Steven Seagal’s Most Unhinged Film Must Be Seen To Be Believed, Stream For Free Right Now
There’s a common plot device that’s explored in every single Steven Seagal movie, and I refer to it as “damn, he’s good syndrome.” 2003’s Out for a Kill is just like the many other Seagal titles I’ve seen that involve a protagonist living a virtuous life until a conflict is introduced. As expected, whoever reveals themselves to be the source of conflict in this film definitely messed with the wrong guy, and they’ll most certainly pay the ultimate price for poking the bear.
Out for a Kill has a simple premise that leaves very little room for interpretation.
Steven Seagal In Out For A Kill
Steven Seagal portrays an award-winning archaeology professor named Robert Burns who is at the top of his game. When tasked with excavating a site near the China / Kazakhstan border, Robert not only uncovers a number of priceless artifacts, but also a drug smuggling operation spearheaded by the Chinese Mafia (the Tong).
Robert and his assistant, Luo Yi (Elaine Tan), attempt to flee the scene, but Luo Yi doesn’t survive the ordeal because there is plenty of gun-play to go around.
He’s An Innocent Man
Though Robert is an innocent man in Out for a Kill, he’s arrested on drug smuggling charges and sent to a Chinese prison.
DEA agents Tommie Ling (Michelle Goh) and Ed Gray (Corey Johnson) have reason to believe that Robert can help them with their investigation, so they release him under the condition that he works with them in good faith.
But danger follows Steven Seagal wherever he goes (naturally), and it doesn’t take long for the Tong to target Robert’s house and kill his wife.
A Mysterious Past
It just so happens that Robert isn’t just the very best archeologist in the world in Out for a Kill, but he also has a mysterious past.
As somebody who’s watched an unhealthy amount of Steven Seagal movies, let me tell you why this mysterious past is so important. The mysterious past is used to explain why and how Robert is a martial arts expert, fluent in Chinese, and always one step ahead of his enemies because he’s just that good.
Hellbent On Revenge
Hellbent on revenge, Robert Burns is truly out for a kill, and you better believe that he has the necessary skills to rack up a serious body count.
Playing out like the direct-to-video revenge flick it was always destined to be, Out for a Kill is wildly entertaining because Stephen Seagal’s character is so one-dimensional. Granted, he still knew how to throw hands at this point in his career, but the fight sequences alone can only serve the by-the-numbers screenplay so much.
A Good Movie?
The primary source of entertainment in Out for a Kill comes in the form of everybody acknowledging how dangerous Robert Burns is when they say things like “I don’t know how one man can walk away from certain death so many times” unprompted.
I can’t say in good conscience that this is in any way, shape, or form a good movie. One thing I do know for certain, however, is that I will watch it again (multiple times) because it’s just so ridiculous.
Lacking Self-Awareness
REVIEW SCORE
Out for a Kill expertly showcases how awesome Steven Seagal truly is, according to him, and I can’t get enough of it.
If you like your revenge flicks to lack self-awareness, you can stream this title on The Roku Channel for free.
