Absolution (2015) Reviews

• A Routine Action Film...

  namashi_12015-06-23

  A sequel to A Good Man, 'Absolution' is a routine action film, that has some absorbing moments. The storytelling is very 1980's, although some of the action bits are sharp. 'Absolution' Synopsis: John Alexander (Steven Seagal) is a contract killer. After encountering a girl on the run from a mob boss (Vinnie Jones) with powerful political connections, he is torn between protecting the girl and remaining loyal to the government agency that hired him for a mission. 'Absolution' clearly lacks an innovative script, but all said and done, some of it works. Especially the second-hour, where there is good scope for some hardcore, bloody action. Keoni Waxman's Direction is decent. Cinematography is standard. Editing is okay. Performance-Wise: Steven Seagal is as usual, but he looks completely out of shape. Byron Mann does some terrific action here & is also the scene-stealer. Vinnie Jones is reduced into a loud villain. Adina Stetcu is average. On the whole, 'Absolution' is, at best, a passable watch.

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• A return to form for Seagal?

  sonofjorel3162015-04-26

  Without any spoilers as a direct to DVD film this is one of Seagal better efforts. Please don't listen to the critic's Technically it's a well executed film. Seagal and Mann make a great team together and whilst Vinnie Jones is not in the film a great deal he's a very believable bad guy because quite frankly playing psychos is what Vinnie does best. I rated It an 8 as an action film because the story and pace and action kept me entertained. I do recommend this to fans of Seagal. Please view for yourself and decide.

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• If you've seen one Steven Seagal flick....

  subxerogravity2015-05-17

  I don't get how this got to theaters. Last year, Jean-Claude Van Damme had two movies in theaters, Welcome to the Jungle and Enemies Closer, which were pretty decent, mostly because the muscles from Brussels stepped (slightly) out of his element to give us something different than his signature kicks and it worked to make a good movie. I was expecting the same thing from this Seagal movie (after all, when was the last time this guy had something that did not premiere on Netflix?), but as soon as the movie open with a stupid narration about Seagal being a bad man who does bad things and he's looking to redeem himself with one good deed, I knew this was not that movie. If any of you are aware of the old fat Seagal era on DVD, than you have herd Steve do this speech in every straight-to-video flick he's ever made. This movie could not be more formulated to the old fat saga, (takes place in Eastern Europe, he plays blues guitar, etc…). The only exception was that the strippers in the film were not naked. Maybe this is how the movie got into theaters? Don't get me wrong, it's a fine action movie, especially if you at least like Seagal, but I was hoping since this was the first Seagal movie I've seen in years in a movie house, that he would do something different or that it was a return to Seagal back when he was thinner and ran like a girl, but it was neither.

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• It's Too Late For Absolution Steven

  Theo Robertson2015-04-28

  This starts with a man called John Alexander undergoing contemplative brooding introspection: "I've been a bad man my whole life . If I can do only one good thing in life then that would give me absolution" Considering John is played by Steven Seagal a more honest appraisal might be: "I've been an abysmally bad actor my entire life . If I could only make one half decent movie then that would be absolution for the audience" Unfortunately ABSOLUTION is not that film and seeing the physical appearance of Seagal tells us that it's never going to happen either . It's something of a shock the way Seagal looks nowadays . Try and imagine Marlon Brando in APOCALYPSE NOW with too much artificial hair and that gives you a vague idea of what happens if you're an action movie star who doesn't visit the gym very often . You do wonder how SS is going to kick some ass in his present condition . This is easily explained - he shoots bad guys and leaves any jumping and kicking to his cohort , or failing that a stunt double with his back to camera . It's not absolution that is required but lots of salad and exercise The film starts with SS being given a mission to eliminate "This Afghan national working for the Iranians and with ties to Pakistan" It's at this very early point alarm bells start ringing that the geo-politics here might be wrong since the Persians and Pakistanis have never really been allies . That said this Afghan national isn't really the main villain , it's a character played by Vinnie Jones and when you're watching a film where Jones gives the most impressive performance that might explain why ABSOLUTION has gone straight to DVD

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• "There's a big difference between a real warrior and a wannabe"

  The_Phantom_Projectionist2015-05-15

  For their sixth feature-length collaboration, Steven Seagal and director Keoni Waxman stick with the formula that had served them well for their last two pictures. Like FORCE OF EXECUTION and A GOOD MAN, ABSOLUTION features more fights, a recognizable supporting cast, and a beard for Steven…but it's not as good. This is a decent action flick, but while it has all the right components, it's missing the energy of its recent predecessors. It's worth watching if you're a fan, but it's much more of a middle-of-the-road outing for the Buddhist Bonecrusher than I would prefer. The story: A mercenary hit man (Seagal) becomes involved in a corrupt operation between the government and the underworld when he rescues a young woman (Adina Stetcu) from a vicious mafia boss (Vinnie Jones). In all fairness, I did not particularly enjoy the expanded storyline, but someone who has no problem with it might rate the film higher than me. A cornerstone of the plot involves Vinnie Jones' character as a sadist who kills trafficked women in his personal torture chamber; this isn't HOSTEL by any means but it is sadism purely for sadism's sake, and it makes for probably the worst role that Jones has ever played. Adrina Stetcu, playing his surviving victim, is a damsel who needs to be saved multiple times by Seagal and ultimately falls for him despite his relatively cold attitude towards her. This is a pretty cynical film, for sure...though it isn't without its light moments. There's a laid-back sense of humor for most of the runtime, and Seagal seems to enjoy teaming up with his on screen partner Byron Mann. This isn't BELLY OF THE BEAST, but the two have decent chemistry. Like Bren Foster and Victor Webster in the two films before this one, Byron Mann fills the role of a nimbler cohort to take the heat in half of the fight scenes. Of the nine full-length brawls, Byron leads five and the adrenaline is clearly on his side. Both Seagal and he are guilty of some doubling throughout, but particularly Mann's fights provide some thrills; I enjoyed his showdown with ex-UFC champ Josh Barnett more than I thought I would. Seagal is serviceable and even reaches into his repertoire to pull out some moves from his heyday, but overall, the brawls could use some better choreography. Vinnie Jones' single fight is particularly disappointing. This movie constitutes the third installment in Seagal/Waxman's "Alexander" trilogy, but it does not tie the story lines together any more than A GOOD MAN did. ABSOLUTION can easily be viewed as a standalone film, but if you were to watch only one of the three most recent Seagal vehicles, it should not be this one. While not such a big step down that I'd be amazed if Steven regained his composure with his next film, this one's still a minor disappointment for this fan and should definitely be approached as a rental.

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