A Good Man (2014) Reviews

• A decent B-movie actioner, and an improvement over FORCE OF EXECUTION

  brchthethird2014-10-11

  Steven Seagal returns to the screen in this story about a former black ops warrior who gets caught in between Russian and Chinese gangs in order to save the sister of his neighbor, whose brother is in debt to the Russian mob. Truth be told, while one could call this a Steven Seagal movie, his character occupies a position that simultaneously is and isn't the center of the story (much like his previous effort FORCE OF EXECUTION). However, unlike FORCE OF EXECUTION, the story is better, more thought out and has better action sequences. Even the acting is better this time around, which is a plus. Story-wise, Seagal plays a variation on the character he plays in almost every movie he makes: that of the reluctant hero. He puts himself into a self-imposed retirement after a terrorist hit goes wrong, and a young girl dies while one of the bad guys gets away. Cut to the present day, and he's living a quiet life in Eastern Europe. His neighbor (Iulia Verdes) works at a strip bar (but she's just a bartender) run by the Russian mob while her half-brother (Victor Webster) pays off a debt owed by his father. However, when some men are killed and money meant for the Chinese mob goes missing, the neighbor's little sister is kidnapped and Alexander (Seagal) goes back into action. I thought that the story, while nothing original at all, was at least executed rather well within the confines of what constitutes a Seagal movie. The performances were also decent for this type of movie, with Tzi Ma probably doing the best out of the cast. Also of note is the improved fight sequences, which aren't completely edited to hell this time. The camera-work still has a hand-held feel to it, but the action is more comprehensible than a lot of Seagal's recent DTV output and you can tell that it's him a lot more of the time. They also varied the types of fighting. Sure, they had the typical gunplay and close quarters hand-to-hand combat, but Seagal also got to use a short sword for several scenes which was a nice change of pace (and provided some gruesome kills). Still, as always it wasn't all great. This movie was filmed on the cheap in Romania and it shows in the bleak cinematography and sparse sets. There was also some digital augmentation in a few scenes that stuck out pretty badly, and a couple of obvious uses of stock footage that wasn't at the same quality as the movie itself. And while some might count this as a positive, there was a bunch of gratuitous nudity which was only in there because some scenes happened to take place in a bar. There's also an awkward "sex" scene with Steven Seagal and Iulia Verdes which could have been left out completely. When all is said and done, Seagal fans should be pleased, as this is a return to form of sorts, at least when limited to his DTV work. As always, though, everyone else should probably find something else to watch.

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• Seagal has become a fat old fart with a potty mouth

  tonghua20052014-09-09

  I used to love Seagal's movie, his fighting style, even over the years, he is getting old, his movie is getting old, but it is OK, I still enjoyed it. But, this movie is killing me....throughout the movie, the most said line by Seagal is mother...er, the fight scene is joke, other actors has to get in the position and pause so Seagal can do his move... They probably got his sword from a dollar store judge by its look. The most expense on the equipment could well be the remote airplane they called drone in the movie. And the actors, omg, if I didn't know, and I didn't start from the beginning, I would thought it was a low budget porn movie without the porn. What can I say? You are warned.

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• A Decent B-Grade DTV Action Flick

  ActionFan-Reviews2014-08-19

  We all know what to expect when watching a direct to video Steven Seagal movie. "A Good Man" may not be like "Marked For Death" or "Under Siege" but it definitely rates as one of his better DTV movies I've seen. I myself partly watch these movies for the comedic value of course to see Seagal's acting/cheesy plot and as a B-action film fan. Of course a movie like this you don't expect a great story but lots of action and Seagal kicking the bad guy's ass in the most unconvincing and bloody way possible. The movies good for that and lots of naked babes are a bonus too. Seagal definitely doesn't seem as lazy/careless in his acting as he usually seems in his DTV movies which was a surprise. Tzi Ma was good as a villain, he pretty much plays the same role he did on 24. I also thought that his partner wasn't so bad in the movie. Could he be the next potential DTV action star??.....maybe. Overall, better than the other dozens of crap DTV Seagal movies that have came out and that will within the year. A good watch for the B- action film fan who know's what to expect and for the few Steven fans out there. 4.5/10

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• Not bad for a Seagal DTV Movie!

  stabester04062014-08-20

  Look, this movie is never going to win any awards, the acting is acceptable in places, wooden (to say the least)in others but everybody does look as if they are interested which compared to some DTV films is a blessing. Steven Seagal plays the ex Special Forces guy retired when Women & Children are killed on an spec-op he was on etc. He then flushes out his original target by assassinating various members and bag men from the Russian syndicate who are laundering money for said target, working for said syndicate is Sasha played by Victor Webster to clear his dead fathers debt, he has 2 sisters who are also being drawn into the debt repayment scheme via the usual 'Oh she looks fit can we use her to repay part of the debt' etc. Victor Webster is clearly talented in Martial Arts and does hold an unbeaten record in a couple of Martial Arts, his acting however is not as good but for B-Movie fare he is fine. The only real issue with the film is the ending, Steven Seagal who is 62 (and doesn't look a day over 68) is playing alongside a 24 year old who Seagal all the way through protects more in a father figure type way, when these 2 end up together in what is quite clearly not a Father and daughter type clinch it's very wrong.....very wrong indeed.

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• Not So Bad

  Joropukki2015-09-26

  I've seen most of Seagal's films. Director Waxman seems to have found a way to direct him. I won't go into storyline details, just commenting on the production will suffice here. What I liked the best here was the atmosphere. It's gritty and effective, well backed up by music. I wonder why some commentators complain about the amount of action. I think there is enough gore. Most actors are not too great and a sturdy Seagal isn't exactly your special-ops type physically, but on the whole the story carries on well enough. Romania makes for a great place to shoot grit like this. I'll give it seven.

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