Rating: R
Starring:
Steven Seagal as Ruslan Drachev
Laura Mennell as Lanie Drachev
Dan Payne as Sergei
Holly Eglington as Regime
Aleks Paunovic as Tony Links
Mike Dopud as Boris
Inna Korobkina as Catherine Goldstein
Igor Jijikine as Mikhail
Zak Santiago as Detective Lavastic
Dmitry Chepovetsky as Stephan
Linda Minard as Doctor Brown
Reg Tupper as Pawn Shop Owner
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 98 Minutes
The Movie:
The following is the official description of the film:
“A former Russian mobster named Ruslan, returns home and discovers his daughter is marrying his arch nemesis. His past also comes back to haunt him when his family is threatened. Hungry for justice, Ruslan returns to the life he once knew… with a vengeance.”
“Driven to Kill” is rated R for strong violence throughout, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Mini-Review:
OK, this is a Steven Seagal film that went straight to video. I don’t have to say much more as to the quality of this movie. All your assumptions are pretty much correct. Before watching “Driven to Kill,” I watched “Taken.” Comparing a modern action thriller to this relic of the ’80s / ’90s was a very eye opening experience. Seagal just doesn’t work in front of a modern audience. He mumbles or whispers all of his lines and he’s put on so much weight since his heyday it’s hard to believe he could put up a fight against some of his younger opponents. The believability just isn’t there anymore. It’s rather comical. (But being an Indiana Jones fan, it is kinda neat to see Igor Jijikine from “Crystal Skull” as Mikhail.)
“Driven to Kill” has problems beyond Seagal. The script is pretty terrible. The reasoning behind all the conflict is pretty poor. At the risk of spoiling the plot, I’ll say that having a mobster kill his son’s fiancée in order to toughen him up is a pretty weak story idea. Throw in poor dialogue, predictability, huge plot holes, poor acting, and other pitfalls and you have a C-grade action flick. But honestly, the only reason to watch this is the action. How is it? It’s violent, but nothing you can’t see in other action films that have better plots and acting. There’s only so many times you can watch Seagal knock a guy down and wait for him to get up before knocking him down again.
Unless you’re some major Steven Seagal fan or if you just want to watch a cheesy movie with a bunch of friends, I would recommend passing on “Driven to Kill.”
