Steven Seagal, Rob Van Dam, Tim Abell
…the kind of film that Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus would have released under the Cannon label.
Whilst rescuing a US Congressman from the Taliban, Jake (Steven Seagal), an expert sniper, is separated from his team, led by Sergeant Vic Mosby (Tim Abell), after their plan goes sideways. Left to fend for himself, Jake must sit it out until his compadres can regroup and get him out of there. And sit it out he does, as Seagal manages to do every little in a film that boasts about him being the lead. The real story here is with Abell as the frustrated soldier besieged by red tape and politics that stop him and his team from re-entering the war zone.
Written and directed by exploitation veteran, Fred Olen Ray, Sniper: Special Ops is the kind of film that Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus would have released under the Cannon label. It boils down the political mire that is the West’s occupation in the Middle East into guns, dusty grunts, overt male posturing, and “comic relief” in the shape of journalist, Janet (Chalene Amoia). It growls about how men should be men, and women can only be as tough as men as long as they’re willing to carry a gun and blow up the leader of the Taliban.
Already narratively weak to say the least, with Mosby’s men forced to deal with another mission before they tackle the case of a missing team member, the film really drags when Seagal is on screen. Trapped in a room with a fellow fallen soldier, the Under Siege star appears utterly disinterested with his part in this whole thing; staring off into the middle distance whilst mumbling all his lines. If you have a stockpile of irony stashed away, you may be able to sit through this with enough good favour, but that’s not an admission of approval.
Comments
I’m a twenty year army vet and I have to say that most of the actors were way too old to play those parts and where the hell are these troops that they can’t shave and get a haircut once in awhile? Sergeant First class Mosbys hair was shoulder length and must have taken him a year to grow. Very unrealistic.
Absolutely gash. What a fucking joke. Fat old bastards grunting shite lines. Steven Segal looks like a fat old geriatric sitting there with his poxy fuckin shades on with a muff stuck on his chin.
What an embarrassment to everyone involved.
Fucking hate myself for sitting through so much of it.
Did ya see that fat tool trying to run to the truck with all that fat on him? Not to mention the ridiculous webbing bouncing everywhere.
Forgot what the fuck I was watching at one point and thought I was watching Mash.
I’m not sure what Steven Segal does to justify top billing in this. Hes pretty much passive the whole film. The old boys just not in any shape to play the role. And normally that shouldnt be a critique, but when your playing a special forces soldier, hell yes its a critique.
Van Dam is at least watchable, and looks the part.
Yeah this was a bad film. Ive got a high tolerance for bad action films, beer films I call em. But this just wasnt really that fun and Segal seemed even more bored than me.
Between you and me, I just dont think Segals that good an actor, or ever was.
This was so dreadful I was hoping the bad guys would wipe out Segal quickly so the movie would finish early. He mainly sits on a chair throughout and there’s even a stunt double taking his place for walks up and down stairs. You never see Steve’s face on those stairs, they’re just too much effort for him — and he’s supposed to be a top soldier! This is the only Segal movie I’ve ever forced myself to watch. It was so bad I couldn’t believe it ever got made. Dale Dye played a Lieutenant-Colonel at age 71 and seemed more suited to a retirement home. Segal himself was in his late 60s so the movie felt like it was populated by Dad’s Army types. Nothing much happens that you’d remember a month later.