Hey folks, Harry here... So far, we've had a pretty decent year of fun films. We've seen a trailer for a STAR TREK film that doesn't bear strong suck marks throughout. There is a Adam Sandler movie in our future that probably could be considered as intensely intelligent and heartfelt. Well... Think about it. It is a time for miracles, could Seagal have actually made a quality action film? The real question though is this... If Steven Seagal made a great action film, would any of us really give it a chance because of the agony and suffering that was ON DEADLY GROUND? Seagal was allegedly in Austin the other day at the Continental Club where AICN bopper, Johnny Wadd was wagging his third leg with the beat. Totally non-related, I'm just throwing that out there, because Johnny Wadd rarely adds relevance to AICN notes from time to time... But anyways, here ya go... Take the following review with MOUNTAINS OF SALT....

Hey Harry,

Looks like we may have a helluva sleeper on our hands.

I had the good fortune (yes, I said 'good') to catch a test screening of Half Past Dead last night in El Segundo and wanted to pass along some early buzz. I love action movies, but there is almost nothing as frustrating as sitting through two boring hours of chasing scenes stolen from other movies and battles where even a child could figure out who was going to win. That is why I absolutely loved Half Past Dead--it took the best parts of great action movies and kept out most of the other stupid crap.

When the movie started, I thought that I was watching Exit Wounds for the one-millionth time. I groaned thinking that I had already figured everything out. Fortunately, I was wrong. The story appears familiar: Ja Rule and Steven Seagal play captured thieves who get sent to the brand new Alcatraz and find out a secret from an inmate about to be electrocuted.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

You see, the inmate is the only person who knows where 200 million worth of gold is. The action really kicks into gear when Morris Chestnut (who actually pulls off the ultimate tough guy) and his team blow their way into the prison to start the chaos. Pretty soon, everyone is trying to outmanuever everyone in order to get the gold.

(END OF SPOILERS)

The acting was great--Ja Rule easily outdid his Fast and Furious performance. Even as a middle-aged man with a ponytail, Steven Seagal still qualifies as a badass. And Kurupt cracked me up. Plus, the special effects were tight -- with the requistie Matrix-style action scenes -- especially this one scene with the lead female (Nia Peeples) kicking ass.

The cut looked a little rough assuming there's still a little post-production work to be done. But, all in all, I was very pleasantly surprised with the film. This may just be the sleeper hit of the season. I think it comes out in November.

Later.

-Paul G.