hansen-32654 Reviews

Out for Justice (1991)

A salute to ice cold, bone breaking, eye for an eye vengeance served by Seagal

[9/10 · 7 January 2016]

I'll guess that you either love Seagal or hate him.

I certainly loved him in his Warner Bros. era (not forgetting 'Marked for Death'). And in particularly this movie.

It reminds me of 'Above the Law' because he once again plays a spaghetti cop with a grudge. This time it's just goes all in on bone crushing violence.

Seagal is not out for justice - he's out for good old, ice cold, an eye for an eye, swift and brutal vengeance! And he gets it! With meat cleavers, cue balls, sticks, shot guns, to the ground aikido beatings and a f-ing corkscrew! He crushes, smashes and slices his way through the bones, teeth and flesh of the bad guys, accompanied by bullets from his preferred sidearm.

The story is not more than what a 90's action flick need to have. Seagal is let loose by his superior (Jerry Orbach) to catch the crazy would be mafioso Richie Madano who just killed Seagals best friend. Like in 'Above the Law' Seagals character with the (once again clingy Italian) name Gino Felino has friendly ties to the Italian mob and soon he has kicked his way to some information about the whereabouts of his former childhood acquaintance turned drug head lunatic and the climatic showdown can begin.

There is not much to say about the acting, cause Steven basically just beats anyone and anything in his surrounding on his way to get Richie. Seagal himself plays Seagal like in any other Seagal movie only adding a bad Brooklyn accent. And that's how it should be done.

At the age of 10 I would hate the actor if didn't liked the character he would portray (Childs logic). I really hated William Forsythe! So I guess it's my way to acknowledge his portrayal of the dope dealing, crazy, drug head and wannabe mafioso Richie Madano. Even with the rather small amount of screen time, he still succeed in bringing a bit more mad craziness in to the character than you usually would find in those types of movie bad guys. So when he finally gets his must deserved whooping you almost find yourself cheering for Seagal to breaks his bones.

I really like this movie. Especially due to the degree of brutality in the fight scenes. It takes it a step further than the other action movies of that period. The fighting scenes will most definitely make you slip a ''whooa!'' or ''ooouch!'' once or twice!

I like Steven Seagal for his on screen persona actually being one of the few action heroes of his time without any soft edges, like the macho style of Bronson and Eastwood before him. He is a no bull sh*t man who always wins because he IS better than his opponents. There is no need for you to take a serious beating (like JCVD in all his movies) if all it takes is to break the guy's neck. And that is was you can count on Seagal to do! And in this movie he does so very well. One of his best and one of my favorites.

Treasure Island (1950)

Even with only one leg, Robert Newton's take on Long John Silver kicks ass on all other pirate portrayals; including Jack Sparrow!

[10/10 · 18 December 2015]

I loved it!

There is just something about the classic old adventure movies which can't be found today. The colors, the stages and the costumes. It just brings out nostalgia. And the music scores sets the mood perfectly!

Saw it first time as a child. My father used to read the book for me. (I was a big fan of pirates).

The story by Stevenson is of course pretty great, and the movie remains true to it.

I'm not to familiar with the cast (It is the oldest movie on my shelf) but Bobby Driscoll provides a good take on young Jim Hawkins. And I really had a personal favorite in the character of Israel Hands played by Geoffrey Keen. He is perhaps best known for playing the British minister of Defence in many of the James Bond movies.

Furthermore I really liked the fact that Capt. Flint only remains mentioned through out the movie by name and actions. It makes his character a lot more terrifying and compelling.(For me it is without comparison the all time most intimidating character who is never shown on the screen. An introduction or flash back scene with an actor playing Flint would completely have destroyed this.)

But what really sells this picture and earned it a place among my all time favorites; is Robert Newton.

The way he brings the character of Long John Silver to live is breathtaking. You simply can get enough of him! His portrayal of the cunning and ruthless pirate is the definitive best there is! He completely brings the whole setting of the movie up to the next level and aboard a pirate ship and sets sail. Outstanding performance! Not only among pirate portrayals but in general. It burns through the screen.

He sets the standard on how to portray (and speak like) a great pirate persona. And so becomes his take on Long John the greatest pirate captain to sail the Seven Seas in movies. (Sorry Depp)

And his performance is the reason why it still stands as the, by far, best adaption of the story to the big screen. And perhaps the reason why no really major blockbuster remake have been tried. (My personal favorite to try on the role would be Daniel Day-Lewis. But I can't imagine any actor do better than Newton.)

The character of Long John also brought some of my favorite quotes. (Of cause spoken in true pirate tongue)

''Them that die will be the lucky ones!'' shouted at the start of the battle between the mutineers and the men loyal to the squire. And ''Oh, for ten toes!'' shouted when his fellows mutineers flees the battle leaving him behind. I will still rewind more than once to hear those.

I really enjoy watching this movie. And I do so once or twice a year.

It's a great swashbuckling pirate adventure that shouldn't be feared because of its old age.

And it turned out to be an honorable first jump into live action by Disney.

(A sequel was made. Rather poor. But nonetheless enjoyable due to Newton's performance in his return to the role as Long John)

Game of Death II (1980)

Mish-mash of archive footage

[1/10 · 17 December 2015]

A mish-mash of archive footage from older Bruce Lee movies, which actually only gives us one original and previous unseen Bruce Lee fight scene. And that is not enough to make it watchable, as the incredible archive fight scenes did it in his other posthumous movie, Game of Death, 1978.

The lack of unseen material with Bruce Lee is affecting the plot to focus on Lee's characters brother, Bobby Lo, played by Tae-jeong Kim, who also was stand-in for Lee in Game of Death.

The top billing for Lee, and the stylization as a sequel to Game of Death is a misnomer. (Lee's character being named Billy Lo as the only real reference in the movie). Even though it is a production by Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow, who was the producer of Lee's previous Hong Kong movies and co-directed by former Lee accomplished Sammo Hung. It even has Roy Chiao playing a similar character to the one he played in Lee's Enter the Dragon, 1973. And the plot is derived from a original script by Lee.

But in fact it unintentionally ends up more as a parody to the genre instead of a tribute. (Jang Lee Hwang and Roy Horan's characters are almost ridiculous cliché) And in that way it should be watched. Which is a shame for Lee's legacy.