Great Film: Exit Wounds
Another rapper in a movie? What? You say he's good?
`There are good cops and bad cops,' says Steven Seagal when asked about why
he chose to star in the film.
The need for such a question, however, is unnecessary. Seagal will forever
be known as one of our generation's top action stars. He's been on trains,
submarines, and over speeding cars. His ability to dazzle his audience with
every punch, kick, and flip earns him the title of one of our generation's
most memorable action stars. Seagal is modest about his action power,
however, and prefers to be thought of as a professional martial
artist.
Whatever the case, his latest effort in Exit Wounds is another film in
Seagal's library of adrenaline-rushing, macho-type films. Produced by
Hollywood honch Joel Silver, Exit Wounds is a high-kicking, edge of your
seat thriller that tells the story of a cop named Orin Boyd, sent to
another
precinct in the rough streets of Detroit, where nothing seems the same.
Corruption, deceit, and betrayal lay only three lockers
away.
Much like Seagal's enjoyment for his work in the martial arts field, Orin
Boyd is a person who is genuinely proud of what he does for a living. All
of
his anger and frustration is a result of his disappointment with how little
his job means. In one of the most powerful scenes of the movie, Boyd is
shown hanging up his whistle after his demotion to a traffic director. A
cop
in Detroit is everything Boyd lives to be, and when his occupation becomes
meaningless, so does his life.
Boyd isn't alone in his stance, however. When $5 million dollars worth of
heroin disappears, there is an underlying truth to everything, but nothing
seems to make sense. All fingers seem to point at Latrell Walker (DMX), a
supposed drug dealer and one of the best.
DMX delivers the most engaging performance in Exit Wounds. Much like Boyd,
Walker is a character that is typical in most cop films, but also one that
the audience can identify with. As every actor should, DMX gives as much
personality to Latrell as needed. DMX, as Latrell, shows genuine emotions
for his family, his colleagues, and for what stands to be right. A
perplexing character with his actions, Latrell definitely serves to grab
the
audience's attention.
Unlike traditional cop films, DMX and Steven Seagal are able to both grab
hold of the spotlight of the film, but with their own unique charismas.
Seagal and DMX's chemistry does not involve holding hands and dancing into
the sun-setting horizon. It is a tense relationship between Latrell and
Boyd, and as the movie progresses, the truths about one another are
unraveled, with each character prepared to either fight, or work together,
for whatever cause each one has.
Joel Silver is known for setting the bar with his films, both in the action
and story sense. Some of the most incredible action sequences in Exit
Wounds
will forever be embedded in the Joel Silver legacy. Along with Silver's
knack for blood rushing sequences, he is also known for pulling shocks and
surprises in his pictures. Exit Wounds is the type of film where one must
really keep his eye open, for he might miss an unexpected, but crucial,
turning point in the movie.
As Steven Seagal's comeback film, he should be grateful that his first
picture in the new millennium will forever remind his audiences and fans
that he is, indeed, one of the best on-screen heroes of this past decade.
As
old clashes with new, his counterpart, DMX, has displayed his fresh talent
on-screen and sets a challenge for him to take on new film's, with more
demanding roles. In an age where hip hop and kung fu can co-exist in
entertainment, Exit Wounds proves that films nowadays still have the
potential of attracting just about anybody.
Cast
- Trish played by Eva Mendes
- Frank Daniels played by Bruce Mcgill
- Annette Mulcahy played by Jill Hennessy
- Orin Boyd played by Steven Seagal
- Latrell Walker played by Dmx
- George Clark played by Isaiah Washington
- T.K. Johnson played by Anthony Anderson
