An unremarkable action thriller, but probably one of Steven Seagal's best films so far. This one has a plot that actually keeps your interest (even though the main "twist" is telegraphed ahead of time) by going beyond the simple "they killed his loved ones and now he wants revenge" scenario, without becoming a muddled mess like, say, "Mercenary For Justice". It also has a pretty slick look, and the action includes a well-filmed car chase climaxing with a spectacular car flip, and a John Woo - style graveyard shootout at the end. Seagal tries to play a morally ambivalent character, which he does up to a point, but the usual problems associated with his characters (the invulnerability and the vanity) are still present (wait till you hear a girl's remark about a certain body part of his). He is still overweight and most of the fight scenes are blink-and-you'll-miss-them, but at least he is there doing them, and doing them efficiently. The movie also benefits from a good supporting cast, though Lance Henriksen should have had more screen time. Renee Goldsberry is gorgeous & tough and earns "Pistol Whipped" a few more points. (**1/2)

Before i say anything i want you to know i like action movies,even those that contain mindless violence(i actually enjoyed the last installment of Rambo very much).

That being said,i didn't enjoy this movie very much,except maybe for some parts that make you laugh even though they're not intended to be funny. Come to think of it,it's a classical Steven Seagal movie,picturing him as omnipotent,without at least providing some good scenes where he can entertain(that's right,there aren't even good fighting scenes).

So my advice is watch this movie only if you are a fan or want to kill some time with your friends.

Steven Seagal has one of his more unflattering roles as an overweight, alcoholic ex cop, living a bleak existence where he owes mounting gambling debts, lost a beautiful wife to divorce, and is a bad father who can't even provide his girl one day a week without failing to make the grade. Hired as a contract killer, his gambling markers will be paid if he takes out specific targets arranged by an arcane benefactor(Lance Henriksen, often communicating from the shadows) with ambiguous, esoteric motives. Known as "The Old Man", Henriksen keeps Seagal's Matt Conlin honest by employing a mysterious gunsel to look after him, Blue(Paul Caldren), shadowing his every move, there in case a challenging situation develops, while also detailing the tasks he must perform. So Matt does so, eliminating two marks, but the third, his daughter's stepfather, detective Steve Shacter(Mark Elliot Wilson), will not be easy. Steve, it seems, is not the straight-arrow, virtuous cop Matt always thought so highly of, and his elimination will prove most difficult, particularly since his position has grown within the force. We see when Steve slits the throat of Matt's priest that he'll go to any lengths to keep his reputation inculpable. Renee Goldensberry is Matt's love interest, Drea, an actual member of The Old Man's entourage, herself a hit woman if needed. Decent actioner allows Seagal to knock some guys around while firing off rounds as well. The conclusion is a showdown between Matt, Drea, and Blue against Steve and his crooked police gang in a cemetery as headstones and bodies are torn apart by bullet-fire. The movie also provides a shootout as Steve and his cronies attempt to gun down Matt in the middle of a street with Blue coming to his aid, with an ensuing in a car chase resulting in vehicular damage. The director employs unnecessary camera techniques(..and he speeds up the film for no real reason whatsoever)and shoots at odd angles, sometimes ruining gun battles as they occur. As is often the case in these kinds of movies, Matt's daughter is used as leverage by Steve in the finale, her life in danger if he doesn't put down his weapon and surrender.