Customer Reviews

Pistol Whipped

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

With Pistol Whipped, Seagal has made two good DTV's in a row with Urban Justice being the previous release. Other Seagal DTV's I have purchased are The Foreigner, Belly Of The Beast, Out Of Reach(even with terrible voice dubbing), Mercenary For Justice, Shadow Man & Urban Justice. Pistol Whipped is more of a thriller than an action film and as such is a little slow to get going. It also has the strongest cast that Seagal has worked with for some time. The unfortunate thing about this is that it glaringly shows up Seagal's inability as an actor. When Seagal has confrontational dialogue or is in a scene with another actor that could lead to a physical confrontation, Seagal lights up the screen with the confidence he exudes as a martial arts expert which made him a star in his early films, he is truly believable as someone who could snap your neck in 2 seconds. When he has normal character dialogue to deliver in Pistol Whipped, it is flat, unemotional and boring to watch, Seagal makes no choices as an actor as to how to convey any emotion in his lines, there is no life in his performance during these scenes. Seagal in the past has said that he wants to be a proper actor. Pistol Whipped was the perfect opportunity for him to show us he can give an acting performance above what his standard performances have been, something along the lines of what Van Damme is now doing. No one watches Seagal films for the acting but it is disappointing when handed the opportunity to stretch his range a little more especially after complaining so much about not being given an opportunity to prove he can act and here after being given that opportunity, then does nothing with it. There is also no character background to tell us why Seagal is an alcoholic or why he is compulsive gambler. He just is. Seagal again beds a very young woman in Pistol Whipped and there is also some of the ego massaging dialogue that appears in many of these DTV's spoken to Seagal. I'm surprised the actress delivering the lines could keep a straight face, this occurs at a breakfast table after a night of supposedly hot passion with Seagal's character.

Overall, I did enjoy Pistol Whipped even with Seagal's flat acting. One positive thing that director Roel Reine has done is to pull the camera back during the choreographed fight scenes. There are several quick fight scenes throughout the movie and one longer choreographed fight in a bowling alley against multiple opponents that looked very impressive especially considering the budget and time constrains of shooting choreographed scenes such as these. The action set pieces are well staged and look very professional, the car chase although of a higher quality and more exciting than the car chase in Urban Justice is still rather dull and again the rear projection scenes with Seagal supposedly driving the car during the chase scene are obviously just that, rear projected. The final shoot-out taking up the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film has Seagal as part of a 3 person team rather than a one man army as they go to the graveyard to take down the villain. This for me is another very good DTV from Seagal. I liked the family dynamic with Seagal having an ex-wife and being a neglecting father to his daughter even though he could have done much more with this scenario. It's also great to see Seagal in an American produced DTV again just like Urban Justice. As for body doubles, I noticed only one scene with an obvious body double and that was a wide shot of Seagal's character walking on a roof top of a building to the exit door. Another possible body double shot occurs in the beginning with Seagal's character walking up some interior hotel lobby stairs. There is also an appearance by a body double during the shoot-out just before the car chase but it's not that noticable unless you are really making a point of looking for it. Other than that it looked to be all Seagal to me. Pistol Whipped also looks much more expensive than its budget which would be down to the cinematography and is probably the best looking DTV that Seagal as been in. If Seagal has any sense he should make a point of continuing to work with both directors Don LaFaunt and Reol Reine in the future. Pistol Whipped, even being a somewhat slowly paced thriller was not a disappointment for me as a DTV Seagal outing. It had plenty of action, some good fight choreography and a simple plot and I'm happy to say that the production standards look better than in Urban Justice which is not to take anything away from Don LaFaunt. Hopefully this will be a continued trend in Seagal's DTV's. Other than Pistol Whipped being a little slow to start, Seagal fans should not find much wrong with this outing and if they do then they are being much to picky especially considering the DTV's Submerged, Black Dawn, Today You Die, Flight Of Fury and Attack Force which had horrendous dubbing and body double issues. To non Seagal fans who have a passing interest in Seagal, I'd say it is worth a rental but do not expect the same multiple choreographed fight scenes and frantic revenge driven plot of Urban Justice.

Why was the title of this film Pistol Whipped? Is it because you feel like you were repetedly hit in the head with a heavy metal object when you are through watching the movie? Maybe. It certainly didn't have a lot to do with the movie itself. It could have been called Pistol Snatched because Segal did his move where he grabs a gun that's pointed directly at him and disables it. So, at this point, the use of a gun in a Segal movie means nothing. It actually is more advantageous to not be armed. Sure, right. This is the same film in which Segal-who seriously looks like a panda bear at this point-hooks up with a smoking hot chick and has an even smoking hotter ex-wife. The point is that you have to know going in that this movie makes no sense. Absolutely none whatsoever; so don't try to figure it out or you'll end up cross-eyed with a blistering headache. Just sit back and bask in Segal's warm, glowing warming glow.

Segal stars as Matt(no last name given at all how great is that?) who is a degenerate gambler who never won. He's also a fall down drunk who has ballooned to roughly 415 since his days as a rouge cop. See, Segal used to play rouge cops, now he's playing washed-up rouge cops. Just like he used to be a movie star, now he's a washed-up movie star. So, our main character spends his days drinking cheap whiskey right from the bottle and eating Manwich straight from the can. Frankly, Sid was not sure if this part of the film was scripted or if they just shot a day at Segal's house. Then the thought dawned on us: if it wasn't scripted, Segal wouldn't have had clothes on.

Stealing a page straight from the Death Wish 3 playbook, Segal was offered to have a favor done for him if he killed someone. So, in order to have his gambling debts wiped off the books, Segal had to kill the coach from He Got Game, who was playing a mafioso. He also set the all-time record for saying "honest to God" 328 times in his only scene in the film which lasted like 6 minutes. Good times. Obviously Segal kills him, but this time he did it fashionably. Segal meets up with the coach at a restaraunt, and clearly couldn't just take out the mobster without taking out his henchmen too. One of those henchmen got a fork through the hand. That's right, Death Ring style, baby! That's like an instant 3 stars anytime someone reminds Sid of the legendary Denton Vachs. Now the people who agreed to pay Matt the panda's debt don't let up and force Segal to kill more poeple. Shocker!

They want Segal to kill his ex-wife's new husband who is a cop. Supposedly, the guy is dirty, but we don't see that. We only see that he's great with Segal's daughter, including the touching scene when Segal can't spend the day with his daughter and the step-father berates Segal for being too drunk to hang out with the girl...again. Hilarious even if it wasn't the case (Segal was being forced to go on a hit assignment that day). But, then we see the stepdad kill the priest(don't ask, it's not important just know that stepdad is a baaad man). And, the movie wraps up with a showdown at the priest's funeral. It was Segal vs. the stapdad. Sid must say, this was one of the better shootouts in recent memory. Of course, Segal won. The cool part about the ending was Segal asked Stepdad, "Do you want to be buried or cremated?" before he killed him to which Stepdad answered, "Buried." Then, Segal blows him up and says, "You're cremated now, m'f'er!" Awesome!

We, Sid the Elf, know that it may seem like we were very negative about Pistol Whipped. No, it is not true. Pistol Whipped was the special kind of movie that the more things sucked about it, the better it was. If you know Sid, you understand. Anyway, this was completely due to the genius that is Steven Segal. The man stared in and produced this beauty. This saved the film because if Segal wasn't in charge of himself, he couldn't have talked like his illegitamate brother, Biggie Smalls, for the entire movie. He would have been ordered to redo his lines so you wouldn't have to turn subtitles on to watch the movie. He wouldn't have saved the production all that money on lights because any shot of Segal with his face in proper light would have made any viewer vomit. He didn't have to lose weight, as no other producer alive would have allowed him to be filmed boated and waddeling around the set. Like we said, we loved Pistol Whipped. It's the cinematic equivilent of drinking heavily. You're confused throughout, you might not remember much, you may well vomit, and afterwards you feel hungover. But, did you enjoy the experience? Absolutely. Would you do it again? For sure. So, on the word of us, Sid the Elf, get a fifth of Pistol Whipped and turn it up. It always goes down smooth.

Another great movie recommended by Sid the Elf!

Have been a fan of Steven Segal since he's been kicking but in the late 80's as slick Italian cop with attitude. This more recent movie takes a different direction with Segal's trademark attitude, and it surprisingly works.

First thing I noticed about this movie is that Segal looks awful! Looks like he's been in a real bad accident and had tons of reconstructive surgery on his face. But alas, this imitation of Elvis' famous I-Just-Died-On-The-Toilet bloated look is just time catching up with the actor. That and the frizzy hairpiece he's now wearing.

The movie itself is classic Segal: snapping arms, blurring punches, and a scowl that still scares. His most famous--if not most used line--of `Let me ask you something," is used more than 20 times in this movie. Count for yourself and see. We are also blessed with the guy most unlikely to bed a girl, as Segal snatches a girl from a bar. Putting on more than 50 pounds since his slimmer days, this gives us "average Joe's" hope for an unlikely future. And we also see Segal's tender side--a great change from the wife-beater we all know--as he tries to be a good father to his daughter, despite being a degenerate gambler who owes too many people too much money.

I was highly impressed with this movie, learning once again to trust Sid the Elf and their many reviews. Always a skeptic, I like to see for myself. Glad I did. Segal still has it, bloated-with-hairpiece or not!

the other folks said it all...there was just one scene that touched and that was when he looked in the fridge and sighed..."Man, I ain't got xxxx"
That did it for me. Because at this point in my personal journey, I feel likewise

Stevan Seagal is an ex-cop who is heavy in debt due to gambling, gets contacted by the "Old Man", who gives him murder assignments of specific corrupt people. He takes on these assignments in exchange for money and payment of his debts.

I am not really sure what was about this movie that made it lack spirit. Was it the fact that Seagal had put on lots of weight and doesn't look like the dangerous fighter we knew before? Or was it the dull character he portrayed in the movie? I suppose it also could be the unnecessary vulgar phrases we heard such as at the one at the very end when he said "You cremate now mother ....."

The aikido scenes were ok, but still nothing compared to the scenes in "above the law" or "hard to kill".

The story is ok, nothing outstanding.

Who in their right mind could turn down movie with Steven Seagal called Pistol Whipped? Most folks I'm sure, but we're talking about people in their right minds. If you're like me, you're a glutton for the Seagal punishment. In Pistol Whipped he plays a disgraced cop who's turned to a life of booze and compulsive gambling(since Seagal only has one facial expression, it stands to reason he'd be a good card player). He's also divorced and not spending much quality time with his daughter(but he proves he'll kick your behind if you get in the way of his weekly visitation). One day he gets a proposition from Lance Henriksen, a powerful underworld type figure who goes by the name "Old Man". Old Man has paid Seagal's gambling debts and now employs Seagal to basically be a hitman in order to pay him back. The target is a guy doing under-the-table deals with North Korea and everybody attached to him. When Seagal's buddy(and stepfather of his daughter) ends up on the list, he decides he wants to get out of the whole thing. Turns out though that his buddy really is a schmuck and that Seagal might just be working for the good guys after all.
It seemed early in the film that this might have been an attempt to do something different with Seagal. Making him into kind of a loser character could have been a nice change, but as soon as we're shown his vices they almost immediately fade out of the picture, and he goes back to just being ol' Slabface Seagal again. Kind of a waste. Plus, the movie suffers from the same irritating crap that plagues mainstream action films. By this I mean those pointless moments where the camera has to speed up or zoom in real fast(usually accompanied by a loud "Whoooosh" sound) while Seagal is doing something terribly exciting like walking down a flight of stairs. And if you were a director who had access to Lance Henriksen, why would you use him in only like 2 or 3 short scenes? Henriksen can't help but be the coolest guy on the planet regardless of the film he's in. Why not use him more? I suppose they only had Lance for one day(or more like one hour) since his very few brief scenes are all in the same movie theater. It seems like Seagal is no longer trying to hide his weight from the camera, which is a good thing. He looked ridiculous when he tried covering it up, might as well go with it. A great Seagal moment comes when he asks a dying man if he'd like to be buried or cremated. The guy wants to be buried, but when he dies, Seagal shoves him in a hearse, blows it up and says, "Now you're cremated, Mo$#@&%$&ker!"
Pistol Whipped is the typical Seagal actioner, and it does have a few good moments here and there, but it's not one of the more memorable ones. Urban Justice was actually more fun.

Each time a new Seagal movie is released on DVD, I watch it in the vain hope that it will be at the least better than the last.

Each time there is some disappointment, in Pistol Whipped it is the start and the end where Seagal in slow motion crosses a line of gunfire, turns and fires apistol without looking and without being hit. There is certainly a lot of mirth in the movies.

The sad thing is that I really need to come to terms with the fact that his best days are behind him, as are his best movies, and it is time to find a meaner, leaner martial arts fighter-actor.

Worth a watch but do not expect too much.

Pistol Whipped (aka Marker) is a good continued effort by Steven Seagal to making good direct to DVD action releases. Most of his direct releases have not been as good as his earlier films. The problem mostly being that Seagal was not doing his own fight scenes (obvious body doubles) and not doing all his voice work. Urban Justice was a return to form for Seagal by delivering on the action front and doing his fight scenes and vocal dubbing. Pistol Whipped is, in my opinion, more of what we want from Seagal. While not having a high budget to work with, this movie still contains the action you will want from a Seagal film. Here's a brief breakdown of the plot. Matt (Steven Seagal) is an ex-cop who is a compulsive gambler and battles with alcoholism. Matt is divorced and has a daughter whom, though he loves her very much, isn't always there for her. He reaches the million dollar mark with his debts and accepts jobs from the "old man" (Lance Henriksen) who bought Matt's debts in exchange for some assassination work. Needless to say some things get complicated and lines are crossed. The fight scenes are well staged and it is all Seagal during the fights. No stunt doubles. There are occasionaly stand-ins for certain scenes such as long shots of Seagal's charactor walking down the street or a rooftop shot, but nothing that detracts from the story or action. You have to be looking for it to notice it as it's not very distracting. There is also no dubbing of Seagal's voice in this movie as there was in past releases. Overall, this is a good acion flick harking back towards the days of Marked For Death and Hard To Kill. I give this movie 5 stars by way of what it is. It is a Seagal action flick, and as such, it is enjoyable. This is not a 5 star film in the way Departed or Wizard Of Oz is. If you like Seagal films or liked Urban Justice, I suggest giving it a try.

Rated ( R ) (strong violence, profanity, sexual content, nudity)

In the Direct to DVD league Pistol Whipped is better than average. I recommend Pistol Whipped to fans of Steven Seagal or even for the casual action fan with low expectations. There are so many Direct to DVD Seagal films that to put Pistol Whipped into context I'd say it's 1 of only 3 or 4 of Seagal's post Exit Wounds films that I'd recommend. The others being Belly of the Beast, Urban Justice and, maybe, Today You Die.

When Above the Law came out in 1988 I thought we had a new martial arts action star on the horizon. Since then, it seems to me that Steven Segal has just cranked out one dud after another and this is just one more. I wish I had nicer things to say about the actor and his films, but I judge on results and they just aren't there. Save your time, save your money. There are a lot more and a lot better films out there for your entertainment dollar.