Exit Wounds (2001)

Exit Wounds sees Seagal in Detroit this time. The role of renegade cop with no respect for authority is a well worn story, and there are plenty of plot holes and the dialogue is amiss at times, but it's easy to engage with. Seagal by this time is a big star and so the humour about his tough guy image works quite well. This film was something of a revival for Steven Seagal - not as good as his high points Out For Justice and Under Siege - but he looks trimmer, the film has higher production values and the direction is above par. There are a lot of bangs for your buck and some good explosive action and stunts.

Until very recently, I had never seen Exit Wounds. Until I just now saw it for the first time ever, my opinion was that Fire Down Below (1997) was the last 'good' movie that Seagal ever starred in. After seeing Exit Wounds, I have had a change of opinion: Exit Wounds is definitely a better movie than Fire Down Below in most aspects...and THIS is Seagal's last good movie.I had always had the impression that right around the early 2000s, Seagal was 'done': Washed up, out-of-shape, difficult to understand when he talks, too raspy and subdued a voice, etc. Exit Wounds was a shocking surprise: Seagal was not difficult to understand at all, he was in the best shape I've seen him in I believe since the early 90s, and looked nearly as adept at hand-to-hand combat and running, jumping, etc. as I've ever seen him.The stunts in Exit Wounds -especially the car chases- were for the most part extremely well, done, exciting, hard-core and very realistic. The movie was quite action-packed...and both for the better and worse 'hard-core': Too much 'sensuality,' 'black culture,' feminism, gangsta feel, profanity, etc. This resulted in a lot of humorous situations but also some 'cringe-inducing' situations as well. Why would Steven Seagal take orders from a woman. Difficult to realistically believe. I wouldn't. Women DO belong 'barefoot and in the kitchen': This isn't 'chauvanismn'; it's 'wisdom' and 'enlightenment.' Overall, the movie was fairly enjoyable, quite 'watcheable,' and entertaining.

Orin Boyd (Seagal) is a Detroit cop who doesn't follow rules.After he saved the Vice President by violating every order he received he is transferred to one of the worst precincts in the city.There he quickly encounters some corrupt cops selling heroin to drug dealers.The problem is, it's very difficult to tell who is the bad guy and who you can trust....Seagal made a really welcome comeback with this excellent movie, which is flashily edited, well produced and wholly unbelievable, but from the producer of The Matrix and Die Hard, what are you expecting.It's Seagals last great film and probably his best performance as the cop who is the one who uncovers a plot after only being there a day.DMX pops up to bring the hip hop generation to the theatre, and he manages to give an okay performance.The fight scenes use a lot of wires, but it's great to see Seagal doing his stuff, and especially seeing him face off with Jai White during the finale.Arnold and Anderson nearly ruin the whole movie, and they have the Chris Tucker In the Fifth Element effect whenever they are in the movie. Luckily it's not for long.It's all sully stuff, but it works, and is very enjoyable...

This film was the worse Steven Segal film that I ever seen. Not because of Steven Segal but because of DMX. DMX can't act! DMX ruined an great Segal film. First, pairing Segal and DMX in the same film. DMX has no business been in one screen shot nevertheless a whole film with Steven Segal. Second, the role didn't fix DMX. His character was totally out of character for DMX: It wasn't a good fix. Lastly, why did they ruin this otherwise great Steven Segal film using DMX. They could have used a geeky young hispanic that was the son of a drug lord to make the plot work a lot better. I'm a big Steven Segal fan but this film sucked because of DMX acting and the rule he played in the film.