Hatcher: One thought he was invincible… the other thought he could fly.
Max: So?
Hatcher: They were both wrong.
It’s easy to see how someone could end up not liking Marked for Death. Its plot is ridiculous, it was overly violent for its time period, and the portrayal of its villains and their culture is perhaps borderline racist. On the other hand, this is a film that doesn’t seem to care what you think and instead gleefully exist as a throwback to old-school Grindhouse films, and if it had come out a decade before it actually premiered, would probably have a bigger cult following than it already does, easily fitting in with the exploitation cinema of the previous era. With tons of action, brawny heroes, and one of the best Steven Seagal one-liners of all time, Marked for Death is a funhouse of violence and ridiculousness with virtually no quit in it.
Steven Seagal IS Hatcher, a no nonsense DEA agent who gets the job done his way. Tired of fighting a war he doesn’t think he can win after his partner is killed, he comes home to Chicago to find the streets full of drug dealers and people terrorized by Jamaican gangsters. After initially trying to stay out of trouble, he finds he cannot stand idly by as the drug pushers wage war with the mafia and innocents are killed in the process. With help from the local football coach (Keith David), Hatcher starts to fight back and targets the operations of Jamaican kingpin, Screwface (Basil Wallace). This is where the real violence ensues.
Again, it would be easy to picture this film taking place in the ’70s or early ’80s as a Charles Bronson vehicle, and indeed has a lot of similarities with a lot of the Death Wish sequels. As usual Seagal doesn’t employ a lot of amazing acting talent, but the man has buckets of screen charisma and uses it to good effect. In fact, his presence is commanding enough that it was probably difficult at the time to really find suitable villains that would seemingly pose a threat to Seagal’s characters onscreen, which would account for his onscreen foes getting more and more ridiculous (think Tommy Lee Jones in Under Siege or William Forsythe in Out for Justice), and that would definitely include Basil Wallace’s Screwface.
Screwface represents Seagal’s first heavy to possibly be endowed with supernatural powers, though I’m sure the inclusion of voodoo into this film’s plot didn’t ingratiate the film with many critics. To his credit though, Wallace does the best he can with the material, and comes off as a pretty intimidating and creepy villain, especially when he isn’t onscreen with Seagal, who seems to tower over everyone else in this film. At least Wallace seems to have fun with the role and doesn’t seem to believe in holding back, as he’s plainly acting for the cheap seats in every scene he’s in.
Of course, the real reason to watch the film is the movie’s action, and especially for fans of this era’s offerings, Marked for Death delivers. Seagal’s at the top of his game in the Aikido department, even employing some sword fighting this time out, and the film’s various chases and shootouts are all top notch and visceral. Perhaps most exciting is the movie’s big set-piece, as Hatcher and associates storm Screwface’s Jamaican compound, armed to the teeth with machine guns, sniper rifles, night vision equipment, as well as the movie’s star being a lethal weapon all on his own.
Marked for Death isn’t the best of Seagal’s pictures, but it is a really fun one. Keith David is a terrific sidekick, Screwface chews tons of scenery, and there are enough broken backs and busted skulls for five movies. What the film lacks in plot, it makes up for in energy, and it’s nice to watch a film that doesn’t pretend to be anything else than the lowbrow, high violence picture that it is. This one may not go next to Citizen Kane or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but you can firmly plant it next to Cobra or Death Wish 3 any day of the week.
To its credit, Fox put out a pretty good looking print on this Blu-ray disc. The original DVD wasn’t even in anamorphic widescreen, so this is definite improvement, with nice image detail and terrific audio quality for all those broken bones to come in nicely in your surround sound.
None to be found.
Marked for Death is a fun guilty pleasure that’s one of the most violent of Seagal’s career. It’s not going to win any awards in the acting or PC department, but Seagal fans aren’t usually looking for those anyway. It’s a shame this is a barebones disc, but the print is good, so this may be a good time to upgrade if you’re looking to do so.
20th Century Fox presents Marked for Death. Directed by: Dwight H. Little. Starring: Steven Seagal, Basil Wallace, and Keith David. Written by: Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Running time: 93 minutes. Rating: R. Released on Blu-ray: May 11, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
