CompleteMartialArts.com - Fire Down Below [Region 2]
![Fire Down Below [Region 2]]()
|
List Price: N/A
Our Price: $20.99
Availability: N/A
Starring: Steven Seagal, Kris Kristofferson, Marg Helgenberger, Stephen Lang, Brad Hunt
Directed By: Félix EnrÃquez Alcalá
|
Average Customer Rating:   
|
|
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 7321900149143
Format: NTSC
Number Of Discs: 1
Region Code: 2
Running Time: 105
Theatrical Release Date: 1997-09-05
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Here's a movie that only a Steven Seagal fan could love. It's not nearly as good as Under Siege (the movie destined to remain Seagal's high-water mark), but not any worse than Above the Law. This time ol' Steve is an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency who's busting heads in Kentucky. He's on good terms with the local yokels (including Marg Helgenberger and Harry Dean Stanton), but locks horns with a slimy mogul (Kris Kristofferson) who's using abandoned mines to dump toxic waste. Along with an ecological message, Seagal serves up several broken limbs, cracked skulls, and bloody noses, and he even finds time to do some guitar picking with country boys such as Travis Tritt and Randy Travis. Once you've heard Seagal crooning a country tune, you'll be eager to see him go back to whuppin' the bad guys. --Jeff Shannon
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Steven Seagal: Good Samaritan with a .45
Comment: By the time "Fire Down Below" rolled around, it was all too clear that things had taken a turn for the worse with ol' Steven Seagal: gone were the days when his antics were considered blockbuster material, and the only awards his films had a chance of winning were the dishonorable Raspberries that regularly highlighted him as a bad actor who was simply getting too old to kick butt anymore. Indeed, our favorite wrist-snapping aikido master was in the doldrums - stuck between his best work and his short-lived comeback, and just barely making back the budgets of his then-current offerings.
Still..."Fire Down Below" ain't all bad...
"Fire Down Below", for all non-canon purposes, is a follow-up to "On Deadly Ground": Seagal is Jack Taggart, an EPA agent dispatched to ascertain what's causing the toxic epidemic that's swept a small Kentucky town owned by a wealthy millionaire (Kris Kristofferson, "Blade") and operated/oppressed by his son (Brad Hunt, "Cookers") and the local posse. After fending off several attacks by the proprietors' goons and getting affectionately involved with the town's beautiful outcast (Marg Helgenberger, "CSI"), Taggart realizes that the sicknesses arising around the town are not the result of some environmental accident, but of something purposely ruthless and dangerous...
Actually, the film is more akin to "The Patriot", for it lacks "Deadly Ground"'s level of action: "Down Below" contains approximately one hand-to-hand brawl, one car chase involving a big rig, and one big shoot-out; the rest are all one-hit knockout encounters. Admittedly, the rig chase is done very well and the brawl (a six-on-one affair) features Seagal wielding a wooden staff with surprising skill, but the amount of remaining film that is given up as thriller-material is likely a bit too lengthy for most of his fans' tastes. Then again, Seagal has very little reason to fight, for the film has probably the easiest-to-defeat villains that Steven has ever crossed paths with: never once do you get the impression that he's in legitimate trouble, because apparently the multi-millionaire baddie can't afford to hire anyone other than clueless yokels to do his dirty work for him.
Surprisingly enough, when it comes to acting, this is one of Seagal's better outings. No, he's not exploring different characters or broadening his range of emotions, but for once, his persona is actually pretty likable: his relationship with the townspeople and especially with the misjudged young woman allows him to show a soft side that he isn't usually quick to expose. While the latter relationship does seem a tiny bit forced, he does give the overall impression of being a gentle giant who really does care about those his job entitles him to interact with, and for once, his actions are fueled by generosity and personal duty rather than vengeance.
Oh, and in case you haven't guessed, the film does have a pretty strong environmental message. Decide for yourself whether or not this is something you want to see in an action flick.
The supporting cast generally pulls its weight well, and the editing (with the exception of the tired-looking opening montage) is solid, so the question to the view is whether one is willing to trade the rough & tumble Seagal for a friendly Seagal: a Seagal who would rather strum a guitar than shoot somebody in the face (which he eventually does, though), or use a hammer to fix peoples' homes rather than crack peoples' skulls. For myself, the transition was actually pretty smooth and easy to accept...but regardless of whether or not you enjoy the film, chances are that you'll be ready to pop in a more characteristic bloodbath of his by the time John Prine starts crooning.
Customer Rating:
Summary: " Tell Your Boss Im Coming For Him.....On Second Thought, I'l Tell Him
Comment: After the weak entry in "The Glimmer Man" Stevie decided to redeem himself by somewhat recreating "On Deadly Ground" Unlike that movie, Segal plays Jack Taggart, an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency; and like "On Deadly Ground" Segal has a thing for protecting people from rich industrialist, that only have one thing in mind...to make more money. Taggart arrives in a small town in Kentucky, he posses as a carpenter, interested only in fixing peoples porches and houses. But as we all know Segal is undercover and is ready for some action. In this small town in eastern Kentucky, Someone is dumping toxic waste down the mountains...now that's a big no-no. Taggart begins to question people of the town, if they know of anyone that is involved with the dumping; no one of course can help because they are being watched, and even if they could they're too chicken....So you know what that means..That's right, Seagal is goanna have to save the day from cowards that cant stand up for themselves.
The plot of this movie is very similar to that of High Plains Drifter & Pale Rider, only modernized. We have the same mysterious character arriving into town, don't know much about him, and is interested in protecting the innocent. This movie, even though unoriginal in some areas, manages to be a solid action flick. One of the things I disliked in this movie was the doubles for Seagal; this is the movie where we see the birth of Seagal's doubles. Many action scenes involving...Simply running they add a double replacing Seagal...WTF? but that's nothing compared to the doubles Segal would later have in his DTV releases. Anyhow this is worth owning if you're a Seagal fan, I recommend buying the special 4 film favorite edition from Warner Bros; it includes 4 of Segal's Best movies, It comes out cheaper that way.
MY PERSONAL RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 5
Customer Rating:
Summary: Kind of like an Eastern version of "Pale Rider" in modern Appalachia
Comment: 1997's "Fire Down Below" stars Steven Seagal as an E.P.A. agent who goes undercover in SE Kentucky to investigate the evil deeds of corporate mogul Kris Kristofferson & his minions, which includes dumping toxic waste in abandoned mines and murder. Seagal masquerades as a do-gooder helping people with his carpentry skills and living at a local church, but Kristofferson's gang are on to him and try to chase him away.
The plot kinda reminds me of Clint Eastwood's 1985 "Pale Rider" (which borrowed heavily from "Shane"). A lone stranger comes into town and befriends the common folks, saving them from the evil tycoon and his motley crew. The difference is that "Fire Down Below" is an Eastern rather than a Western, and it takes place in modern times. Seagal may not have the supernatural overtones of Clint in "Pale Rider" but his heroics are so fantastical that he comes off a bit supernatural just the same.
Seagal, of course, is a highly likable protagonist. He's ultra-confident, cool and soft-spoken at all times; and he knows how to kick some serious arse. Numerous times throughout the film he takes on multiple attackers and wins without even breaking a sweat. Unbelievable? Yes, but Seagal makes it believable. He is, after all, 6'4", dressed in cool black threads and a master of all kinds of martial arts.
Some say Seagal's a bad actor, but this isn't true. If someone is giving a bad acting performance you can tell because there's an awkward air to their delivery and you don't buy them in the role. This is not the case with Steven. Never for a second does the viewer question Seagal as the protagonist. It may be the only character Seagal can play, but he does it well.
Plus Seagal has numerous great one-liners throughout the film. For instance, late in the film he confronts his E.P.A. colleague who has sold out to Kristofferson and says, "You're a piece of s*** and I'm ashamed of you." The line is perfect and perfectly delivered, not to mention so true-to-life. Hasn't anyone ever betrayed you, abused you or disappointed you to the point where you finally give up with the realization that they're just a shameless and shameful piece of s***?
One of the best highlights for me is the gorgeous Appalachian locations and cinematography. The picture was filmed on location in SE Kentucky -- Hazzard, Mt. Vernon and points between, to be exact. I feel Appalachia is largely under-utilized in filmmaking and greatly enjoy it when films take advantage of this magnificent area of the USA.
Seagal's romantic interest in the film is played by Marge Halgenberger, who became popular a few years after this film starring in TV's "CSI." She's very believable as the local infamous woman who has a strange relationship with her brother, played by Stephen Lang.
Another highlight is the blues/country music heard throughout the picture. It turns out that Seagal wrote or co-wrote many of the songs featured and even performs one on camera. I never even knew he was a musician! How about that?! There's even a country-ish Jimi Hendrix song. Plus a couple Country stars make cameos, like Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt.
FINAl ANALYSIS: "Fire Down Below" falters a bit in the final act but, other than that, I love this film. It has everything you'd expect in a film that takes place in hillbilly country -- good family folks, rednecks, poverty, coal mines, brawls, alcohol, pot farms, backcountry churches, incest and country music. The best feature for me is the genuine Appalachian locations and photography. Add likable Steven Seagal to the mix and you have a winner!
As another reviewer has stated, Seagal has a totally winning personality -- a hero with a heart of purest gold. He's certainly someone worth emulating in my book. In fact, in this film he represents all (or most) of the qualities of authentic manhood missing in our current society that celebrates effeminized and weak men (another good example would be Clint Walker in "Night of the Grizzly," which has unfortunately only been released on VHS).
Lastly, I should warn action fans that this is hardly an action film. Yes, there are action pieces interspersed throughout, but they flash by with a blink of an eye. For the most part, "Fire Down Below" is a drama wherein the story plays out fairly leisurely. If you don't like movies of this ilk, stay away.
Although "Under Seige" is technically a better film and arguably Seagal's all-time best picture, I personally favor "Fire Down Below" for the reasons cited above. In other words, I'll likely be rewatching this one more often in coming years.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hillbillies fight back against big corporations!
Comment: Wow, the left will have a hard time with this one. The rednecks in the mountains are led by Steven Seagal to fight back against a big moneybags dude that is dumping toxic chemicals in the mountains. Yeah peoples a good movie with a great chase scene involving a Mack truck! Well Seagal cannot act but he can kick some booty when necessary. Marg Helgenberger or however you spell her name, well she is hot, oh so hot and she is great in this! Then there are like 20 cameo appearances from a bunch of Country singers, I recognized Randy Travis and Kris Kristofferson but I could not place the fella playing the guitar on stage. Maybe it is Marty Stuart I don't recall and it does not really matter. Lots of action but really this story is just so much better than most of the junk action stuff Seagal did in the years following this movie. Whatever, he is over the hill now but hey there peoples, for nine dollars it is not a bad DVD to have. Yeeeeee haaaaaawww!
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Last Hurrah of Steven Seagal
Comment: This movie was Steven's last really good flick. It really isn't his best , but after "On Deadly Ground" it sure is better , and much better than his later movies. How many EPA workers carry guns , break bones , know kung-fu , and play guitar, I don't know but in this movie a least one does. It's the same thing as in all his other movies but at least he is still fit here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|