Bad Movie Beatdown: Mercenary for Justice (REVIEW)

[@FilmBrain]

Originally posted July 2011, this is a re-edited version that runs 3m 48s shorter than the original, and has been upscaled to HD and had noise reduction applied to remove tape and camera noise. The reason for such heavy editing is both because a few of the meaner jokes have been cut (there's one visual gag I would have cut if I had the ability), but also because there have been major edits to the film clips, which I tried to reduce as many times as possible because it kept running into ID issues, until I eventually decided to dispute and was subsequently released (although I don't think this compromises the main body of the review, but more shows how relaxed things were back then). This is the second entry of Seagal Month, following Out of Reach, and subsequent episodes are on Shadow Man, Against the Dark, and Half Past Dead. Enjoy!

[@munkyzzb7504]

Well good job.

[@SwiftNimblefoot]

It's annoying that these companies keep reporting your movies for a few second clip... is it automatic nowadays, you can't even upload it and some youtube software recognizes the movie?

[@g.willikers465]

Great video

[@DarthVaderReturns1]

Mathew whats your favorite die hard movie out in the series like now and whats your favorite Rambo movie as well if you enjoyed the Rambo movies like I do

[@jordanlee5445]

Film Brain can you do a review of Leprechaun Origins?

[@neilprice513]

Another reason why Steven Seagal wasn't in the Expendables movies, is that no one in Hollywood wants to work with him as he is notoriously difficult to work with and most "Star" Actors wants to be anywhere near him. They may work with him once, but never again due to his unprofessionalism, laziness, demands on set and entitled personality.

[@skug9bob]

The fact that he uses _voice_ doubles- and for regular conversation, not, I dunno, dramatic screaming - simply amazes me. I guess this is the next step down from phoning it in?

[@jamesatkinsonja]

In fairness nearly every film has ADR involved in post production. But the fact he couldn't be bothered to turn up to do it on these films shows his lack of interest [it also happened with Bruce Willis on Die Hard 5 and a lot of his straight to DVD movies].

[@skylx0812]

This man had to have had incriminating photos of someone to have a career that lasted so long.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

He's just huge in certain markets.

[@JoaoGabriel-et4kq]

@@WTFisTingispingis in which markets?

[@tintomara6209]

@@JoaoGabriel-et4kq Pie markets.

[@lnsflare1]

@@JoaoGabriel-et4kq Ones with lots of money laundering, probably.

[@Alucard-A-La-Carte]

@@JoaoGabriel-et4kq Right-wing marketed direct-to-video trash. For people for think "Olympus Has Fallen" is a little too tame.

[@its-not-a-tumor]

how bad is it when you need a stunt double to climb over a garden wall .

[@neilprice513]

Or to lightly jog or quickly walk to a car ;op

[@jakublulek3261]

You are Roger Moore, pretty much.

[@jonmacist]

even to walk somewhere

[@DarthVaderReturns1]

@@jonmacist who is a better now today daisy ridley or steven seagal

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@DarthVaderReturns1 Pretty much any actor is better than Seagal...

[@bloodrunsclear]

'That's it for you poophole!' The fact the guy said that with a straight face is like a silent act of unsung heroism

[@williamtoad8040]

Makes sense Seagal had played a demolition expert in several films. Nobody burns bridges with the people he works with better than Steven Seagal

[@magnos_decimus]

It's sad to see a movie take the Tropic Thunder intro scene seriously.

[@theitfactorjameswheezer2852]

Meta_Melcan lol

[@scottylewis8124]

RIP Michael K Williams. He died of an overdose in 2021.

[@kinnikufan]

6:15 - Holy crap, he reacts to getting shot before he actually gets shot! Also, how did that woman get sliced in half at 6:59? It looked like an explosion went off and that's it, so nobody should be cut in half so cleanly as a result.

[@neilprice513]

Yes the dummy that they used of one of the women, in the bad special effect, was split in half by the pyrotechnics.

[@SwiftNimblefoot]

Wait, why did Seagal send half his team to spring the dictator from prison, knowing he won't be there and his men will be killed... he hated them that much?

[@neilprice513]

They needed to pad the movies running time and add to the body count at the same time.

[@barbiquearea]

I thought they were a traitor faction of his merc group?

[@eddihurta7173]

They should add Jackie Chan in the 4th expendables...

[@neilprice513]

I believe they were going to along with a couple of other actors, but the studio axed the franchise due to the poor sales, compared to production and advertising costs of Expendables 3.

[@neilprice513]

There are very few "good" or decent Segal Movies and almost all of those are ones that Segal either didn't have any or limited creative control, and/or didn't write them. The ratio is probably one watchable movie to every dozen or more bad ones. Even then the huge amount of badly made Segal moves make the watchable ones statistically irrelevant.

[@NexusKin]

Seagal's "good" movies were pretty much all made between 1988 and 1992, which were Above The Law, Marked For Death, Out For Justice, Hard To Kill, and his untoppable masterpiece, Under Siege. After that, starting with On Deadly Ground, his movies just got worse and worse, although Exit Wounds was at least somewhat decent. Other than that, his movies have been absolute abominations where nobody else lands a single hit on him; he always plays a cop, soldier or mercenary; and his action scenes are complete garbage because the camera tries to hide his stunt doubles and his fat lard body!

[@rigelc.hoffman2496]

He used to have decent titles back when he allowed the director and writers to do what they do best; then he started stepping On Directing Ground and it became a mess, as the comment above says; he always is a widowed former cop/soldier who excells at everything, with the expressiveness of a CGI character and the motion of an animatronic

[@CobaltT9]

Roger Guenveur Smith, the character actor playing Chapel, is actually pretty good when he's collaborating with Spike Lee or doing one-man performances based on Huey P. Newton, Rodney King and Frederick Douglas.

[@FilmBrain]

Yeah, he's awful here. A pretty terribly written character, and he overplays it wildly - wouldn't be surprised if that was his contempt for the material showing.

[@CobaltT9]

@@FilmBrain If the actress's performance in the next BMB review after this one is to go by, as she explained in an interview about her experience working on that particular Seagal DTV film, probably likely.

[@FilmBrain]

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he seldom actually acted against Seagal. Even in that scene where he asks him to deal with Maxine, the reason the shot of Seagal entering through the door is framed so awkwardly is because that's actually a double.

[@justdannyquinn]

I got to be honest. I kind of like the actor playing Chapel. Maybe it's because of the way he plays the character as a totally smug bastard or maybe if he had a better character to play, he could've worked. I don't know.

[@scottylewis8124]

He's also one of the FBI agents from Final Destination.

[@sachikiriyama6705]

No wonder why I've never seen Seagal in any of the Expendables movies...

[@neilprice513]

Also several of the actors in the Expendables movies, especially Jean Claude Van Damme, wouldn't work with Segal as he's a complete douchebag on set to everyone. No other action star wants to work with him.

[@sachikiriyama6705]

That makes sense. And considering how many times he uses body doubles, I don't think he'd even participate in fight scenes.

[@jakublulek3261]

@@neilprice513 So Seagal became William Shatner? Just less charismatic and without self-awareness.

[@ronburgundy244]

@@jakublulek3261 no, no, people do still like Shatner.

[@jakublulek3261]

@@ronburgundy244 I was referring to how everybody said about him how much of a dick he was when filming original Star Trek. Now he is lovely.

[@HeadphonesUK]

'See, people writing at computers is BORING!' hilarious Also that British guy is just painful for me to watch, because he reminds me of how I sounded in my early videos

[@dvass7253]

1:19 - People, say what you will about the Expendables movies, but I think we can all agree on one thing - our universal gratitude that Seagal wasn't there to cramp the others' style. Also, can Guillermo del Toro just cast Luke Goss in another one of his projects already? He proved in Hellboy II that he is legitimately talented and it's high time he stopped doing direct-to-DVD crap. But whatever pays the bills, I guess. 7:19 - Still one of my favorite gags you've ever done, Film Brain. 11:52 - I am right there with ya, buddy. Is Seagal allergic to the words "asshole" and "shithead" or something? Even 12-year-olds could write better dialogue than this! 13:32 - Not to mention committing the unforgivable sin of making Michael Bay look infinitely more talented by comparison... which he sadly is. 15:45 - Remember that Cyberdyne lobby scene from Terminator 2 where all the T-800 had to do to get the cops out of his way was shoot them in the leg? That's how bad Seagal's so-called hero in this movie is - he makes the emotionless killer robot look more human by comparison!

[@scottylewis8124]

Hahahahahahaha.

[@neilprice513]

Another reason why Segal wasn't in any of the Expendables movies, was because most (if not all) of the actors, especially Jean Claude Van Damme, wouldn't work with Segal as he's a complete douchebag on set to everyone. No other action star ever wants to work with him.

[@tintomara6209]

Luke Goss was also terrifying in Del Toro's Blade II

[@stevena3244]

Does every Seagal movie title contain three words?

[@FilmBrain]

Not every one (to list some exceptions: Kill Switch, Exit Wounds, Under Siege), but many of them do. Its a weird trademark.

[@munkyzzb7504]

Yes they do.......... But not really there's Under seige.Most of them though.

[@stevena3244]

@@FilmBrain Haha. Nice to see there are some exceptions

[@nitromagilou597]

There are some exceptions; Submerged Belly of the Beast The Foreigner Black Dawn Out for a Kill End of a Gun Cartels

[@TheSkully343]

Because its Half Past Dead and the person who titles these movies don't get paid enough for Segal's shit.

[@NekoSoren]

At this rate you might just give Seagal's body and voice doubles their own movies and skip Seagal altogether XD

[@stevena3244]

You would think they would ask Steven Seagal to appear in a remake of Grease

[@alienboy1322]

@selador 1972 Nah. He'll probably need body doubles to dance.

[@sharonspears-mandeville2369]

Alienboy or they'll just re-cast him as a teacher in a minor cameo instead..

[@alienboy1322]

@Sharon Spears-mandeville Make sure that he's using a voice double if he's speaking?

[@SwiftNimblefoot]

LOL you were right, the "Black Opps" Anthony Chapel is played by a guy called Roger Guenveur Smith ... he could not be more British with that name if he tried! :D

[@eriannamiecce2030]

What is with all the voiceover doubles in his movies? What was the point of that? Was Segal just loaded during the whole shooting?

[@TimTE01]

Erianna Miécce ADR means extra work, so that is out.

[@johnhealy6490]

you forgot the funniest line in this movie. "are we going to talk or are just going to turn each other into swiss cheese".

[@mr3t2l1l]

If it's a movie title with three words, it's a Seagal film.....

[@NexusKin]

Not always!

[@NyQuilDonut]

@@NexusKin Most of the time though. Film Brain reviewed 7 Seagal movies and 6 of them were 3 word titles lol.

[@juhaniaho6698]

The King's Speech...wait. On The Waterfront...hang on. Shape Of Water...(gag reflex) Wizard Of Oz...oh, I give up.

[@Nestalgba92023]

An action movie title with three words.

[@alicianelson1252]

The women being held hostage sounds more mildly annoyed about it then terrified.

[@lnsflare1]

I mean, it beats being a woman anywhere near Steven Seagal or his characters.

[@davebooshty299]

14:10 Weird How Flashing Headlights in the day Could ever Attract a Guard / Cop or anyone?

[@TBrianOnline]

It's incredible how they manage to make Segal be in the shadow with only a part of his face lit in almost every scene! Just sayin', that had to be some real challenge for the DP.

[@faolan1686]

I think the others reason he isn't in The Expendables is because the rest of the cast don't like him.

[@neilprice513]

No action movie star does, it's fairly well known and it's due to him always being an insufferable douchebag on set. Jean Claude Van Damme especially despises him.

[@NexusKin]

Nobody likes him! He's a washed up has-been who still believes he's this untouchable God even though he weighs more than 300 pounds!

[@stephendexheimer7914]

Everyone who has worked with him has a story about how much of an asshole he is. He is considered to be the worst host of Saturday Night Live. It’s not surprising he isn't in The Expendables

[@MrCaerbannog]

About 15 years ago I had one of those websites that featured lengthy text recaps of bad movies, and the second film I tacked was a direct-to-video Seagal action flick. The scary thing is, asides from its staggeringly inept usage of stock footage, I think it was probably better than any of the films reviewed in Seagal month (aside from possibly Half Past Dead), since I at least seem to remember Seagal doing his own action sequences and not being noticeably dubbed. Though he *did* apparently insist on singing the song that played out over the end credits...

[@NexusKin]

If it was 15 years ago, it might've been Belly Of The Beast. It came out in 2003 and featured action scenes that were choreographed by some of the people who had previously worked on popular Hong Kong and Chinese action movies!

[@jikorijo4516]

8:10 - I'm sad you edited out of my favorite lines from you: "Lay off the pies, Seagal."

[@marcohibbins7888]

Excellent work as always, Matthew! On a similar subject to Seagal frequently not doing his own voice work on these straight to DVD titles... have you ever noticed he sometimes slips into a weird southern accent? Like in submerged where he insists on referring to Vinnie Jones' character as "Aligator" ?!!!

[@FilmBrain]

Not just a weird Southern accent - there was definitely a long stretch where he was playing all his characters with a heavy New Orleans accent for no particular reason.

[@marcohibbins7888]

@@FilmBrain He's quite something! He seems to have a thicker hairline now than he did in Above The Law aswell! Peculiar!

[@RichardWatt]

@@marcohibbins7888 he must have been an early test subject for Keeps.

[@patrickfreeman8257]

As long as Steven Segal keeps making movies there will always be material for channels like this one.

[@brendangoodell6233]

If you look at Birdie from Street Fighter V, it COULD explain why Mr Seagal now thinks bigger = faster. He needs to quit taking physics courses from video games.

[@TheSkully343]

Considering the Hadouken Seagal pulled off in Shadow Man you might have a point.

[@scottylewis8124]

If you want to know why the building exploded at 6:43, it's because some doofus left nitroglycerin everywhere.

[@TheSkully343]

I just noticed the dude playing Chapel is the same guy who voices Bao-Dur from Knights of the Old Republic II... Considering how well he did as a soft spoken shell shocked mechanic I'm just baffled by his casting here, especially as the main bad guy. 18:19 Hey don't judge too harshly Maxine, he's a veteran of the Mandalorian Wars.

[@nurse425]

8:47 "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope"!

[@Morbos1000]

Interesting about the expendables. I thought he wouldn't do it because he didn't want to be a bad guy in a film.

[@neilprice513]

It's also because every other action star hates Segal's guts for famously being a complete douchebag on set to everyone. Jean Claude Van Damme absolutely despises him.

[@benjaminjones2185]

The real reason he wasn't in the Expendable movies was because everyone of those guys either simply dislike or out right hate him as he has frequently lied about them or there friends. Look up Bob Wall's remarks on the man, or the lies Seagal himself has often tried to pass off in regards to Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, or Gene Lebell.

[@BlaqRainFresh]

The Villain is a regular in Spike Lee movies and is a great actor, just because he does a bad job in one movie, doesn't mean he's terrible.

[@mesousagaby740]

Kinda random fact, but the director would then go on to be the cinematographer for a movie titled Navy Seals Vs. Zombies, which was directed by Nascar driver and stuntman Stanton Barrett.

[@madamechaos7481]

+1 like for the excellent use of Patti and Selma.

[@skullyskaric7779]

11:45 🤣🤣🤣🤣 ok that actually got me there dude.

[@jgdsgh]

Fun fact, this was the first Steven Seagal Movie I ever watched, I found it in a charity shop while on holiday in Scotland, I got it for 50 pence with 2 other DVDs, it was still too much for the quality of it.

[@batman.darthmaul]

Yeah, this one has an extremely convoluted plot but there are still a handful of good fight scenes, which is the primary reason I watch these. I don't think the movie is a total loss and it's worth a rental for Seagal fans. Still, choosing from his DTV era, I'd recommend Shadow Man, Urban Justice, Pistol Whipped, Born to Raise Hell, and even Out of Reach before this.

[@owenoulton9312]

Hey, I just realised - Stevie's not wearing his facial merkin...

[@FilmBrain]

That came in around 2012 or so.

[@Neithan02]

I just want the full version of the opening track

[@markiangooley]

Could they really afford more than two Seagal body doubles?

[@nurse425]

What the actual FUCK is that orange tank supposed to blend in with?

[@RichardWatt]

I think it's a Bowler Wildcat, like an armoured van.

[@devinharbert6071]

Review belly of the beast and hard to kill.

[@Hardman5509]

Aw, no Chicago joke?

[@rigelc.hoffman2496]

[Well-written, structured, original joke]: - _ - 9:41: *WHEEEZE*

[@lazyuniverse4932]

I was a HUGE fan of Stegal's earlier work such as "Out For Justice" but his later work was pretty much lazy. But yet Stegal is a great action star but sadly he just became insanely lazy

[@sandyblack9698]

Can you help me out ? Steven seal movie were he telepathically talks to a goat..its class.

[@brianfuller7691]

This is a typical Seagal movie, Ugh!

[@MzuMzu-nx1em]

Lacks the 4th point near retirement

[@moviegirlaka]

Why does it sound like you say when Steven Segal's name wrong

[@neilprice513]

I think it's his contempt for every thing Segal has made.

[@devinharbert6071]

Review the belly of the beast

[@isaacbobir7550]

man where is breeders matt

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

Chapel - the Dastardly Deeds Chap .

[@nurse425]

9:41 LMAO

[@lnsflare1]

Huh. I have that laptop. Or at least the same decal.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

Steven ( Jonathan ) Seeger !

[@DarthVaderReturns1]

mathew buck can you guess my former best friend favorite direct to dvd steven seagal film

[@ElReydenada56]

He's basically making the same movie, but with different actors since he began. He was already balding in his first movie appearance, but somehow he uses paint jobs to cover up his long gone hair.

[@mrmysterious8124]

Can you look at Godzilla Planet of the Monsters???????????

[@Slice2099]

why are you bullying Steven Seagal like that 😂😂

[@dominickk5293]

Steven Segall did not appear in the Expendables because he isn't an action star. He also runs like a little girl.