It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Seriously! You call this a movie. The Director should be shot, and Segal needs acting lessons ....and a diet plan. All I can say is they must've plied investors with a lot of booze, coke, and hookers to make this one. Hell, it was so bad I didn't even put it on pause when I got up to go take a dump. It was like watching Elvis in the last year of his life...pitiful

Should really be titled, "Santa Claus and his magic aikido force-field hands."It's amazing to me how many people appear to have at least liked this movie to a point - witness the substantial amount of reviews saying, in effect, "Not bad for a Seagal movie," or, "Back to the Seagal we know...."Wow - I can see nothing but an embarrasment. A horribly cringe-worthy "love scene." Lame plot beyond the bounds of silliness, and a huge. bloated Seagal faking his way through what doesn't really qualify even for "B-movie" status.

You know, love Steven Seagal films, especially his older films. From that time when he was somewhat tolerable, and he was thin and charismatic. He had a screen presence and star power. And his characters, no matter how they look all the same, the were, again, more tolerable. But from the beginning of 2000s... That one was pure mistake. Look at him, he is fat, not that super, boring, slow, disgustingly decadent... Just like every new character in straight to DVD films. Now, the story is simple just like in every Seagal's film, he is the former operative, they kidnap his daughter, he goes after her, blah blah blah... He wins in the end he saves her, everyone's happy, except for the villains, blah blah... This film offers really dumb martial arts scenes, Seagal very rarely uses Aikido, he turns more to some Ta Chi, or Kung Fu.. Wtf? Seagal is constantly dressed as a Buddhist monk, only because you are a member of that religion, doesn't mean you need to do it your films. But, alas, Seagal being stubborn when it comes to his views of the world, he always plays himself, so don't expect some good performances, not from him, not from anyone. Everything is plain bad in this film, action, music score, cinematography... Very amateurish. There is a scene, where Seagal is attacked by a transvestite fighter, I don't know what did they try to do with that. What was the point in that scene? let's put some bizarre opponents in this film, and they were just there, they had a fight, nothing more... No charisma no development, nothing new within these characters. Also, this is the funniest stuff in the film. There's a Buddhist temple, from where Seagal draws power to fight (yes, that happens in the film. The power of Buddhist monks), also the villains have their own dark Buddhist monk... What a hell?! I think that Seagal, not only that he wants to promote his own world views (just like he did in "Fire Down Below", or in "On Deadly Ground"), but he also decided to promote his own religion. Remember, when you promote religion, or force it to your audience, that can only turn bad and repelling. So, I don't recommend this film, because it's a silly Buddhist-action film with no characters and meaning. Mindless garbage!

Steven Segall may be older and put on weight but he still has what it takes. The gentlemen from jells kitchen is not a critic and should leave that roll to those who are. However, he certainly has the right to express what he fells but to rake Segall over the coals the way did was not justified. It's one thing to not like the movie it's another thing to go after the actor. These folks are not show offs but take their jobs seriously. Many spend months researching the rolls they are to play going so far as to actually get hands on experience if able. And while your out at it get verb conjugation right. This movie was very good. Was it one of the best that Segall has done, no, but was not the worse. Who cares if he had a stand in on some of the fight scenes. Not everyone can be an Angelina Jolee or a Jackie Chan so lay off the guy. I saw nothing wrong with the script or the dialog. The photography was beautiful and showed the beauty of Thailand and its people.