Steven Segal

[buckaroo]

I just watched one of his latest movies this afternoon, Flight of Fury, and found it to be so hokey that if I hadn't been watching it with a friend, I'd have turned it off. I have always liked his movies because of what looked more like the real thing in his fighting rather than the time tested, fight and fight and fight more until one guy is clearly beat, and then he gains a second wind and comes back with a fury and wins. This movie has Segal as an Air Force Colonel who is sent on a mission to recover a new aircraft that is totally invisible before terrorist use it. Other than some of the worst acting I've seen in years, there are a number of totally dumb errors that even a third grader could see. For one thing, the US Navy is called on to launch 4 aircraft from a carrier. The first one to take off was an F/A 18, the next two they showed were F 14s. Both correct as Navy aircraft. But the next scene actually shows six F 16's flying, which are clearly USAF aircraft, and later, it just shows four, but the pilot they show is the Navy commander. This is just one example of the flaws this film has and it's ending is very predictable. One more thing before I forget this movie totally is that every high ranking official, from the Air Force, to the Navy and including the British terrorist in Afghanistan, has a woman who is either second in command, or is chief of security. AND, these are not ugly girls either. But the fact that the enemy chief of security is a lesbian only flies in the face of this totally horrible movie. If you want to waste good money, rent this piece of crap.

I don't know whether I will ever see another Segal movie or not.

 

[barelypure]

I liked the early Segal movies. Then he started getting a little too preachy for my tastes in his movies. If he wants to promote whatever more power to him just don't do it in a film I spent 8 bucks to see.
As to his fighting style its always looked a little hokey to me. It looks like it is more slaps than an actual fighting style. Face it he's no Chuck Norris.

Heck, he's not even a Cynthia Rothrock (my all time mark out for female martial arts movies).

 

[TexasRaceLady]

BP, I agree with you about the difference between the early movies and the later movies.

And the 'acting'? Give me a break. I think wooden dolls might be more effective.

 

[buckaroo]

Agreed all around, but his style of fighting is different than those that are staged for the silver screen. My former step-son really got into the martial arts, tai kwon do in particular and he studied all of the different styles. He really liked Chuck Norris and I was tickled to find that he's an Air Force vet as myself. Anyway, back to Segal and his art form. Most martial arts, those that are the most fierce, teach lethal blows that are meant to take just one blow, if not to kill, at least to immobilize the opponent. Naturally, when two combatants are skilled in martial arts, they will fight much longer, but even then, you aren't going to see the long drawn out fights that most of the movies show. But that's for show and not for real anyway. However, in Segal's early movies, he goes up against mostly people who have no idea what martial arts are and don't know how to defend against it. Therefore, when we see him swatting at some hood and the hood goes down, it's because Segal is showing that these hits can and do at the very minimum, put the enemy down. That probably is the reason many people think of his art as being phoney.

 

[barelypure]

I remember that one movie where he wore a tshirt