Another year, another batch of Steve Seagal films that are painful to all five senses. This time it’s Kill Switch, another in the long line of direct-to-video action films that satisfy a fan base that is much smaller than it could’ve been. It wasn’t always sad and pathetic to see Seagal make another in a string of horrific films.
Seagal is usually identified with the action stars of the 1980s (Arnold, Stallone, Norris, Van Damme), his career is actually more of a bridge between the era of the “One man army” and the modern era of action heroes. Seagal seemed poised to be the next great action hero after the peak of the 1980s action stars. Unlike some of the modern action stars who only play tough guys (Matt Damon, Tom Cruise), Seagal is a legitimate tough guy in the vein of Norris and Van Damme. And when Above the Law came out, one could see that perhaps the next decade might be led by action star Seagal.
And following it up with a string of hits (Marked for Death, Out for Justice, Under Siege) that made him a bonafide draw at the time, the foundation was laid for him to take on the mantle from the stars of yesteryear. But as the times changed for action films, Seagal remained the same. Invincible, pure of heart, unable to be hurt or wounded, Seagal played the exact same character over and over to the point where the changing times demanded a different sort of hero. Whereas Die Hard, released around the same time, featured a sympathetic hero with human weaknesses, Seagal was still the same badass who no one could wound or hurt. Ever. Coupled with a string of action films promoting his political causes (the environment in particular), Seagal become a parody completely unaware of the joke that his career has become.
You can take every single movie he’s done to this point and it’s basically the same as Above the Law in terms of character and plot, just with different names and co-stars. Seagal stars as himself, and he has to defeat some bad guys. This time it’s involving a serial killer, and Seagal’s a cop who does it “his way” which apparently implies using stunt doubles for every action scene and somebody else’s bad Southern accent dubbed over his own voice for most of the dialogue.
The film’s venture into cinematic hell begins at the six-minute mark, when the same guy being thrown through a window is shown a dozen times and Seagal’s kick (which was filmed to show him going out backwards) is so powerful that the stunt man turned around and jumps through. There’s one thing to be said about bad editing, but even for Seagal this is sad. It doesn’t get any better, as moments of dialogue abjectly turn into poorly filmed action sequences which seem to think that showing the same exact frame multiple times someone makes it “edgy.”
Avoid this film at all costs. It’s over an hour and a half of your life you’re guaranteed never to get back.
Presented in a widescreen format with a Dolby Digital surround, Kill Switch has a great a/v presentation. It looks and sounds wonderfully, which is abou tits only redeeming point.
The film’s Theatrical Trailer is included. Previews for War, Inc, Blood Brothers, Cyborg Soldier, Sukiyaki Western Django, August, Transsiberian, Bird of America and Priceless are also included.
Kill Switch comes out the same day as new editions of Rear Window, Vertigo, Touch of Evil, Le Deuxième Souffle and Le Doulos. Do yourself a favor and purchase any one of those instead of this. Or better yet, donate the $25.99 that Amazon.com is currently charging for this film to any number of charities, political campaigns or gambling addictions that would be worthy of almost a full day’s work at minimum wage. Just don’t even stoop so low as to rent this.
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First Look presents Kill Switch. Directed by Jeff King. Starring Steven Seagal, Holly Dignard, Isaac Hayes, Chris Thomas King. Written by Steve Seagal. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: 10.7.2008. Available at Amazon.com.
