames, Cold suspects something is up but, after a diversion to his father's funeral, continues to try and deliver the package. However as the hours pass, Cold finds that more and more people seem to want either a) the package, b) Cold stone cold dead or c) both of the above. Unsure of who these people are or why they want the package (or even what the package is because, despite everyone in the world betraying him, he is too "professional" to look inside) Cold tries to sort out right from wrong and make it out alive.

Call me a stubborn man but although Out For A Kill was a shambles, I still somehow thought that I would give this joint Oblowitz/Seagal film a shot. Very quickly it becomes apparent that the plot isn't going to stand up for longer than 20 minutes – which is a problem in a 90 minute film. Taking the usual cliché of an agent being chased by all sides, trying to find a solution, this film forgets to actually write it in such a way that it makes sense or even engages. People pop up all over the place, are thrown out of windows and generally interact with bullets or explosions in one way or another but we don't really know who they are or why they are doing it. In one sense this might have worked by producing a general sense of claustrophobia and tension but it doesn't – instead it gives the impression that the writers haven't done much with the story other than drawing up a storyboard where lots of people fall through windows. This lack of effort in the writing is not only at this level but also runs all through the film – for example on man behind shot twice by a shotgun (at 10 foot range), falling out a second storey window but turning up alive minutes later with an injury to his side but generally fine otherwise.

With these problems it will be no surprise to find that the characters are poor. Most of them are just cardboard clichés but Cold is the main problem. Here is someone we are meant to like, who is a professional, however he managed to be completely lacking in morals and is closer to the baddies than I'm sure Seagal would have liked. For example he pays some "normal" guy to deliver his car to Germany, thus drawing the bad guys away from him – problem is, the normal guy was always going to get killed – is this a plan that is meant to make me like him or care if Cold lives or dies? Maybe this was the point but, if it was, it didn't work because Seagal delivers it just the same as ever – loads of mumbles and slightly altering his tone of voice when required to display any emotion. Ryan is a little bit more expressive (and thus fun) but he seems to spend most of his time running away from explosions or reappearing from the dead. The rest of the support is bland, being made up of obscure sports stars turned actors and lots of people trying to look classy without the material to allow them to do it. Suffice to say that, when none of the cast even manage to outshine Seagal then you know things aren't good.

Overall a poor Seagal film that even fans will struggle to get into. The action is poor and is directed with no flow (or edit longer than a second) and it is too hard to get excited about it. This leaves the story, which is a sorry mess of a plot that makes no effort to engage or make sense of; basically it just relies on people falling through glass and those looking for a complex thriller and not just wasting their time – they are deluding themselves. Even Seagal fans (if any remain) will struggle to care about this garbage.

Details

Country:

USA Poland

Language:

English Danish German Polish

Release Date:

20 June 2003 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

The Foreigner

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$10,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Foreigner Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1