Fire Down Below

Starring: Steven Seagal, Marg Helgenberger, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Dean Stanton, Stephen Lang, Levon Helm, Mark Collie
Directed by: Felix Enriquez Alcala
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Box Office: $
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An EPA agent (Steven Seagal) moves to a small town to investigate a report of pollution. He is embraced by the local townfolk, but soon comes to odds with those resposible for the pollution.

Review:

Tim: Steven Seagal makes two kinds of movies- terrible, and tolerable. This one is the latter. I'm so confused by Seagal's career. Lately, he has been filling up the straight-to-DVD section at Blockbuster with mind-destroying crap. However, he did account for some decent films over the years. This is one of his better efforts. If you can get past the environmental agenda shoved down our throats (which I'm not knocking, because it's an important issue), you'll find a surprising film. Sure, Seagal has plenty of chances to show off his fighting skills. However, the heart of the movie is something different (A Seagal movie with heart? Can it be true? Yes.)

At the movie's heart is Marg Helgenberger. She is caught up in a ridiculously stupid plot twist, but this doesn't impact her performance. She just nails the girl-next-door perfectly. She projects her vulnerability amazingly, and interacts so well with Seagal. This relationship is really at the heart of this movie, and it is better for it.

I applaud this film for taking a stab at an environmental issue, but this always seems like more of an excuse for Seagal to fight people, than an actual attempt at bringing a serious issue to light. There are definitely a few strong moments, but the film begins to unravel in the third act, and we completely forget why Seagal is fighting in the first place. All we know is that he's beating up bad guys- the higher purpose is quickly lost.

Fire Down Below represents one of the best efforts of an actor who has filled the world with crappy films. This isn't his best, but it is at least watchable- which is more than can be said for many of Seagal's films. If you are familiar with his work, you should be pleasantly surprised that this doesn't suck quite as bad as what you're used to.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Under Siege, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, The Glimmer Man