Force of Execution (2013)

Too much of everything

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

OK -- it really is time for Seagal to STOP making these rubbish films. This one lacks a real storyline and is poorly written. My family has been a fan of Steven since his first film, but this effort is utterly disgraceful, and reflects extremely adversely on him. "Force of Execution" seems purposely to have been shot with colour aberrations and under insufficient lighting conditions. Steven looks lost, perplexed; there's no attempt at acting, and, frankly, he appears ill. We've become used to his throaty mumbling, but in this flick, it's especially challenging to work out what he's saying. The wig and heavy brown makeup are a joke, a bad joke. How on earth did Danny Trejo and Ving Rimes agree to take part in this? I have to add, however, that neither seems interested in his role, just kinda walking through it. Sad. Please, Steven, STOP making these films. I can't take it any more.

Another ostensible vehicle for action star Seagal, and another dull and derivative movie helmed by Keoni Waxman, whose films seem to be getting worse instead of better as the years go by. This time around, Seagal's a supporting player in his own film, with no less than three other leading roles. He really only appears at the beginning and end and even then his appearances aren't up to much.The story is a convoluted tale about rival gangsters and their criminal empires, but it's all so cheap-looking that you don't believe it for a second. Seagal turns up, mutters a few expletives and punches a few people to death, and that's all you're getting from him. Ving Rhames bags a great deal of screen time as the villain, but his role is bland and derivative. Danny Trejo gives the best performance but again, his part lacks substance and it's only the actor's charisma that gets him through.For the most part, the film's plot rests on the shoulders of newcomer Bren Foster, an Australian martial artist also seen in Seagal's MAXIMUM CONVICTION. Foster is pretty good in the action stakes, but the fight choreography is pretty poor here and there didn't seem to be as much decent action as in the other Waxman films I've watched. It's fair to say that FORCE OF EXECUTION is one of the worst of all Seagal's straight-to-DVD movies.

After a relatively high publicity run, things are sort of looking down for Steven Seagal: not only is he receiving criticism for his partnerships with Joe Arpaio and Vladimir Putin, but his UFC protégé Anderson Silva seems to be publicly distancing himself from the Buddhist Bonecrusher. Seagal's in need of a good movie like few times before, and luckily he's gotten one in FORCE OF EXECUTION. I'm genuinely surprised by how much I like this film, which may very well be the most action-packed flick Seagal has done in quite some time. It's not nearly perfect and it isn't even really a vehicle for the man, but I predict that a lot of fans and action devotees in general will like this one.The story: an emerging crime lord (Ving Rhames) prepares for a bloody street war with the established kingpin (Seagal). In the middle of this, a former protégé of the latter (Bren Foster) - maimed and cast out for a past failure - must decide whether he will play a part in the violence to come.Seagal seems really into his role: he tries for an accent again, but more notably has the tone and personality of the antihero down pat, as though he prepared for the part with a Coppola marathon. He's matched in presence by Ving Rhames, who can do these tough guy roles in his sleep but doesn't phone in his performance at all. Danny Trejo is here as well, playing the grizzled owner of a diner, but the real star of the movie is in fact Bren Foster. Graduating from his supporting part in MAXIMUM CONVICTION, Foster soundly steals the show out from under his better-known costars and makes the movie his own by being not only an impressive martial artist but also a surprisingly adept actor, turning his portions of the plot into generally the most interesting ones.Director Keoni Waxman seems to be the preferred filmmaker of Seagal these days, much to my chagrin since I'm not a huge fan of any of the work they've done together, but he redeems himself by not only directing a better-made movie in this, but also a more interesting one. There are some of those annoying DTV slights that we've had to get used to - Seagal's dialog being dubbed here and there, scenes between characters wherein the actors were clearly never in the same room, etc. - but they appear to a lesser extent than expected. The writing is also better than one might expect, with more character development scenes than are the norm for low budget action fare, and occasional weird/cool moments (SPOILER) like when Trejo reveals himself to be a "Mexican witch doctor" and cures Bren Foster's injured hands with live scorpion venom.One of the major complaints among viewers of Seagal's movies of the last ten years is their relatively meager martial arts contents, and "Force of Execution" addresses this qualm with no less than 10 hand-to-hand brawls - 13 if you include the short ones. Thanks to Foster, these may also be the most legitimately athletic fights we've seen in Steven's movies since early in his career. Seagal is more than serviceable for his four tussles, relying less on doubles than in his worst films, and even Ving Rhames mixes things up in a single brawl, but it's Bren's work as both an acrobat and a down-to-earth martial artist who elevates the entire picture. Think Scott Adkins without the gratuitous flipping. The scenes wherein he takes out a hallway full of prison guards and duels escrima guru Ron Balicki with knives are standouts, and should make Seagal consider handing the reins to other martial artists more often in his movies.Speaking of Steven, I have the feeling that he's finally winding down. I may be reading too much into this, but his character alludes more than once to "retiring" and references his age in a negative context as well. In playing the part, he really gives the impression that he feels he ought to be done with this kind of stuff. Seagal is clearly still making movies over a year later, but should he be in the last leg of his race, he definitely started it on the right foot.

Seagal's best days are now far behind him, but he's made a niche for himself in the DTV market. FORCE OF EXECUTION, while not one of the better movies he's made, is at least watchable and has some good action to boot. This time around, Seagal is Alexander, a crime boss with a past in government special ops. He runs a southwestern town with an iron fist, to be sure, but backed up with a code of honor. Martial artist Bren Foster plays Hurst, Alexander's chief hit-man and a protégé of sorts. They are joined in the cast by Ving Rhames, an up-and-coming gangster and Danny Trejo as a bar owner with a few tricks up his sleeve. The event that sets the plot in motion is a hit that goes bad, resulting in Hurst's "retirement," and the severe injury of his hands. Meanwhile, Iceman (Rhames) maneuvers around Alexander in order to take control of his territory, climaxing in a showdown between the two gangs. First, the good parts. Seagal is playing a type of character that he doesn't usually play, an antihero of sorts in a movie populated solely with lowlifes. There is also some decent martial arts on display, but mostly from Bren Foster. Seagal is relegated to doing his usual chops and take-downs when he isn't just using firearms. Finally, Ving Rhames gives the best performance in the movie as Iceman, lending credibility to his role as a gangster and delivering some great improvised dialogue. The rest is mediocre at best. The basic plot is paper thin, and not enough time is spent developing the three main characters. Most of the dialogue scenes are corny discussions about honor and respect, tough talking without any purpose other than to make the characters seem tougher. As far as the technical aspects go, director Keoni Waxman opts for the currently in-vogue shaky-cam, and some of the editing choices obscure the action. While this was most likely to conceal stunt doubles in some shots, it makes the action hard to follow in places, especially with Seagal. Fortunately for Bren Foster, they pulled back the camera a little bit so you can see him work. Overall this should be enough to placate Seagal fans, but everyone else should just stay away.