BELLY OF THE BEAST DVD

Action packed. Seagal is awesome.

"Belly of the Beast" is my favorite Steven Seagal DTV movie. As a matter of fact, it even ranks up there with my all-time favorite work he's done. Traditionally,  Urban Justice  is regarded as the man's top non-theatrical film, but among fans, this one's generally placed high on the list, too, for a number of reasons...the foremost of which is that this bright, lively movie was released during an era when the rest of Seagal's offerings were characterized by mundane storylines, dreary production values, and lackluster action scenes. For all of its faults, "Belly of the Beast" was and is a breath of fresh air for Seagalogists who'd grown tired of the repetitious action-thrillers he cranked out three-at-a-time during this period; it supports the hope that when given the right resources, even this aging action star can surprise you.The story: when the daughter of ex-CIA agent Jake Hopper (Seagal) is kidnapped while vacationing in Thailand, he employs the help of his old ex-partner-turned-monk (Byron Mann,  Crying Freeman ) to take on the vast political, physical, and spiritual odds standing in his way.While "Belly of the Beast" can't quite be called a Hong Kong movie, it comes awful close with the legendary Siu-Tung Ching ( Chinese Ghost Story ) in the director's chair. While the abundant action content is definitely in the mold of Asian cinema, the high production values are more in western taste...for the better. There's a bit of dubbing of Seagal's voice and some unnecessary flashbacks, but by and by, the movie is colorful and well-made enough to have qualified for a limited theatrical release, in my opinion. Be prepared for the film's staggering weirdness level, though: "Belly of the Beast" is legendary among fans not only for the convoluted storyline, but for all of the razor-nailed transvestites and evil wizards running around the place. You wouldn't think by looking at the cover that an entire subplot of the film involves an evil general (Tom Wu,  Mutant Chronicles ) and a creepy demon-worshipper attempting to trounce Jake with black magic, would you? However, with the exception of the single most awkward love angle Seagal has with a Thai girl about thirty years his junior (Monica Lo,  Legacy ), these weirdo aspects of the film help distinguish it coolly from literally every other film the man has done...not to mention that they fit the resume of director Ching, a connoisseur of weirdness himself.While Seagal's action scenes had occasionally been wrangled by Asian choreographers in the past (e.g. Dion Lam for  Exit Wounds , Xin Xin Xiong for  Half Past Dead ), director and wire-fu guru Ching was the first to design pure, undiluted Hong Kong-style fight scenes for the Buddhist Bonecrusher, to grand effect. Admittedly, some of these take a turn for the absurd when it becomes clear that most of the acrobatic moves on Jake's behalf are performed by a stunt double who looks about 80 pounds lighter than Seagal, but the action is so out-the-window insane that it's impossible not to be entertained by the countless flips, spins, throws, and mid-air kicks. The best example of blatant doubling being forgivable on grounds of sheer coolness is when Jake engages the aforementioned magic-enforced general with swords and spears, even slicing an arrow that was shot at him in half. Ironically, this may very well be the worst physical shape Seagal had ever been in, but he's quick and serviceable when it's clearly him doing his own moves. A shootout to end all shootouts in a train yard further shows off Ching's unique style. I was a bit disappointed that Byron Mann didn't get into more of the fisticuffs, but he makes the most of his limited brawls and therefore remains one of Seagal's cooler cinematic sidekicks.Will this movie silence the critics and become their favorite martial arts movie? Almost certainly not, but again, this one should come as a real treat for weathered Seagal fans who are dying for something new and original from their up-in-years hero. While it's easy to view this movie as a big joke, I consider it a successful experiment to find out whether gritty Seagal-style action movies would mix with a direct Hong Kong cinematic influence. They do, they do...just see for yourself.

I've been on a seagal binge lately, of course seen his old stuff and his newer dtv stuff, out his dtv new stuff I'd say Into the sun,urban justice,attrition, all the True Justice movies are good, those movies he's more involved BTS as producer or co writer. But this movie blew my mind as to how good it is, it's really on par with his old stuff, people go flying with his punches. It's great, it's definitely something I'm glad I bought.

Sleepy-eyed, but just as formidable and deadly as ever, Steven Seagal fans won't be disappointed with this action-filled, high-quality production. Directed by a master of special effects, this movie ranks with Seagal's best. The plot is the prerequisite avenging angel theme, so I won't elaborate on it. But the ingenious fight choreography and the superb clarity and skill of the cinematography are worth mentioning; especially the slow-motion sequences of this fast-paced movie certainly merit a re-viewing."Belly of The Beast" deserves a respectable place in any Steven Seagal DVD collection. For trivia fans: Before he became an actor, Steven was a 7th degree black belt, and the first American martial arts instructor to own an Aikido school (dojo) in Japan. From the safety of a reviewer's desk, it's easy to criticize an aging actor, but I'm sure that even today, none of Seagal's critics would have the guts to stand up to him in a real fight.. and they'd be crazy to do it.(If this review was helpful in any way, please click on the "Helpful" key below, or write a comment. Thanks).

I've watched most of Steven Seagal movies. Among his best movies are the ones he made in the 90's. Movies such as Under Siege, Hard to Kill, Fire Down Below, The Glimmer Man, and Above the Law are among his best. After his comeback in the year 2000 he made Exit Wounds. He had to lose a lot of weight to get this role or else Warner Bros wouldn't take him back. After his comeback, his movies have involved a lot of martial arts stunts that are not performed by Seagal himself. Good examples are: Into the Sun, Out of Reach, Half Past Dead and this one. Although you see Seagal performing some Karate kicks here, you can clearly see it is not him performing those martial arts stunts. Because not even in his prime he performed those Karate kicks. His specialty is Aikido, a black belt for sure. Aikido fighting involves more the top part of the body and not so much the bottom part. Nevertheless, Belly of the Beast is one of his best recent movies along with Urban Justice and the Keeper. It's a good story with a lot of action and fighting scenes. The movie is in English with optional English subtitles. Widescreen format.

I have read reviews about Seagal and his movies and I don't see anything good mentioned. His movies never claimed to be "high art" or have a lot a lot of special effects. You get plain, solid action. I really like Belly of the Beast. Steven was very good.In the belly of the beast he is unrelenting in getting his daughter back. Review of his movies talk about Seagal's bad acting and that is not the case in this movie. The girl who is his daughter might be guilty of bad acting but not Seagal. Judging but his reviews everyone thinks he sucks. If he does why do you keep going back and watching the movies? I say if you can't write a decent, fair review of Seagal and his movies then just dont' bother to rent or buy them. As for me I really like them and I hope he contines to make more even if they are "straight to dvd".

I have started to purchase some lower budget action flicks and this is rather good. Although steven is looking a 'tad' older now and slightly larger he still is able to deliver some nice fight scenes.. What did surprise me was the quality of the picture and sound.. It really is superb, and the filming was also good. I like the fact i dont have to think to much about his films and this is no exception.. The fight scenes were good and the plot was perfect for the hard hitting big guy !! at £4.00 a shot you cant go wrong !

This is a present that I purchased for my husband for christmas. He has watched it several times since then,being a steven Seagal fan.The copy of the DVD was very good. And it arrived in quick time.

Action packed steven seagal movie , one of his best.

One of my favourite films. Arrived on time

HUSBAND IS A GREAT FAN OF HIS FILMS. SO FINDING THIS ONE WAS GOOD. RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE. GOOD SERVICE