Customer Reviews

Kill Switch [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The career of action film star Steven Seagal has had enough ups and downs to appear like a rollercoaster ride in one of any hundred theme parks across the country. Beginning in 1988 with ABOVE THE LAW, Seagal burst upon the scene as a martial arts master in a film that featured plot, good acting and enough action that involved non-hand to hand combat to keep audiences screaming for more.

With each new film, Seagal developed more mystery about his personal life, played roles that were a little deeper and eventually was able to parlay his clout to make films that followed items dear to his heart. Unfortunately the more he did so, the smaller the crowds to his films.

In recent years Seagal's films have taken on that dreaded identity of direct to DVD features, movies that play in either no theater or limited run. This doesn't mean that the quality is lacking all the time, just that the studio behind it has less faith in the films than Seagal does. So he has kept making them knowing fans would show.

Fans support him enough that a book has recently been released, SEAGALOGY: A STUDY OF THE A** KICKING FILMS OF STEVEN SEAGAL by Vern, a contributing writer for the ain't it cool news web site. The book covers Seagal's films from beginning to end. But I'm not sure that it included the newest release, KILL SWITCH.

Seagal plays Jacob King, a detective working in Memphis, TN, and hot on the trail of a serial killer. The film opens on a case where a psycho has implanted C4 explosives in a young woman's chest with a timer set to go off in minutes. Confronting the killer, King beats a confession out of him in time to save the girl while inflicting enough damage to require medical support for said killer.

The scene moves to another serial killer on the lose, this one having wracked up 4 bodies to date with one on the way. Using astrological signs and leaving clues to what he is up to, including a coded cipher, King attempts to figure out his prey and take him off the street.

Due to his handling of the last killer though, King now has an FBI agent hot on his tail, Agent Frankie Miller (Holly Dignard). Suspicious of King, raw to the ways of the street, she finds herself at odds with him non-stop. While commanded to co-operate, King does his best to find the killer at the cost of relations with the FBI.

The clues mount up as does the body count. And when the first killer is released due to the coercive tactics of King, he ends up dealing with both killers before the films end.

The movie offers a decent plotline, written by Seagal himself. The action sequences fluctuate between dynamic and lame. Seagal is best when he does all of the work himself, including stunts. Fight sequences where an obvious stand in takes his place seem weak while the scenes with Seagal facing the camera and doing the moves he's made famous bring a reality to it. One has to wonder why this is. With the abilities there, why resort to unfit replicas?

One of the bad things involving the fight sequences is the use of what seems to be hiccup cutting of scenes. The same shots pushed back to immediate back, fast cuts of repeated blows and a close up shooting of intimate fight scenes that were my biggest complaint in the mega hit BOURNE films. Back off and let us see the action!

Seagal's acting has been worse and better. He coasts along easily as King, using a Cajun style twang to make him seem different than usual. And King's secret past leads one to suspect that perhaps he isn't who he seems.

The other actors range from an even keel to some of the worst one line roles seen. Unconvincing would be the nicest way to put it. But all in all this movie is not the terrible film that some seem to think. And if you're a Seagal fan, you should be pleased.

Kill Switch is another DTV starring Steven Seagal (who also wrote) as a Detective investigating a series of grisly murders.It's got a good plot kinda Seven-like but with alot more action.I only have a few complaints being the Seagal fan i am.His double is too noticeable and the quick cuts.These and the ending are the only downfall.All in all this is a good movie it has it's high points but i liked Driven to Kill much better.

Kill Switch (2008) is a gritty and edgy thriller set in Memphis, featuring Steven Seagal as Jacob King, a police detective on the trail of a pair of psychotic killers. Bille Joe Hill (Mark Collie) is a sadistic nutcase who enjoys using a knife. Lazereus (Michael Filipowich), is deeply into astrology, the occult, and heavy metal. Hidden in the shadows, driven to kill by inner demons, he is the serial killer known as 'the Grifter'. With FBI agent Frankie Miller (Holly Dignard) poking around, King has his hands full. In one of his last film appearances, the late Isaac Hayes adds some class and humor, as an overtaxed coroner.

Seagal's films are often the subject of harsh criticism, and while Jeff King directs, Seagal can be held to account more than usual, as he did write the screenplay. The film moves along pretty well, but there are some problems with the fight scenes. Some of the action sequences may produce dizziness or eye strain, due to the frequent use of a technique where the same event is shown several times. This repeat view technique, combined with the usual quick cutting, use of doubles, insertion of Seagal's face, and changing of speeds, leads to some disjointed looking scenes. One fight in a bar seems to go on forever. This is followed by an extended, poorly executed gunfight in the street. Things like this, detracts from the general enjoyment of the film.

Besides agent Miller, Seagal has written in a number of females for his character to interact with. Karyn Michelle Baltzer is Celine, a police officer whose role in King's life is not spelled out, though she is often in King's home wearing a robe. Daniella Evangelista is a lovely barmaid, who somehow winds up pinned to a door. Exotic Anna Mae Routledge, plays a librarian who crosses paths with Hill, and meets an unknown fate. And Andrea Stefancikova makes a brief but revealing appearance as King's better half.

Kill Switch has a dark and heavy atmosphere. Seagal's screenplay has a hard edge, with lots of brutality, including the hammering and breaking of bones, surging arterial flow, psychotic killers, and a number of women getting slashed. With King actually doing some half decent detective work, and a pretty good cast, this is probably one of Seagal's better direct to video projects.

The stunt double sucked, but it is NOT as BAD as the stunt double from Black Dawn!!! The only part where the stunt double is painfully obvious is the fight sequence at Mojo Blues. This problem can be solved by pressing FFWD. The rest of the film is decent. The trailer from SPIKE TV makes this movie look awesome, but it is only mediocre. The dubbing is annoying at times, but die hard Seagal fans should be used to it by now. The final fight against Billy Jo appears to be all Seagal. True Seagal fans should recognize Billy Jo from Fire Down Below (Mark Collie). It was just as COOL to see Seagal vs. Collie again just like Seagal vs. Trejo.


Overall this movie is like a 2.75 out of 5. Seagal does kick a lot of @ss in this movie. Issac Hayes made a nice cameo in this film. Two things are guaranteed in any Seagal movie: 1) Seagal kicks @SS and he is omnipotent and 2) Really really HOT women!!

The two hot chicks in this movie made it worth a look. Holly Dignard (Frankie Miller), and Karyn Michelle Baltzer (Celine) are both smokin HOT babes!!! I also love Anna Mae Routledge (Librarian) and Ali Liebert (Bartender @ All About Eve). Awww man! She is so sexy!!! I love Ali Liebert!!!

So, if you are a fan of Steven Seagal and you enjoy the eye candy of hot chicks, you will like Kill Switch. If you didn't like Kill Switch, then ... I'ma stick my size 14 up yo @SS!!!

P.S. The Blu-ray picture quality for Kill Switch is 10 times better than Driven To Kill.

It's been quite awhile since I saw my last Steven Seagal film, so maybe that's why I enjoyed Kill Switch a little more than most other viewers. Watching bad guys pay a heavy price for their crimes falls under my definition of entertainment, and Seagal just absolutely beats the crap out of any loser dumb enough to get in his way - and he doesn't waste any time getting down to business. In the opening scene, some sicko has wired explosives to a woman's chest, and the bomb squad has only a few minutes to figure out which wire to cut. Somehow knowing that the perpetrator is watching from a room across the street, Seagal's character bursts in on him and subjects him to some rather intense interrogation. It's just a foretaste of the violence to come later in the movie.

The story, which Steven Seagal wrote himself, isn't all that bad - especially given the pretty obvious fact that parts of that story didn't make it into the studio's final cut. The product description, for example, describes Seagal's character, Detective Jacob King, as "one of the most celebrated homicide detectives in the country." That certainly didn't come through in the film; as far as I could tell, he was just a Memphis detective (with perhaps the weirdest pseudo-Southern accent I've ever heard) who tends to go into rogue mode during his investigations but always ends up getting his man. There also seem to be some holes in the subplot involving the less important of two murderers, but it's the ending - unexpected and potentially confusing - that strongly suggests that you the viewer are correct in thinking you must have missed something pretty important earlier in the film.

Of course, you don't watch a Seagal film for the storyline; you watch it for all of the butt-kicking action sure to come your way. If the plot holds together in any sort of concrete manner, that's just a bonus. (Speaking of bonuses, Kill Switch also features the great Isaac Hayes - playing a coroner - in one of his final film roles.) Kill Switch definitely serves up plenty of action, as Jacob has to go through a lot of different people to get his hands on a serial killer before he claims another victim. Subplots come and go (and I must say the inclusion of Holly Dignard as an FBI special agent sent to observe and evaluate Jacob's rather unconventional style of crime fighting is one that was never truly developed), but Seagal's action scenes (with or without a stunt double) are still worth the price of admission.

It's interesting to note the very even rating distribution for Kill Switch. As most Seagal fans know Seagal's had big screen days but now is in the Direct-to-Video (Direct-to-Download) days. Kill Switch is nowhere near as good as some Seagal earlied big screen flicks such as Above the Law, Out For Justice, or Under Siege. However it doesn't come close to the horrors of The Patriot, The Foreigner or other very lame DTV efforts.

Kill Switch had a different feel from most other Seagal films. It was more of a Thriller but still had a lot of action. The production quality was decent. Unfortunately Seagal's mumbling makes it difficult to understand what he's saying. Also the fight scenes were filmed/edited in such a way detracting from what were some decent fights.

The one other bad thing about Kill switch was the somwhat convoluted plot and subplot. The main plot involves the search for a serial killer. The subplot involves the escape of a killer whom Seagal's character had caught. Another distraction was Seagal's character's numerous flashbacks to his childhood. Finally there is a totally bizarre ending in which Seagal leaves his job in Memphis and ends up going 'home' to a wife and two kids in some Spanish speaking country. To top it our man Seagal has to throw in a little gratuitous sex (his wife flashing her breast and enticing him into the bedroom) to close the film...totally bizarre way to end an otherwise decent film.

For a Seagal film I'd give this 4 stars. It's actually a 5 star Seagal direct-to-video film. However for the purposes of Amazon I give it 3 stars.

AN OK MOVIE OF STEVEN SEAGAL'S.BETTER THAN SOME NOT AS GOOD AS OTHERS. I AM A FAN SO WATCH ALL OF THEM

Wow this was bad. This is the first time I've felt compelled to post a review for a movie, that's how bad it was. A porcine Segal, complete with some kind of odd southern accent. Obvious stunt double. Gratuitous fight scenes that go on forever with Segals innumerable punches and kicks seeming to have no real effect on the bad guys. Cut and jerky stop motion photography. Inexplicable ending that seems to have been inserted as an after-thought. Just a bad movie from start to finish. Kind of like the "Plan 9 from Outer Space" of the action movies.

Oh Steven, how the kind of mighty have not really fallen that far.

I happen to be a huge Steven Seagal fan. Sad, I know, but this movie was actually relatively good considering what he's been putting out lately. Don't expect a lot and you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you watch this expecting "Under Siege" or "Above the Law" then you'll be disappointed. I've seen most of his movies and this is far superior to a few others he's done in the past. If you're considering it, my advice is to give it a chance.

Another sad release from the fallen master.

This one suffers from poor cinematographic effects and poor martial arts.

After Pistol Whipped I did feel that there was some hope but here we are, only a few short months later, another sub-par performance.

I think Steven may be better served with directing and producing movies, with younger actors he could talent scout himself.

Please Steven, no more.