'Stone Cold Action' - Hunt to Kill (2010)

Director: Keoni Waxman

Cast: Steve Austin, Gary Daniels, Eric Roberts, Gil Bellows

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 98 min

'Stone Cold Action' is a series in which I watch and review some of the action films of professional wrestler and direct to video action star, Steve Austin, for the first time. It's a part of an effort to expose myself to action stars that I previously skipped over or wrote off long ago. Therefore, I pre-selected four Steve Austin films at random (i.e. the four that came in the four pack that I purchased) and have chosen to watch and review them for my educational growth and for your entertainment.

Before heading into Hunt to Kill, the first film in my Steve Austin journey, I noticed that the film had a lot going for it based upon its director and supporting cast, regardless of Steve Austin's obvious head lining. For starters, the film is directed by Keoni Waxman, a very notable, although far from commendable, DTV director who has directed many Steven Seagal films over the last ten years (from The Keeper to End of a Gun), as well as a few one-offs here and there. Second, two of Austin's Expendables co-stars appear in the film, veteran actor Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight) and DTV action star Gary Daniels (Rage, Riot). Roberts is one thing, as the guy is willing to take a check for just about any action film, but Daniels is a part of a cult fandom of his own. Daniels is the kind of action star who leads action films, and here he is relegated to supporting player? That's like watching Seagal in 1996's Executive Decision. Although Kurt Russell may be the lead in that film, you can't help but soak in every second that Seagal gets.

Therefore, Hunt to Kill piqued my interest before I even delved into its Stone Cold Steve Austin-ness. However, and to my surprise, the film is pretty solid not only because of its supporting cast, but because of its engaging plot (at least for the first half), genuine tension, and, dare I say, charisma and bad ass chops of its lead actor. Austin is far from an energetic or unique action star, but he is surprisingly watchable and enjoyable in how subtle and kind his performance is. He's strapped with the perfect kind of role too, that of a loving father who knows about survival but wants nothing but to protect his daughter. While Waxman's direction is far from great, and the third act of the film drags, Hunt to Kill is one of the better DTV films of the 2010s, representing an increase in quality low budget action productions that the likes of Isaac Florentine, Roel Reine, and John Hyams kicked off in the mid to late aughts.

Austin nay-sayers be damned. How can you not like this guy?

Hunt to Kill treats viewers to a nice prologue that plays like a mini-movie in and of itself before it even gets into the hunting and killing. Jim (Steve Austin) is a border patrol agent whom is about to retire. On one of his last days, he and his partner Lee (Eric Roberts in a nice cameo), inspect a drug filled camper. When they let their guard down, some gun men emerge from the ground and murder Lee, while Jim shoots them back and escapes with serious wounds. Fast forward years later, and now Jim is living in the mountains of Montana with his daughter, Kim, who resents him. 

Elsewhere, a group of bank robbers steal a large sum of money. However, when one of their own betrays them and runs off with the money to, where else, the mountains of Montana, the group heads there in search of him. You can see where this is going? When the thieves confront the local sheriff for the whereabouts of their man, things quickly become complicated as Jim and Kim stumble upon the thieves' murderous work of the sheriff. The thieves capture Kim and than force Jim to lead them into the woods in order to find their man and their money.

While it takes awhile to explain the plot of Hunt to Kill, as the film itself even takes about thirty minutes to settle into a groove, its thankfully simplistic and inherently tense for DTV standards. Although there isn't a lot of action, there's some genuine tension between Austin and his captors, and this drives the narrative forward. Watching Austin play along with their game, while having to sit by and watch his daughter's life be at risk, makes for a truly engaging action plot. You know that Austin is eventually going to one-up his captors and that it's going to be so satisfying once he kills them. That's essentially the name of the game with Hunt to Kill, a film that plays it affectively simple and relies more so on tension than shootouts, stabbings, and explosions. It's a smart decision from a budgetary stand point as well.

"That's right guys. I'm in this movie."

That being said, the affective nature of the first two acts eventually dies off once the thieves think they've killed Austin and send him sliding off of a cliff. The last forty minutes of the film consist of Austin gearing up and going after the remaining thieves in order to save his daughter and enact his revenge on the men for really messing with his family. Unfortunately, it's dragged out beyond belief and becomes quite dull to watch after awhile. Although you'd hope that the built up part of the film would deliver on all of the juicy action and excitement that you've been patient for, it's a bit of a let down, at least from an editing stand point. The scene in which Austin carves up some weapons and puts on face paint runs way too long, including his stalking of one of the wounded thieves in the woods. Even his final show down against the main baddie of the film runs for too long and is nearly devoid of stakes or tension. Scenes like these enforce my opinion that if the film had been cut twenty minutes shorter, it would have been far more successful. I'm sure that a one hour and eighteen minute film seems too short to distributors and such, but come on, if it work it works.

It's very obvious that Hunt to Kill's story beats and plot points are taken from numerous other action films, although at no point would I ever say that it blatantly rips them off, but more so adapts and ingests their creative influences. Austin's secretive knowledge that the thieves' hostage is his daughter is very reminiscent to one of the best story beats in Die Hard in which the terrorists don't know that they have the hero's wife in their hands. While it's a bummer this element doesn't last long, it adds oodles of tension early on. Comparisons can also be drawn to Commando, as Austin is forced to carry out a villainous group's desires or else his daughter be killed.

The lush forest setting and hunter/tracker aspects also harkens to First Blood, as both films set their character driven action and tension amidst the trees and greens with some sweet crossbow action to boot. While on the topic of the woods, it's a nice change of pace for a DTV film to be set somewhere else other than dreary Eastern Europe or the bland streets of Los Angeles. It goes miles for a DTV fan like myself to be able to look at something other than bland and gray buildings. The wooded setting also proves the production's commitment to its premise, as at no point did I ever think that the actors were standing in front of a green screen. It's very possible that there is a shot or two of CG, but otherwise, it's clear that the actors are out there, in the woods, getting soaking wet and exhausted for our entertainment. Sure, Hunt to Kill is no masterpiece, but I've got nothing but respect for actors who have to go through that. Although, it's no The Revenant, so I guess I should temper my compliments.

Austin surrenders to his captors in one of many 'green' scenes.

Austin proves himself a good actor here, conveying vulnerability as a man outnumbered, badassery as a former border patrol agent with deadly skills, and sweetness as a father who cares about his daughter. One of the defining aspects of the film is the believable relationship between Austin and his daughter, played by the talented Marie Avgeropoulos. Both she and he do a great job at conveying the challenges of a father and daughter at odds, but who ultimately love one another at the end of the day. The only weakness that I could find in Austin's performance came during his one-liners, which are also quite horrendously written. Lines like, "When I hunt, I hunt to kill," will make even the easiest of action fans groan.

Although there isn't much action in the film, what is there is quite good, although at least from Waxman standards it's dynamite in contrast to the likes of his work with Seagal. The action mostly comes in the form of quick and short bursts of action, such as the shootout at the beginning of the film or a small skirmish between Austin and his captors here and there. Thankfully, Waxman understands what actors he is working with, and delivers with an epic smack down between Austin and Daniels towards the end. It's far and away the best part of the entire film, as the two action stars go head to head in a solid fight in which Daniels beats the crap out of Austin until Austin defeats him through sheer determination and some handy broken logs.

If I had to decry one element of the film as the most offensive, it would definitely be the score, which is deafeningly bad and absolutely pointless. It's so redundant, bland, and forgetful, that it essentially noises up scenes that probably would have worked just fine without music. A far more subdued and minimal score along the lines of The Proposition or No Country for Old Men would have been more affective, but we're talking DTV here, and that rarely ever happens.

Austin versus Daniels, need I say more?

Although I jumped into Austin's filmography randomly with Hunt to Kill, I don't think that I could have picked a more perfect jumping off point, as the film showcases just about all of the range that I think this action star possesses. Austin shows both his soft side and kicks ass at the same time while Waxman directs some affective tension from a decent script. The first half of the film is stronger than the second, as the build up and inherent tension in the first half is stronger than the sluggish work in the second. All in all, you still get the pay off that you expected, but it's not nearly as affective as it could have been, as the film's minimal material is dragged out too long in order to fulfill a feature run time over ninety minutes. At the end of the day, the wooded setting and inherent tension set it apart enough from the rest of the DTV pack, whilst also delivering a shameless showdown between Austin and Daniels that makes for one of DTV cinema's most memorable fights. Good stuff, recommended.

Rating: 6.5/10 - A tension filled first half, a sluggish second half, and a memorable fight between Austin and Daniels. That's Hunt to Kill in a nut shell.

DTV Cinema - The Keeper (2009)

Director: Keoni Waxman

Cast: Steven Seagal, Luce Rains, Liezl Carstens, Kisha Sierra

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 94 min

DTV Cinema is a series dedicated to reviewing and discussing all things direct to video. Although one could easily take a direct to video at the same face value as a theatrically released film, they truly do differ in many ways, and represent their own sub-genre and fandom that makes them fun and unique to follow.

Steven Seagal is a fascinating creature; as well as a personal obsession of mine. After starring in a streak of several fantastic action films in the early 90s, the sensei himself quickly devolved into a lazy action star who only appeared in lousy and cheap direct to video (DTV) action films. It's shocking how a star of such quality could go from Academy Award nominated material (i.e. Under Siege) to low rent garbage that defines the bargain bin. It is people like Seagal who gave the DTV market a bad name in the first place.

Although I have not made it apparent on my blog, me and a group of friends have been slowly working our way through every single DTV Seagal film since last year for kicks and giggles. I have seen too many to count, as well as more than I would like to admit sitting all of the way through. There is no denying it, almost every one of Seagal's direct to video films are complete trash. They feature horrendous acting, inept plotting, incomprehensible action sequences, terrible sound design, and loads of accidental comedy. While I most certainly will never review every single one of these DTV films (come on guys, I have a life), I thought that I would tackle a couple in order to get my opinion out there about some of Seagal's lesser films. First up on the chopping block is, The Keeper, a surprisingly well received Seagal venture that is more or less Seagal's attempt at Man on Fire meets Taken with a little bit of his own Hard to Kill thrown in for good measure.

Rest in peace to quality Steven Seagal films.

I forgot to mention that one of the fun aspects of watching Seagal's DTV films is trying to piece together their horribly complicated plots. Therefore, instead of cheating and reading up online what the exact plot of the film is, I thought that I would take a stab at it myself.

After Roland Salinger (Steven Seagal) and his partner raid a room full of goons and money, Salinger's partner suggests keeping the money for themselves. When Salinger expresses disinterest in the matter, his partner reveals that he was kidding, only to pull a gun and shoot Salinger "dead!" It's rare that Seagal ever receives a wound within his films, let alone dies or gets shot. Therefore, The Keeper marks a rare instance in which Seagal is almost "killed" off within the opening act. When his partner discovers that Salinger survived the incident, he heads to the hospital to finish Salinger off, only to be surprised as Salinger pulls a gun from his hospital bed and guns him down first! 

What's odd is that one might assume that The Keeper, much like Hard to Kill, will focus on Seagal's revenge against his betrayers. Instead, Seagal achieves his vengeance within the first 10 minutes. How's that for a short and dissatisfying revenge? In all honesty, this opening prologue has nothing to do with the rest of the plot, as it only serves the purpose to explain why Salinger is forced to retire from the force.

Anyways, the film than sort of gets into the real plot when a young woman, Nikita (Liezl Carstens), is attacked by masked men. Even though she escapes, her father hires her a bodyguard, a "keeper" if you will, Mister Roland Salinger. Unfortunately, Salinger is not able to properly protect Nikita, as she is successfully kidnapped one day, forcing Salinger, and Seagal, to try harder than ever before to kill her captors and rescue her.

Seagal shows some thugs whose boss as he slaps a poor stuntman around.

The Keeper was Seagal's first collaboration with director Keoni Waxman, a filmmaker who has since gone on to direct Seagal in DTV efforts A Dangerous Man, Maximum Conviction, Force of Execution, A Good Man, and Absolution. As far as DTV filmmakers come, Waxman finds himself towards the bottom of the list, right under neath Roel Reine (The Marine 2), who would than be followed by Isaac Florentine (Ninja, Ninja: Shadow of a Tear), and the cream of the crop, John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Regeneration). Unlike Reine, Florentine, and Hyams, Waxman has no understanding of how to tell a dramatically compelling story or how to direct a visibly comprehensible action sequence.

While nowhere near as awful as some of the directors that Seagal has worked with before, Waxman's films feature all of the trappings of many of Seagal's laziest efforts. For example, The Keeper features light voice dubbing, a sign that either not all of Seagal's lines were properly recorded or that Seagal whispered too often. There are also a couple scenes of behind the head body doubles, another sign that Seagal would only appear on camera for his dialog and action scenes, but not for coverage. There are also a few instances of sped up footage, another sign of Seagal's slow moves in his elder days. These DTV flaws are nowhere near as bad as some of the ones found in Seagal's worst films (i.e. Out for a Kill, Attack Force), but they are still awful and prove that Waxman directs films with a dull and tasteless style that prevents them from being taken seriously. Speaking of taken...

The Keeper could have been a solid opportunity for Seagal to take advantage of Taken's success and star in a film in which an over 50 actor kicks ass in order to rescue someone near and dear to him. While The Keeper may be more simplistic than some of Seagal's Rubix-Cube-esque plots to come before, Waxman still finds a way to over complicate things. In what should be a simple plot about a bodyguard who sets out to rescue a young woman, Waxman includes an unnecessary prologue about revenge and a sub-plot about Nikita's father and an enemy of his who wants to extort money out of him. This sub-plot is especially similar to the one found in Tony Scott's Man on Fire, another film about a body guard who protects a female until she is taken from him. However, none of this works in the film's favor, as viewers will find themselves bored to death by the double and triple crosses at the film's end that make no sense in the first place. I like these kind of plots, I really do. But even Seagal can't do one justice, which is a true shame. I guess I also have to include this film as apart of the Old Guys Kick Ass movement, as it came out after 2006 amidst the Taken craze.

Yee-ha! Cowboy Seagal, everyone.

One fun element of watching The Keeper is seeing Seagal, the least Southern actor of all time, be transported to Texas, an immensely Southern location. Seagal puts on a silly Southern accent at times, and even wears a ridiculous cowboy hat. I wish that he wore it for the entirety of the film, as it would have made for a great laugh throughout. What is even more hilarious is that even though the film takes place within Texas, the film was clearly shot in New Mexico. In one scene, Seagal drives past a train labeled: Santa Fe Railroad. Come on guys! You aren't even trying! Just say that the film is set in New Mexico, nobody will care!

For a DTV film of Seagal's stature, The Keeper features some fairly decent action, although most of it is incomprehensible and routine in nature. While I never expect a contemporary Seagal fight scene to ever impress me, I can typically hope that his shootouts, which are impersonal and simple for any one of any age to shoot, will be a stand out. Surprisingly, The Keeper features some fairly solid and satisfying gun fights, for the whole few seconds that they last. Just when the film starts to surprise you and trick you into thinking that Waxman and Seagal have stepped up their game, the film will cut away from the gunplay, as if to prove that the limited budget could only allow for so much gun fire. It came as no surprise, but the fist fights within the film don't stand up very well either. Each fight, which typically overstays its welcome, is shot with horrendous close-ups and cut to ad-nauseam. Therefore, don't go into The Keeper hoping for satisfying and breath taking action, as you will most likely be asleep by the time Seagal pulls the trigger.

The final nail in The Keeper's coffin is its immensely boring and excessive dialog that makes the viewer forget they are watching an action film in the first place. I will never understand why the screenwriters and directors of DTV films feel the need to include numerous conversations about exposition and nothing else within their low budget films. Give people action, that's what they want!

Until next time folks.

Besides the occasionally solid gun fights and the few moments of the film in which the plot stays simplistic, the only other compliment that I can pay The Keeper is that it at least looks like a real movie as opposed to some of Seagal's lesser works. To be honest, The Keeper is not funny enough to be so bad it's good, while neither good enough to be recommendable. Therefore, The Keeper finds itself stuck smack dab in the middle of the bad movie scale, earning it the title of forgettable blandness, which is honestly the worst thing a film can be. If you've already exhausted Taken numerous times, seen Man on Fire before, and don't feel like watching a good Seagal film like Hard to Kill, than give The Keeper a watch. Good luck remembering anything about the film a mere day later though.

Rating: 2/10 - The Keeper is not a keeper, ladies and gentlemen.