adonis98-743-186503 An intelligence operative discovers that no one is what they seem in the shadowy world of espionage. The Shadow Man makes fun of 80's Pop Corn Action Flicks and unlike films such as Commando and Rambo 2 which although they were corny and over the top they still had a lot of cool one liners and a lot of great action that they were entertaining and turned into classics now in this case we have just a bad made for DVD kind of action movie starring Steven Seagal who shoots down a chopper with a gun and then it explodes and has some of the worst cgi effects i have ever seen , also he punches a dude and his eyes go missing or even the fact that a guy gets shot in the cheek and he is still alive for a few seconds before he gets shot in the head. Action Movies might be corny and over the top but they are entertaining and great if they are directed by the right person and have a great cast which in this case we have none overall The Shadow Man is just terrible.

Leofwine_draca Another excursion into the increasingly weird direct-to-video life of action star Steven Seagal. SHADOW MAN follows the declining trend of the actor's efforts in the 21st century, a cheaply made and intensely derivative offering shot in Romania with a mixed cast and nary an ounce of originality in the script. Once again we have Seagal shambling back into action in an attempt to rescue his kidnapped daughter in a plot already used in two or three of his other recent movies.With the current crop of the actor's DTV efforts, the movies themselves are pretty interchangeable, marked by poor, MTV-wannabe direction and a blatant disregard for logic or credibility. Seagal is literally the "shadow" man here, spending much of the film lurking in the shadows, perhaps to disguise his double chin or increasing bulk. Occasionally he gets out of his chair to do a little fighting or shooting, but the action is in short supply here. When Seagal performs his 'martial arts', it's typically a punch, a kick or a wrist-throw, a single move that kills or disables the enemy; don't expect any fine show of Aikido as the star just hasn't got it anymore. His stand-in is also lurking around, perhaps not as much as in some other films he's made but he's obviously doubled in other places (is getting out of a car simply too much for him?).The rest of the cast is a real mixed bag – made up of Romanian nationals, once almost-famous US actors (Garrick Hagon, a pilot in the original STAR WARS) and Brits. Two of the Brits are instantly recognisable from their roles in soaps (Eva Pope and Alex Ferns, the latter better known as EASTENDERS' Trevor) while another, Imelda Staunton, is noticeable from the incongruity of her appearance here: this stalwart British actress is better known for her roles in 'proper' films like VERA DRAKE.Still, there is some fun to be had here, especially in the film's more ludicrous moments. An early car chase blatantly rips off THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, with edgy camera-work that directly resembles the cinematography of that film; in addition, there's a bit of 'theme' music that pops up which is Jason Bourne's theme, minus two notes so the composer doesn't get sued for breach of copyright. I also loved an early set-piece in which Seagal finds himself trapped in a room and uses a number of household items to craft himself weapons; don't expect any of the cool bomb-making in the UNDER SIEGE flicks though. Here, he uses a gramophone (!), some random pipes from behind a wall, food, and kitchen knives to attack the enemies.Perhaps realising that action fans are turning away from these films in their droves, the producers amp up the sex and violence to try and attract them back. So we get bloody gun-shots and a surprising amount of nudity and sexual situations, probably the most seen in a Seagal flick; watch out for the hilarious 'hug' moment between Seagal and a pretty, bra-clad Pope and lots of gratuitous bits in pole-dancing clubs. Yet for the most part, SHADOW MAN is trash, one only for those people, like me, who find themselves inexplicably drawn to the actor's poorly-made films.

Sandcooler Steven Seagal's straight-to-DVD releases really can't be judged by the usual standards, because then you'd have to give them all a zero and that would be depressing. They have their own set of standards, so here goes. How many obvious doubles do we get this time? Surprisingly few, but then again, this movie barely contains any martial arts. All Seagal has to do is pull the trigger a bajillion times. Still, it's refreshing to see him do action scenes where he doesn't mysteriously lose or gain 80 pounds with every new shot. Which people who used to be in actual movies embarrass themselves alongside Seagal? There's Imelda Staunton in a very minor role, but for the most part these are complete unknowns we don't have to feel bad for. How moronic does the plot get? Not very, it's just pretty confusing. Do we really need twenty-five different sets of bad guys when you know Seagal is just going to kill them all in the end? Just have one really big crime organisation chase him, same result but way less filler. Overall "Shadow Man" isn't nearly the worst I've seen of him though, this is one of those recent ones that are actually sorta entertaining. And you even understand what Seagal is saying in this one, even if doesn't matter much. If it's in the bargain bin, there are worse ways to spend a dollar.

swedzin The film has nothing to do with the title. The plot is simple. His daughter is abducted and he is running around, beating the crap out of people to find his daughter. Seagal is slow, monotone, emotionless... he uses Tai Chi in fight scenes, extremely boring. Other actors are also bad, nothing special... just there for being paid. It's very interesting to see actress Imelda Staunton here... what a hell is she doing here?! In this straight do DVD crap? She is a good actress that deserves more better films. Seeing her and Seagal in scene... it was a pretty large fail... that was so unbearable... I bet she was disgusted by Seagal's "performance"... There's nothing special to say about this film... it's incredibly boring and impossible to watch. Do something better... for example go beat the crap out of your dog... much more fun.