Belly of the Beast (2003)

An ex-CIA agent's quest to find his kidnapped daughter leads him on a trail of political intrigue, corruption, danger and betrayal; he will stop at nothing to save her.

Director:

Siu-Tung Ching (as Ching Siu Tung)

Writer:

James Townsend

Stars:

Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, Monica Lo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Seagal	...	Jake Hopper
Byron Mann	...	Sunti
Monica Lo	...	Lulu
Tom Wu	...	General Jantapan
Sara Malakul Lane	...	Jessica Hopper (as Sarah Malukul Lane)
Patrick Robinson	...	Leon Washington
Vincent Riotta	...	Fitch McQuaid
Norman Veeratum	...	Suthep
Elidh MacQueen	...	Sara Winthorpe
Siu Tung Chan	...	Kong (as Chau Siu Tung)
Kevork Malikyan	...	Fernand Zadir
Pongpat Wachirabunjong	...	Mongkol (as Pongpat Wachirabanjong)
Alastair Vardy	...	Security Guard #1
Andy Adam	...	Security Guard #2
Shahkrit Yamnarm	...	Brice (as Shahkritt Yamnarm)

Storyline

Ten years ago, Jake Hopper was a CIA agent who was stationed in Thailand. Then one day, things went sour, and his partner, Sunti barely escaped with his life...after accidentally killing a woman. Jake called it quits and returned to the United States when his wife died, and Sunti became a Buddhist monk to atone for his sins. For the past 10 years, Jake has run a successful private security business, and has been raising his daughter Jessica, who is now an adult. While hiking in Thailand, Jessica and her friend Sarah Winthorpe are kidnapped. A group of Islamic fundamentalists known as the Abu Karaf claims responsibility. Sarah is the daughter of United States senator John Winthorpe. For ransom, the Abu Karaf demand the release of 20 prisoners from American custody. The US Secretary of State urges restraint -- he won't negotiate. Tom Collins, an ex-colleague of Jake's, recognizes Jessica on the ransom tape and tips Jake off. Jake knows that he must rescue the girls himself. An old CIA ...

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Plot Keywords:

thailand | skinny dipping | female frontal nudity | washington monument washington d.c. | cia | 

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Taglines:

A Father's Rage Knows No Limit

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Genres:

Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

GFT Entertainment

Country:

Canada Hong Kong UK

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

30 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Belly of the Beast

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$254,988

Company Credits

Production Co:

Century Time (H.K.) Ltd., GFT Beast Films Inc., GFT Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dedicated to Trevor Murray, who died suddenly during production.

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Goofs

When fighting the "woman" in his friend's club, she reveals that "she" in fact a "he", but in a few shots that follow the revelation it is obviously either a woman or a man still wearing the padded breasts to appear female (this is very obvious when she grabs for the whip).

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Quotes

Bar Thug: Are you calling me a junior?
Jake Hopper: You look like a junior.

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Crazy Credits

In Loving Memory of our friend Trevor Murray

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Connections

References A Better Tomorrow (1986)

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Soundtracks

Bah Bau
Performed by: Silly Fools

User Reviews

It can't really be called that... can it?

Whether it was blind ego or genuine good humour on Seagal's part that allowed this title to be attached to the barrel-shaped action star's latest film, we may never know, as I can't see any interviewers being willing to ask. It's even possible that he came up with it himself, as he's given a writing credit. Though to be honest, a cinematography, direction or casting credit would have been more impressive, as the 'plot' is by far the most hopeless thing about this otherwise surprisingly polished but cliche-ridden corpse-fest.

Then again, it's the script's occasional flashes of sheer madness that make it worth watching. From the random tomato/fish/cleaver death scene early on to the head-spinning ladyboy fight and descent into voodoo lunacy during the climax, it keeps you on your toes, at least. Never seems to bother Seagal, though, whose single expression (constipation) remains fixed in place whether he's frantically fending off gangs of swordsmen with his bare hands, displaying primal fatherly angst over the inevitable kidnapping of his daughter or getting frisky with a hero-worshipping Thai girl less than half his age. Yes, you read that right, and yes, you will feel personally violated when it happens.

The other redeeming feature of the film - apart from the unusually high quality of the direction and camerawork, which gets full mileage out of what must have been a pretty limp budget - is the use of body doubles, which is some of the most blatant ever committed to film and all the more entertaining for it. Seagal *does* actually get more action in this film than in his last three or four combined, but it's still hilarious when he suddenly breaks off from his usual shot-from-the-shoulders-up slappy-hand business to launch into an impromptu flying spin kick, shedding about a third of his body weight in the process.

As long as you're not expecting gritty realism, you'll probably enjoy this as much as any other DTV kickathon on the shelves at the moment, and certainly more than the last couple of brain cell killers that Seagal's put out. Unfortunately Seagal himself is more visibly the weak link in the chain than ever before, with his action chops paling in comparison to those of both his co-star and main adversary, and his acting chops paling in comparison to his fridge. The sight of Thailand's entire criminal underworld taking turns to fly thirty feet through the air and crash into an exploding crate would be far more entertaining if it wasn't an overweight man in his fifties dishing out the damage, especially one who still refuses to take a single scratch in return. Still, one thing you have to give him credit for is not teaming up with any poxy rappers in this one.