My standards for smash, bang, shoot-em-up "guy" movies
are pretty low. I understand that it's not about the plight of
the human condition, or the essence of existence. We just want
to cling to the edge of our seats a little as we enjoy a few nice
shootouts and car chases.
With this in mind, it takes an especially inept script to disappoint me in an action movie. This is such a script. Try this on for size: a lone-wolf cop single-handedly saves the Vice President's life, then gets demoted for his recklessness. On his new beat, he locks horns with a Heroin dealer who's really a billionaire dot-commer who's only doing deals so he can gather evidence against the dirty cops who framed his brother. What??
You see, in order to really enjoy an action flick, I need just a little bit of credibility, a little bit of continuity so I can feel involved in the action. Needless to say, this film is hard to buy into in that regard. The characters are all flimsy, and the lines they get to read are exceptionally silly. (And the comic relief is REALLY lame.)
Now, all this wouldn't bother me nearly as much if the action was more exciting. This is the essence of a Jackie Chan movie: tissue-thin storyline, jaw-dropping action. Unfortunately, the action wasn't that tight. The car chases feel phony. I'm supposed to be excited as these people go racing through the street at 100 miles an hour. Instead, I feel like I'm watching a film editing project. The fights are that way, as well. With enough tricky editing and camera work, I could be on film, taking out half a dozen bad guys! To heck with that; let's see what Stephen Segall can really do. I know he's a genuine badass, but only because I've seen (and enjoyed) some of his past movies.
It's hard to recommend this movie for any purposes. If you want to see Stephen Segall in better Italian Ninja Green-Beret form, I suggest renting Above The Law or Under Siege. If you want action, with intensity and quality that will boggle the mind, try Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.