refinedsugar

(2013-05-15 22:54:50)

Snapping Necks 101

I like the occasional kick-the-crap-out-of-people movie and I likeSteven Seagal. I don't always enjoy his movies, but I like his shticknevertheless. Still I wish he'd hold fast to what he does best -breaking people plenty good. What I don't like is when he tries to wraphis personal beliefs and opinions into a movie where he kills people.There is a place for everything, but the last place I want to hear youcare about good 'ol mother nature or start preaching to me is when itinterferes with you smashing heads in. Maybe I'm old fashioned thatway.That's "On Deadly Ground" for you. Oil corporations are big, evil, badfor the environment, yeah we get the point already. Seagal derails theentertainment factor maximally by beating this message into us over andover again. Of course, he kills lots of "bad people" in doing so anddoes that make any sense to anyone other than Steven Seagal? I didn'tthink so. To round it out, Michael Caine is wasted as the big baddie,there's a wacky dream sequence and if you stick around to the very end,prepare for an educational laugh. Never before has an action movie hadsuch a heavy handed buzz-killing message attached to it. In the future,I'll reach for Under Siege. I never need to see this again.

phillafella

(2013-05-15 15:48:12)

As Deadly As It Gets.

Typical action vehicle for Seagal as a martial artist taking on a gang ofoil tycoons fails to do justice to his ability. With below par specialeffects, cheap-looking action and uninspired acting, ON DEADLY GROUND isvery empty and has no appeal. If you are not a diehard fan of StevenSeagal, this one should be skipped.1 out of 5

Rasmy

(2013-05-14 14:18:35)

Hero and Environmentalist

Steven Seagal never ceases to amazes me. He is always the hero. Love him or hate him. He is hero brand. I love his style. Really solid. This film really brings out the humanity side of him, a real environmentalist too.

TOMASBBloodhound

(2013-05-14 02:22:21)

Seagal, the environmentalist?

On Deadly Ground is an odd combination of action and environmentalistdogma. Seagal plays a trouble shooter for an Alaskan oil drillingcompany who discovers his corrupt boss (Caine) is planning to use cheapparts to build a new refinery. Once Caine and his cronies catch Seagalsnooping around, they try to have him killed. It's up to Seagal toprevent the new refinery from going on line, and return the land it wasbuilt on back to its native owners.For a supposedly enviro-friendly picture, there is a heck of a lot ofdamage done to the Alaskan wilderness. I'd think blowing up an oilrefinery, regardless of whether or not there is a spill, would do agood deal of long-term damage to the region. But without all theexplosions and carnage, you couldn't really have a modern actionpicture.That said, there is a lot of good action in this film. Seagal takes outcountless mercs in his quest to put his old boss out of business. Andof course there is a scene in a bar (like in most every early Seagalfilm) where he whips up on a whole room full of people. Plenty ofvisual bone breaks and joint displacement to go around for anyone whogets too close to him. Seagal uses some pretty neat weaponry in thisfilm, too. At one point he seemed to even use an automatic shotgunwhich made mincemeat of a number of hapless mercs. There is no shortageof action in the film, it's safe to say.The cast is top-drawer for a film of this type. Not only do we getMichael Caine, but we also have appearances by R. Lee Ermey, Billy BobThornton, Mike Starr and Sven Thorsen. Joan Chen's role seemedtacked-on, though. Some of the lines these actors say have to be heardto be believed. Let's take a look at some of them:"Is this the slope bitch you've been banging?" Caine asks when he seesSeagal with Chen"My Nuts!!!!" a man shrieks during the bar fight after Seagal grabs himby his manhood."Gaurd this entrance like it was your sister's cherry, Tonto!" Ermeysays to an Indian merc just before the final showdown at the refinery.Billy Bob Thornton also has some nice running commentary while Seagalis blowing away his fellow hired guns.Ermey also has a hilarious quote that goes on and on. It has somethingto do with Seagal being dropped off at the North Pole or somewhere in aSpeedo, and then showing up at your poolside the next day. Hilarious!!There is about ten minutes of shameless environmental dogma spouted atthe very end in some sort of a press conference given by Seagal. Unlessyou have a soft spot in your heart for the Sierra Club, you might aswell turn the movie off at that point. If you haven't done so muchsooner, that is!!! 6 of 10 stars. The Hound.

(2013-05-12 02:06:54)

He can direct but can he act?

I used to have a real thing about watching Steven Seagal movies, but there's really nothing wrong with them. They're easy to watch, and I have actually enjoyed a couple. He's never going to be the best actor, as he plays the same character, with the same facial expression in every movie. But hey, he has the moves.There's not much storyline considering. A severely black haired Michael Caine, playing Michael Jennings, (who does actually look like he covered his head with oil), is the bad guy of the movie, who wants to build an oil rig, complete with dodgy parts, in Alaska, before the ground reverts back to the Eskimos. Pretty blah. Forrest (Seagal) interferes, and promptly gets blown up. But the story isn't over. He gets rescued by the Eskimos, and goes on a one-man rampage against Jennings.From here the film descends into spiritual and environmental nonsense - I'm all for attempting to save the planet, but this is nonsense. Most of the dialogue sounds hokey, and Billy Bob Thornton is nowhere to be seen in this movie. (Seriously, his name is in the credits, but I cannot see him!) There's a big bar brawl, where Forrest makes a big man cry (the bad guy from Beethoven 2), and an old guy features quite a bit, in a painful sequence. He's hiding a very important disc don't you know.There's nothing we haven't seen in any other Seagal movie. Unfortunately, this also has Seagal's name as director, and that's a big mistake. Occasionally (notice I said occasionally) actors think they can direct. Sometimes they can. In Seagal's case, he has no idea how to link scenes together, and apparently, his god awful speech at the end was supposed to last forever. And then some! No thank you. On Deadly Ground is a little bit too much on the environmental side, with not enough ideas gone into the script or the actors. Michael Caine? Well wrong in this role. So wrong. Steven Seagal? He's not bad as an actor, he's never going to be great, but his head exploded and he thought he could direct, and get the world to change what they started years before. Stick to the beating up. Do what you do best.

Cutter John

(2013-05-11 20:07:25)

The Bowels of the Cinematic Netherworld!

Dig deep below the surface of all that is campy, hoaky, and clichГѓВ©'...and then continue to dig further down until you reach the bowels of thecinematic Netherworld, and you will find amongst the sludge of idiocyreaching stellar proportions, all the material used to make this movie.It stands as the greatest insult to all movie watchers, from art-housegoers to action film fans alike. I could literally write lengthy tomesabout how hideous this movie is. If I hadn't paid my last bit of moneyto see it at the time, I would have walked out of the theatre after Ihad spit on the screen and kicked the theater manager a few times. Itis due to this movie that I had to create a rating worse than "F-". Itis "Good God, why?". The only thing that could possibly make any senseto me, is if it were all just some really bad, sick joke. Somebody inHollywood must have lost a bet!For those who point to this movie's environmental message as a reasonthey give it a good rating, I must say that, "yes", it does have a goodmessage about preserving the sanctity of the world in which we allreside. That is an important message. However, we are rating a movie.Yes, a movie. Not a Greenpeace manifesto. Not an Al Gore book. Not aPacifica program by Amy Goodman. But a movie. And as a movie, it istripe. It is not a good action movie (Die Hard is). It it not a goodmartial arts movie (Iron Monkey is). And it is not a good Segal movie(not that there is such a thing).This is one of the worst movies ever made, rivaled only by the likes ofRhinestone and Nothing but Trouble.

(2013-05-11 18:24:59)

Satisfied Customer

This review is from: On Deadly Ground (DVD) The DVD was shipped and received ahead of schedule. I was satisfied with the way it played in my DVD player. There was also no skipping.

Shawn Watson

(2013-05-11 07:07:50)

Grossly over-indulgent vanity piece

At the height of his fame Seagal was allowed to direct this monstrosityabout evil Texas oil Aegis company polluting Alaska. With no priorexperience in directing Steve stampeded his way into this movie with asmuch subtlety as a brick in the face. Originally called 'SpiritWarrior' and hoping to cast loads of English baddies (among themAnthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons) the film is a horrid example of fartoo much creative control given to one man too blinkered by his ownagenda to bother giving us anything resembling decent storytelling.There is nothing significant or exceptional about Seagal's direction.Nor is the action very well done. It's cut too lazily and not shot formaximum viewing clarity. But what reeks about the story is that somebig oil magnate called Michael Jennings (a completely hammy MichaelCaine) wants to build a really shoddy oil rig in Alaska made out ofdodgy parts because the rights to the land are about to revert back tothe Eskimos after 30 years of non-use. So why wait 30 years to buildthe bloody thing?Seagal plays Forrest Taft, an oil rig fireman who suddenly develops aconscience and is promptly eliminated from the payroll by way of beingblown up. Only he is rescue by the Eskimos and, this is where the filmjust goes insane, goes on a spiritual journey in which he wrestlesbears and turns into eagles and stuff. I mean, what the hell is allthat about??? Don't even get me started on the scene where he makes afully-grown hard-ass redneck cry in a bar full of similar stereotypeswhen the philosophy touches his soul. Then he gets his old self backtogether and sets about righting all the wrongs of Aegis Oil and savingthe environment by littering it with dead bad guys. Jennings hires a bunch of mercenaries (including R. Lee Ermey and BillyBob Thornton) to take out Taft but of course they all prove to beuseless since Taft is revealed to be an ex-CIA Agent (oh dearGod..)Nothing much really happens apart from shooting and dying andSeagal beating up nameless extras. We've seen all of this before andit's no different this time round.I do appreciate his environmentally friendly attitude but it could havemade it a little less obvious and campy. Seagal's tacked on speech atthe end originally ran for 30 minutes (Jeezuz sufferin') but Warnerfinally stepped in and said a big no-no. We could have had an Oliver Stone or Insider amount of paranoia andconspiracy but this just ends up as the worst of Seagal's Hollywoodmovies.

inspt71-1

(2013-05-09 07:23:27)

Crazy movie about protecting the environment, the wrong way.

On Deadly Ground is one of the most pointless movies ever. It has asilly story. Seagal trying to protect the environment and in a great way, byblowing stuff up and shooting and beating up a bunch of people. What betterway is there to protect the environment? Well blowing up stuff is a greatway to hurt it. If Seagal's character was really serious about helping theenvironment, he would have done everything he could to avoid violence. Hecould have given that oil company bad publicity and that would have hurtthem. But no, Taft (Seagal) has to resort to guns, explosives, knifes,etc.... How is it that a man that knows so much about protecting theenvironment use explosives? You would think that an environmentalist woulddo other things to help it. This movie would have been better if it wasn't an action movie. Usingviolence to help the environment just doesn't fit, nor does it work. Theaction scenes were pretty bad and pointless. Seagal wasted a lot of time inthem to get to his real plan. The only things in the movie making it worthwhile is Basil Poledouris's music score and some of Ric Waite'scinematography. If you like a lot of pointless action, go ahead and watchit. Otherwise don't bother.

mc23

(2013-05-08 15:05:57)

Maoist Internationalist Movement movie review

Segal is a mercenary for an oil company paid to set fire to evidence of thecompany's negligence in maintaining its rigs. He turnsagainstthe company and decides to destroys its newest facility so thattheywill have to evacuate the First Nation land. A step forward since Segaldoesn't just play a cop, but actually serves a progressive politicalpurpose. Also shows Segal fighting reactionary white chauvinist laboraristocrat workers who benefit from the colonization of First Nations. Agood movie for the relationship between capitalism andindigenous exploitation, and the importance of self-defense and martialarts, despite bad gender politics and focoist implications

Theo Robertson

(2013-05-08 08:59:17)

Seagal And The Environmental Movement Deserve Each Other

Noble . Selfless . Honourable . Just three words that can`t be used todescribe the modern environmental movement and before anyone accusses me ofbeing Dubya in disguise let me please point out that I used to be a memberof the environmental movement , and I know what I`m talking about and it`svery fitting the most environmentally aware thriller Hollywood has everproduced has got to be just about the dumbest movie in history!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!!Seagal has made an very entertaining film I`ll give him that much but doesanyone seriously think it was supposed to be entertaining ? I doubt it sincewe`re bludgeoned over the head in almost scene as to how every singleproblem in the world is down to greedy oil companies and the ecologicaldestruction they cause . I was actually under the impression man`sinhumanity to man might have everything to do with problems of the world (Unfortunately this will never EVER change ) and boy does eco warrior ForrestTaft show an awful lot of inhumanity to his fellow man from the openingfight scene where he breaks every arm belonging to a red neck scumbag toblowing up a toy helicopter to wiping out a crack team of mercenaries hiredby an especially evil - I`m talking EVIL - oil company boss Forrest murdersa whole lot of people . Of course legally he might not face any criminalcharges for doing this as it may be constued as self defence but at the endof the film he does blow up an oil rig almost certainly killing scores ofinnocent people who`s only crime seems to be working for an oil company . OhI see Forrest they deserved to die because they worked for an EVIL oilcompany ? Not only does Forrest escape prosecution he gets to address thenation by making a speech as to how mankind is destroying the planet whichis a bit rich coming from a man who`s just murdered scores of people . Bythe way Forrest are those crocodile shoes you`re wearing ?We`re not just talking action movie star here , we`re talking Steven Seagalwhich means we`re talking several scenes where the evil - I mean EVIL - badguys discuss who they`re up against and in one laughable scene we`re told "This guy`s the best . You leave him in the North Pole and next day he`llturn up beside your swimming pool wearing a fur trimmed bikini " Did anyoneelse have a grotesque vision flowing through their head of Steven Seagalbeside a swimming pool wearing a fur trimmed bikini ? Not a pretty sight isit You have to wonder why such a talented cast would appear in a movie this badbut I guess the logical answer might be something to do with money . Afterall both Michael Caine and Billy Bob Thornton grew up in total poverty andthere`s no way you can blame anyone for wanting to better themselves ( Evenif it means working for an EVIL oil company ) and Caine at least treats theproject with the contempt it deserves by doing his greatest ever badperformance as an EVIL oil company boss with a Texan/CockneyaccentIt`s interesting to note that this movie more or less ended Seagal`s moviecareer . Even more interesting is the fact that since the mid 1990s theenvironmental movement has been losing support , Greenpeace for example hasbeen losing members at a very steady rate in the last decade ( And they losta member called Theo Robertson last year ) as people come round to theconcept of universal free thinking replacing doom laden green rhetoric

(2013-05-07 10:21:09)

Packing On Deadly Pounds

After making his most successful film in 1992 (Under Siege) Seagal was then given the power to produce and direct a film. Audiences are still suffering today. Seagal starred in some quick but competent cop on a mission flicks in the late 80s and early 90s. Then something happened. He got power, and he decided he wanted to make a statement. This is rarely a good idea for actors, specifically action movie stars with ponytails.In this one, Seagal is fighting the evil oil industry. A massive oil company is up to some shananagins in Alaska, and it's up to Seagal as an EPA agent (with a shadowy background) to stop these injustices.Seagal's solution to the violence and environmentally unsound practices of the company is to kill a number of people and then cause more environmental damage by blowing up a pricey oil rig. The company is headed by none other than Michael Caine, who is sporting oil-black hair and some ridiculous rubber-face makeup. Caine makes the film worthwhile for those who are morbid enough to watch a fine actor's most shameless hour.I believe, most of the time, that bad movies are not born but made. Seagal may feel that the oil industry is shafting the people, and he is likely right, but the form his statement takes is ludicrous even if he doesn't realize it. Actually, Seagal probably believes he's making an important statement and serious film (while satisfynig fans) and this sincerity is what makes it all the more laughable. The film is appalling in most respects, but it offers the violence you came to see. Seagal was just plain fat by this point (though he would, in fact, get fatter) but it doesn't stop him from dispatching all level of minion from Caine. Seagal finally lost it when he made a speech during the finale that denounced the practices of the oil industry. Honestly, the guy might be sincere, and he actually has valid points (there is doubtlessly shady business happening with respects to oil in the world) but his forum is questionable. The plot has many holes, the victims have holes, Seagal is fat, there is a spiritual angle that exploits typical conceptions of Eskimos and Native Americans and Michael Caine is priceless.Simply a must for the bad movie addict, this is astonishingly not even close to Seagal's worse. Now that is a real achievement.

Kansas-5

(2013-05-03 22:25:07)

About as realistic as "Reefer Madness"

Hilarious, though unfortunately takes itself seriously. (I hope StevenSeagal doesn't come looking for me for this review.) Alaskan stoners whowere actually familiar with the bush watched it just for the laughs. Agreat ethnic Alaskan Native cast including Japanese, Chinese, Samoan, PlainsIndians, etc. There actually are some indigenous Alaskans in roles asextras. Seagal asks his Chinese co-star, "Can you ride a horse?" "Ofcourse," she says, or something like that, "I'm an Indian." Almost nothingfits, even the scenery. This movie is amazingly consistent. The plot,acting, direction, locations, screenplay, stunts, etc., are all equallyridiculous.

(2013-05-03 09:34:44)

DIRECTOR Steven Seagal!

Oh, no! The mystical (and possibly inscrutable) Eskimos are beingoppressedby evil capitalists! They're caught in an evil contract which will allowthe evil Michael Caine to oppress them if he finishes building a machinebefore it blows up, or something. Luckily for these oppressedmystic-spirittype minorities, the spirits have chosen a white guy (DIRECTOR StevenSeagal) to protect them from the Snidely Whiplash types. Seagal saves theenvironment by blowing stuff up. Then he lectures us with conspiracytheories about the oil companies. Yay!

legallatino

(2013-05-02 17:48:47)

It's deadly all right

The film where Steven Seagal proves that he's much more than just alousy actor… he's also a lousy director. Where to begin? There's a nice mix of action star self-indulgence andpolitical commentary on the evils of oil. Seagal is Forrest Taft (?), ano non-sense renegade who plays by his own set of rules for some sortof oil rigging company owned by some guy named Michael Jennings(Michael Caine playing a character who is so evil, that he has jetblack hair!). That is, until Forrest's friends start accusing him ofturning his back on the environment. Forrest doesn't like that much.Nobody calls him a 'whore' and gets away with it. After twenty minutes, and a random bar fight, Forrest reads a fourthgrade-level computer screen that pretty much spells out howeconomically dangerous oil rigs can really be… and how his boss ismaking sure that silly things like the environment don't get in the wayof a profit. Rather than develop complex protagonists and antagonists,we get a clear black and white split: Big corporations and oilcompanies are evil and Eskimos are good-as they help Forrest becomespiritually reborn as a 'man-bear' and regain his sights on kickingass.Chances are, you weren't watching for plot anyway. But the guiltypleasure parade just keeps on going: dialogue that'll make you smile(best line: 'You didn't find Flint, but you managed to kill an unarmedEskimo!'), lots of explosions, horrible supporting actors, and a chancefor Steven Seagal to play 'the slap game' with one of his judgmentaloil workers. "On Deadly Ground" gives Seagal plenty of opportunity tokick ass and arch his eyebrows in a suspicious manner, but the samecan't be said about poor Michael Caine. As the film's antagonist, Caineturns in a two dimensional performance that may have been modeled aftera villain from "Captain Planet." There's something sad about watching atwo time Oscar winner grit his teeth for two hours of screen time. Justlaugh at him. He sleeps on a nice pile of money. All and all… horrible film that will keep you laughing with it'smisguided attempts to make an action film about more than justexplosions.…I, for one, would suggest that Seagal update this film to reflect theevents of the Iraq war. He could start off as an Iraqi, hiding theweapons of mass destruction. Then realize Weapons of Mass Destructioncause harm to society. And along the way, get really p***ed off when hefinds out it was all about exploiting the Iraqis out of oil. Summary: Come for the heavy handed ecological commentary and laughableacting; Stay for a wonderfully over-the-top Michael Caine.

Tracy Terry Winters

(2013-05-02 09:38:50)

Honest, folks! Steve MUST blow up the oil refinery so he can save the rest of the town!

Steve Seagal is 'Forrest', an environmentalist and animal-lover whojust happens to have a penchant for littering and skinning the localgame so he can wear fringed leather jackets and alligator boots.Forrest soon finds out that a corrupt oil magnate is planning to stealland from the natives in the area, so Forrest does what anyself-respecting peacenik would do.... he goes up to his secret cabinlocated above the snow-line to retrieve his cache of illegal automaticweapons and incendiary explosives.Quite a film, especially if you're in the mood for a 'comedy-fantasy'.Best scenes include Steve destroying a jerk in a nearby pub by punchinghim in the face repeatedly until he's a bloody pulp, and Steve's10-minute ecological dissertation at the end of the film which itemizesthe shenanigans of the country's 'evil' oil companies.A real barrel of laughs. Have a jug of your favorite moonshine at yourside to fully enjoy this one.

zleepy2000

(2013-05-02 20:36:14)

Seagals´ Worst Movie?

I don´t know why I even bother writing this comment, but here goes. As it isrequired, on the IMDb, I have to write more than 4 lines to submit it,shouldn´t be too hard.All I can say is that don´t waste your money on this film, it´s truly awful,I mean it, it sucks ass, take my word for it. The story itself is very muchunder average, kill a bunch of people and that´s it, oh and he also has tosave the environment in this one, Jesus Christ!. Also the acting is verypoor. I think that his movies are very much a like, very violent, no seriousstory, like "Hard to Kill", "Out of Justice", "Above theLaw".If you´re a fan of Seagal, try Under Siege, where he plays a former SEAL,this is also a movie where he has to "save the day", one of the betterthough.My rating of "On Deadly Ground":2 out of 10 stars

(2013-05-02 00:41:30)

worst action movie ever

This is one of the worst action movies ever. Steven Seagal thinks he can save the planet by blowing stuff up. Doesn't that cause pollution? No matter, this movie is hopeless and unintentionally funny at times.

moviefreak2010

(2013-05-01 07:37:45)

Why is everyone saying this film is stupid?Honestly?

I have this film and let me tell you what, this film is the 2nd bestfilm that the great one has made. Of course the 1st is Under Siege.First of all, it got a great load of cast. Steven and he also directsand produces, Michael Caine which he did a great performance, JoanChen, John C. McGinley, R. Lee Ermey, Billy Bob Thornton and they bothdid a great job.Second of all, I love the storyline, the action, and most of all thespeech at the end of the film. Steven did a great at directing for thefirst time, and producing and can't believe he gets a Razzie for it.As a result, this is the best but for his upcoming films Under Siege 2,The Glimmer Man, and Fire Down Below, those were okay but On DeadlyGround is a true classic.I give this a 10/10.

(2013-05-01 00:54:44)

found it

This review is from: On Deadly Ground (DVD) My mother in law has had family looking for this movie for over to years and with your successful shipping I was able to get this for her for her birthday. This made her so happy she actually thanked me and gave me a big hug. This was the first hug in over 10 years so she must have really been happy.