Fire Down Below (1997)
A movie review by Michael J. Legeros
Copyright 1997 by Michael J. Legeros
(WB)
Directed by Filix Enrmquez Alcala
Written by Jeb Stuart and Philip Morton
Cast Steven Seagal, Marg Helgenberger, Harry Dean Stanton,
Stephen Lang, Kris Kristofferson, Levon Helm, Brad Hunt
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for violence and language)
Running Time 107 min.
Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh, NC
(05SEP97)
==
Ah, the refreshing vapidity of a Steven Seagal movie. In the best brain cleaner since SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL, Mr. Squinty squares off against an evil mining magnate (Kris Kristofferson) whose illegally dumped toxic waste is killing fish, sickening children, and inflaming the testosterone of every grown man this side of southeastern Kentucky. The first hour is pretty bad, with Seagal's EPA agent attempting to infiltrate a small mining town as a church sponsored handyman whose work attire inexplicably includes designer black-leather jackets. He tries to blend in, making friends with the locals and only kicking their asses when provoked. (Obviously intending to *instruct* as well as entertain, Seagal demonstrates the fine art of redneck whupping in a *variety* of locations: lumberyard, city street, etc.) The second hour, however, is where the *really* awful fun begins. How about Marg Helgenberg's love- interest, a spinster (!) outcast (!!) beekeeper (!!!) whose overprotec- tive brother becomes increasingly psychotic? Or the Bubba-falls-down fight sequence, set in a pool hall, where ol' Stone Face's fists o' fury are filmed in fast motion!? Or, my favorite-- and the last in a long line of canyon-spanning logic leaps-- Seagal taking his final shot at the villain and then walking away, completely ignoring the accompanying FBI agent who was shot in the gut a few second before!? Hilarious. With appearances by a bunch of country music folk, including Mark Col- lie, Randy Travis, Patsy and Peggy Lynn, Travis Tritt, and Marty Stuart, who picks along with Stevie in one scene. And who was the guy that walked away from the poker game? He looked familiar, too.
Grade: F
-- Mike Legeros - Movie Hell http://www.nonvirtual.com/hell
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