The first must-see film of the year.

Blistering performances.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Most recent Steven Seagal films are utter rubbish. That's the general consensus of even the most ardent lovers of the ponytailed star, whose glory days at the box office are but a distant memory. These days, there are films where he doesn't even get out of his chair (TICKER), and films where even his voice is doubled as well as his body (too many to note). PISTOL WHIPPED is slightly different, though, because it's a real film with real production values. It was also made in America, in Connecticut in fact, which makes a refreshing change from the usual Eastern European hijinks we've come to expect from the once-great star.The storyline is once more a rather slim concoction written entirely around Seagal's presence, but to be fair it does have more going for it than per usual. This time around Seagal is blackmailed into becoming an assassin, and stages a series of hits on some really unpleasant characters. Meanwhile there are more murky characters lurking around in the sidelines than in a pub alleyway on a Friday night, and it's all going to end in disaster. The good news is that Dutch director Roel Reine is probably the best director Seagal's teamed up with for a while, and he manages to bring style and some originality to the proceedings. I even felt that this film had a slight '70s vibe going on, an edginess pretty much missing from the actor's canon ever since NICO: ABOVE THE LAW.Seagal himself isn't too shabby, and we can at least be thankful that he doesn't seem to be noticeably doubled for much of the action (as well as other scenes) here. The supporting cast also has more going for it than per usual. Excluding Renee Goldsberry, who's awful as the love interest (her expression while eating a fried egg put paid to hopes that she might give a decent performance), we have great turns from Arthur J. Nascarella – as a really sleazy gangster-type who's number one on Seagal's hit list; Paul Calderon as 'Blue', a strange figure always lurking around, and best of all, Lance Henriksen! Henriksen has taken his time getting around to appearing in a Seagal film (let's not forget he starred with Van Damme back in 1993's HARD TARGET) and sadly it's a bit of a wasted opportunity here, as he appears in a mere handful of scenes and rarely rises from his theatre seat, but nevertheless it's great to have him on board.The action scenes are fun and there are some classic moments (like when a guy pretending to be a cop unwisely slaps Seagal's face as he's sitting in a car, and he pulls this guy's arm in and snaps it). The assassin moments are real highlights, especially when our hero takes down 'Bruce' and his cronies while sitting at a table. Things pick up as the film goes on, throwing in a wild shoot-out-cum-car-chase seemingly inspired by HEAT and finishing off with a massive extended gun battle in a cemetery of all places! None of it is particularly profound but it is fun and it did work for me – unlike some of the star's lesser productions of late. So, not bad at all.

thought this was a good Seagal film for a few reasons, first off it is back to basics, with immediate no questions asked action by the man, in scenes when he is even remotely threatened. That is classic SS and a throwback to the early days like in Marked For Death etc, so from that perspective, fans should not feel disappointed. Also thought the inclusion of the guy who was in quite a few films in the early 90's the character Blue was a good one. He was in some real good films like King of New York and Sea of Love and it was good to see him in this film, he comes over pretty well as some kind of mobster who clearly does not respect Seagal or even his Boss. Also thought the scene where Seagal tackles his ass in the house was good to watch, always like seeing SS do fight choreography with actors who are not in the business for that reason. Storyline is OK, perfectly acceptable to call in a debt from a lethal family man to knock off a few wide boys. All in all this is probably one of Seagals best 10 movies.

I didn't expect to see Casey Ryback, but I wasn't disappointed either. Steven Seagal seems to be doing better than his last direct-to-video efforts.He's an ex-cop with an alcohol and gambling problem, and is also neglectful of his daughter. He has a chance to get his life back together.His quest for the bad guys leads him to a place where he didn't expect.The action is hot and heavy with car chases and a final cemetery scene that ends in a blaze!Seagal is back!

Although "Pistol Whipped" is mostly shot in broad daylight - in opposite to some of Seagal's recent "stumble around in the dark" flicks like "Attack Force" - it has much in common with a 1940s film noir. Seagal portrays a totally broken hero - losing lots of money when gambling, divorced from the mother of his daughter, fired from the police, drinking too much, and he can't even keep promises he gives his daughter. But the world around him is not easy to divide into good guys and bad guys. His former police colleagues are corrupt, he doesn't trust his new employer at all, and even his new girlfriend has something to hide. Many dark shades of gray, thus the story was better than I expected, definitely a good progress from Seagal's previous couple of movies.Nevertheless, "Pistol Whipped" couldn't avoid the ridiculous moments typical for a Seagal flick, for example when he observes somebody secretly in a bar, trying not to be noticed. Yeah, right, 10 feet tall and staring at the other bloke all the time, nobody will notice him. Ah, but wouldn't it be less fun without things like that?