Marked for Death (1990)

This movie is really dumb but it's full of belly laughs. The silliest part is the fact that Seagal has a black sidekick, played by David Keith, which I guess was implemented to make the movie seem more politically correct since our hero mangles or kills countless Jamaicans. Later in the film the duo enlists the help of a Jamaican cop who's supposedly obsessed with nailing Screwface-the film's antagonist who is the ruthless leader of a drug dealing posse around which the plot is set. The action is silly and the fight scenes are funny. In this movie Seagal manages not only to shoot, but also to decapitate, to impale, to gouge the eyes of, to sever a hand of, and to break an arm and a leg of several different bad guys. I know that this sounds gruesome, but the villains always seem to be asking for it so you'll end up cheering or laughing.

Like all low-budget action flicks, this movie is plagued by some serious continuity errors. My favorite such error is in the car chase with the Ram Charger and the BMW that supposedly takes place in Chicago but was filmed in Los Angeles. To be exact, the scene where the BMW jumps on the sidewalk was filmed on the Chapman Plaza which is located on 6th Street between Alexandria and Kenmore, just North of the Equitable building. I lived in that area from 1990 to 1995 and recognized the site right away. What really gives it away though is the clearly evident tall palm trees that are all over Korea Town. I don't know, maybe it started snowing in Chicago or something and the producers did their best to avoid an in-your-face continuity error.

This movie is great if you like old-school 80's action (don't get me wrong, but 1990 is still the last year of the 80's decade). It thrills, it excites, and it will definitely make you want to sign up for martial arts lessons or go beat up your younger brother, despite your age. If you're looking for drama then watch the soaps, but if you want the best of Steven Seagal, then go rent this film.