Review #285: 'Marked for Death' (1990)

DEA Agent John Hatcher (Steven Seagal) is busy kickin' ass in Colombia when he decides to make his return to the U.S. after some spiritual enlightenment from his priest. He returns to find his city overrun by Jamaican 'posses', and when at a bar, he and his old friend Max (Keith David) find themselves caught amidst a gang war shootout. Hatcher, naturally, kicks the shit out of some of them and finds that he and his family have been 'marked for death' by gang boss Screwface (Basil Wallace). His sisters house is attacked and when his niece is shot, Hatcher and Max team up with Jamaican police man Charles (Tom Wright) to find Screwface and end his reign of terror.

Clearly neither Screwface nor his ever-dispensable gang of cronies have ever seen a Steven Seagal film, or they would have left him the fuck alone. Guns, swords and even voodoo cannot stop the pony-tailed action hero. This is actually considered to be the 'finest' of Seagal's vast action backlog, which is quite tragic given that this film is pretty shit. I will say this for it, however - it's relentlessly entertaining. Yet this derives from the unintentionally hilarious dialogue, woeful acting, some appallingly gruesome action scenes, and plot devices that simply defy logic.

Possibly the funniest moment in the film has Hatcher, who has, by the way, just committed murder (he's retired from the police) and has to be the police's main suspect, taking part in a high speed chase through the city that sees one car drive along the pavement causing massive damage, only to later fly through the window of a department store. Hatcher walks in shooting and stabbing his way through the bad guys only to calmly stroll out afterwards. Surely the police would have noticed something during the carnage? Yes, yes, I'm missing the point, this is a dumb action film - this is hardly trying to be The Wire.

Marked for Death does have the sense to show off Seagal's martial arts skills. While many of his other films have him mainly either carrying a gun or simply throwing people onto tables, this has him breaking many, many bones with his bare hands. It's shockingly gory for an 90's action film, which naturally makes the whole film more likeable. Basil Wallace is plenty of fun as the interestingly named Screwface, all wide-eyed and using an over-accentuated Jamaican accent. The voodoo element is certainly different, and the practises shown in the film are apparently well-researched and accurate. Definitely one for the action junkies, but for me, it's a laughable nostalgia trip into an overly macho time, and ultimately a rather forgettable one.


Directed by: Dwight H. Little
Starring: Steven Seagal, Basil Wallace, Keith David, Tom Wright
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie