Search - Belly of the Beast on DVD

King Of The Pudge

Arthur Kicker | Your Mom's House | 01/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nowadays, Steven Seagal seems to be eating a lot and doesn't seem to be working out much but still sees fit to make movies. At least this time, Lord Steven hooked up with a killer director, Hong Kong's own Ching Siu Tung('Naked Weapon', 'Duel To The Death'), and together they've made a pretty good little action movie.When I say that its good, you have to get by the fact that Stevie is completely out of shape, talks in a different voice during every scene, and at one point in the movie rummages through a refrigerator. Ching Siu Tung's action is beautifully done(if you can suspend disbelief as Stevie does a few spinning jump kicks high in the air when we all know that the man can't get more than two inches off the ground these days)and the special effects are practically seamless and amazingly done for lower budget picture such as this. There is some cool stuff done with bullets and arrows, you'll know what I mean when you see it.Top-notch action from one of the world's best action directors, a decent if generic plot, and a whole lot of killing make for a nice little gem of a straight-to-dvd movie, despite Seagal's attempts to sabotage the proceedings."

Not bad for later stage Seagal

Jeffrey Leach | Omaha, NE USA | 10/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the late 1980s and early 1990's, it looked as though Seagal would join the ranks of Hollywood's top action stars. You would hear his name in the same sentence with Arnie and Stallone, no small feat indeed. And to a large degree, Seagal's films deserved the comparison. "Under Siege" was a winner, as were "Hard to Kill" and "Above the Law." The actor's greatest appeal isn't hard to fathom; Seagal embraced a brutal form of martial arts that, at least onscreen, allowed him to slap down thugs, break bones, and wreak massive havoc without batting an eye. Literally, Seagal would stand in place and put down one goon after the other with an ease that looked not only natural but also realistic. I still enjoy watching that pool room scene where Seagal's character used pool cues, billiard balls, and whatever else he could lay his hands on to put out the trash. Alas, how the mighty have fallen. The early 1990s may as well be ancient history as far as Steven Seagal is concerned. Although he's still capable of making a few moderately entertaining films, which "Belly of the Beast" ultimately is, far too often we're seeing movies like "The Foreigner" and "Ticker."

Seagal plays international man of mystery Jake Hopper, a guy who used to work for the CIA, the DEA, the FBI, or a dozen other intelligence gathering agencies--take your pick. As the movie opens, we see Hopper and his partner Sunti (Byron Mann) setting up a bunch of drug dealers in Thailand. Something goes wrong, probably a double cross, and the two agents must fight their way out of the building. In the process, Sunti accidentally kills a mother holding her infant child. He's so torn up over the incident that he goes off to join a Buddhist order, presumably leaving Hopper partnerless and a little lonely. Flash forward ten or so years. Hopper now works as a freelance operative, the sort of guy the agencies come to when they need a safe broken into. The only thing that matters to our hero is his lovely daughter Jessica (Sarah Lane), but tranquility shatters when a radical Islamic terrorist cell called the Abu Karaf abducts Jessica and a Senator's daughter. Abu Karaf sends a videotape of the two girls to the government, threatening to kill them if the authorities refuse to release a few prisoners. Predictably, Jake Hopper vows revenge for this horrible injustice. He goes on a series of rampages throughout the Far East in an effort to find his daughter.

Hopper suspects that someone other than the Abu Karaf is behind the kidnapping of his daughter, so he brings back Sunti from the Buddhist sabbatical for back up. The two men run into all sorts of problems. On a mission to track the whereabouts of the Abu Karaf, Hopper and Sunti touch off a gang war during an arms deal turned suddenly bad. Then there is a serious sword fight with a bunch of ninja type thugs in a warehouse. Hopper learns that General Jantapan (Tom Wu) and a cross dressing martial arts expert are the ones responsible for his current troubles, so he heads after them with guns blazing. All the while, Jake Hopper presents the American authorities with a dilemma. Our government is running an operation to free the girls, but Hopper keeps getting in the way. The conclusion to the film looks like it came right out of "The Matrix," as Seagal's character battles for his daughter's life. There are super slow motion arrows and bullets whizzing through the air, bodies suspended in mid jump, millions of rounds of ammunition expended, and even shell casings clattering on the pavement. We even get some sort of super magic fight between a group of Buddhist monks and some Hindu witchdoctor. Sure it sounds ridiculous, but it is entertaining.

Compared to Seagal's dreckfest "The Foreigner," "Belly for the Beast" is an Oscar candidate. The performances aren't terrible, the action is steady and decently choreographed throughout, and the settings look authentic. Still, I couldn't help but notice a few problems. One concerned the rapidly expanding bulk of Steven Seagal. Fans of the man have long commented on his deteriorating physique, and this problem is fully apparent in the movie. At one point, Seagal's character slides along the floor in order to stay out of sight during a burglary. I laughed heartily at both the expression on his face and the sneaking suspicion that someone just off frame was pulling him on a wire. And that scene where he takes a bottle of water out of the refrigerator! Oh brother! Seagal looked like a television repairman lumbering around the house. Another problem centers on some of the illogical plot problems. For instance, why did the CIA guy help Hopper get out of jail? His orders were to keep Seagal's character out of the way, which a short stint in the stir would have accomplished. But there's the CIA guy watching him walk off. It probably has something to do with Hopper being too cool to keep under lock and key because he's SEAGAL. Hear him roar!

If you're interested, the extras on the disc consist of a bunch of trailers for films like "Returner," "The Foreigner," "Belly of the Beast," and "Out for a Kill." While this film cannot compare to early Steven Seagal actioners, it does stand on its own as a rather decent flick. It's derivative, full of action film cliches, and tries to pass off an overweight fifty year old as a spry intelligence operative full of take no prisoners bravado, but what else were you expecting? By the way, did you hear they are thinking about making "Under Siege 3"? Hopefully, Seagal will shed some pounds before starring in that one.


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