Steven Seagal has one of his more unflattering roles as an overweight, alcoholic ex cop, living a bleak existence where he owes mounting gambling debts, lost a beautiful wife to divorce, and is a bad father who can't even provide his girl one day a week without failing to make the grade. Hired as a contract killer, his gambling markers will be paid if he takes out specific targets arranged by an arcane benefactor(Lance Henriksen, often communicating from the shadows) with ambiguous, esoteric motives. Known as "The Old Man", Henriksen keeps Seagal's Matt Conlin honest by employing a mysterious gunsel to look after him, Blue(Paul Caldren), shadowing his every move, there in case a challenging situation develops, while also detailing the tasks he must perform. So Matt does so, eliminating two marks, but the third, his daughter's stepfather, detective Steve Shacter(Mark Elliot Wilson), will not be easy. Steve, it seems, is not the straight-arrow, virtuous cop Matt always thought so highly of, and his elimination will prove most difficult, particularly since his position has grown within the force. We see when Steve slits the throat of Matt's priest that he'll go to any lengths to keep his reputation inculpable. Renee Goldensberry is Matt's love interest, Drea, an actual member of The Old Man's entourage, herself a hit woman if needed. Decent actioner allows Seagal to knock some guys around while firing off rounds as well. The conclusion is a showdown between Matt, Drea, and Blue against Steve and his crooked police gang in a cemetery as headstones and bodies are torn apart by bullet-fire. The movie also provides a shootout as Steve and his cronies attempt to gun down Matt in the middle of a street with Blue coming to his aid, with an ensuing in a car chase resulting in vehicular damage. The director employs unnecessary camera techniques(..and he speeds up the film for no real reason whatsoever)and shoots at odd angles, sometimes ruining gun battles as they occur. As is often the case in these kinds of movies, Matt's daughter is used as leverage by Steve in the finale, her life in danger if he doesn't put down his weapon and surrender.
Review of Pistol Whipped
