Plot: What’s it about?
The institution known as Alcatraz has been closed for a long while, but when its doors were open, it was the ultimate prison. Now it has been updated and reopened, meaning it will be home to the most nefarious criminals in the system. And the prison will even be used to carry out death sentences, with the first one lined up just after it reopens. An inmate is to be executed, but he has some knowledge that is most valuable. While on the outside, he managed to steal two-hundred million dollars worth of gold, but while he was arrested and convicted, the gold was never recovered and he refuses to reveal its location. Even so, he is slated to be electrocuted and when he dies, so does the hope of finding the treasure trove of stolen gold. But some people are willing to go to extremes to gain that information before he dies, including a band of commandos who storm the prison, with some help from an inside man, Donny (Morris Chestnut). At the same time, an undercover agent (Steven Seagal) has to convince his fellow inmates to battle against the invading commandos, even if that means being on the side of the law. With tensions escalating and time running short, can the agent manage to take control the situation?
As this movie is an action movie, you’d expect fights, gun battles, extreme stunts, and some wicked violence. I mean, we even have some rappers involved, so you know this one isn’t aimed at the kiddies, right? But we’re proven wrong, as Half Past Dead is a PG-13 movie and in order to secure that, it seems as if the filmmakers had to excise some violence, brutality, and even harsh language. You would assume prison would be filled with profane tirades, but the inmates here never curse, even though they’re supposed to be the worst of the worst, as far as hardened criminals are concerned. So as we’ve seen all too often of late, we have a movie that should have been rated R, but was forced into a PG-13 setting and while that means more teens can purchase tickets, the tradeoffs aren’t balanced. If this would have been a hardcore prison picture, kind of like Oz meets The Rock, it might have been a huge success, but instead it comes off like a watered down knockoff, right down to the poor box office results. Half Past Dead isn’t terrible, but it could have much better and that’s the real disappointment here. If you’re an action junkie or just love Steven Seagal however, you’ll want to give this one a rental. Even if the movie isn’t too remarkable, Columbia’s treatment is solid and as such, it is recommended to those interested.
Steven Seagal is back once again and per usual in his recent efforts, he has a rapper right by his side. I don’t want to seem out of place here, as I’ve seen some good performances by rap stars, but this simply wasn’t the right choice here. We have Steven Seagal, who has a presence that exudes solitude, you just know he wouldn’t be a team player. Maybe it is all of his previous movies, but its hard to imagine him as half of a buddy movie, especially with a criminal being played by a rap artist. I couldn’t even see him as a traditional partner on the police force, so this comes off as more than a little out of balance. But he looks as mean as ever and tries to do what he can, which is about all we can ask. And unlike the recent Seagal vehicle The Foreigner, he is allowed to focus on action and let dialogue take a backseat. Other films with Seagal include Exit Wounds, Fire Down Below, On Deadly Ground, Out for Justice, and Marked for Death. The cast also includes Ja Rule (Turn it Up, The Fast and The Furious), Nia Peeples (Deep Star Six, Alone with a Stranger), and Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, The Inkwell).
Video: How does it look?
Half Past Dead is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full screen edition also included on this dual layered disc. This is a dynamic visual effort, the kind of work we’ve come to expect from Columbia on new releases. The print is in excellent condition, so grain isn’t an issue and debris never hampers the visuals. I found colors to be bright, but natural in scope and flesh tones were warm and consistent. No troubles with contrast, as even dark scenes come off as well detailed and refined, thanks to smooth black levels. Another new release from Columbia and of course, another top notch visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie has tons of action, so the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option has ample potential to show off its guns. And it makes good use of that potential, with an active and quite impressive experience. The gunfire, explosions, chases, crashes, and other action elements provide plenty of surround presence, so power is never thin in this soundtrack. But it is not all power, as the more subtle moments play out well and of course, the musical soundtrack sounds clean and well mixed in this treatment. I had no troubles with dialogue here, as vocals are crisp and never hard to understand in the slightest. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French, just in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary is the main supplement here, as director Don Michael Paul lends his thoughts on the picture. As Paul talks about the project’s interesting history, some cool information comes out, but in the end, this session isn’t too memorable. I would have liked to know about the changes made to obtain the lower rating, as well as more insight into the project evolved over time and what he might have changed. This disc also includes some deleted scenes, a behind the scenes featurette, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
