Out of Reach (2004)

Billy Ray Lancing a former covert agent turned survivalist takes on his deadliest case when he discovers that the foster program he is using to help a young girl is actually a human trafficking network. Headed up by a deadly crime boss the operation is worth billions and the girls are sold and traded all over the world. Determined to put an end to the operation Lancing must draw on all his lethal skills to bring the network down.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 043396032026 Manufacturer No: 03202 Product Description

Unconvincing political fear

A small British-Polish thriller that exploits the common fear that lives and thrives in Europe. It is based on two associated lines of menace. On one side the problem of the numerous orphans in Eastern European countries and there illegal immigration into Europe. These orphans are little by little coming out but not through the normal official gate and highway but through some illegal procedure that transforms them into some kind of slaves. The second line is that of prostitution. In this case only girls are concerned, hence only female prostitution is considered. These two lines associate the fear of illegal immigrants, of national identity and its erosion in front of European integration and the moral fear or disgust at prostitution in general and at turning young teenage girls into prostitutes in particular. Then the involvement of some Turkish nationals is neither clear nor necessary but it corresponds to the desire to add an anti-Moslem touch and to fight against a possible integration of Turkey into Europe, a perspective many in Europe are against, though without any convincing arguments. In other words this film is more governed by European interest than anything else, and I mean political interests in this case. That is a real handicap because then the thrill is a lot less powerful and the story is a lot less convincing. The final escape of the two concerned children (what about all the others involved in the traffic in the film?) to the USA is even more surprising. What do Americans have to do with European prostitution?

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
February 2, 2008

"out of my mind for renting this Derk"

Mr. Seagal passed his prime 6 movies ago but someone didn't tell him. With the weight gain and the beefy cow leg arms Steven looks fat, tired, and just out of gas in this one. Please Steven, stop before you hurt yourself or your fans anymore!!!!!!!!! March 15, 2007

Out of Reach

Typical Seagal movie. Lots of martial arts and some story. Good film for evenings entertainment August 21, 2006

Out of Reach... out of ideas... out of patience...outta here...

On the trail of stinky excrements such as The Foreigner and Out for a Kill, current reigning straight-to-video monarch Steven Seagal returns to again inflict upon his ever-dwindling fan base more of his patented scowls, unsubtle enviromental messages, and his ridiculous, past-prime brand of martial arts.

Steven Seagal half-heartedly (and even that might be giving him too much credit) portrays William Lansing, a former special ops agent turned wildlife refuge environmentalist, who travels to Poland to look into why his 13-year-old orphaned buddy Irina Morawska has stopped corresponding (maybe she found out Seagal's 77 years old and is a slug). Lansing unearths a slimy but lucrative slavery ring and comes face to face with malignant main baddie Faisal. It now only remains to see how grisly a fate Faisal will have at the chubby but deadly hands of Lansing.

Out of Reach is utter crapola. The amateurish production values, the corny, highly derivative script and the cringe-worthy acting "performances" cause this video release to plummet faster than an ugly prostitute's self-respect. Seagal's mumbled diction is at an all-time low. At certain points, a voice actor had to dub Seagal's voice because the Green Peace sensei couldn't be bothered to come back to the studio for post-production work (it's so obviously not him doing the voice-over, reading those letters to Irina). The action sequences are so preposterous and so clumsily-set up that even David Carradine is giggling.

I was such a big fan of Seagal when he first exploded on the scene in Above the Law (1988). Back then, he was the epitomy of the film action hero, more down to earth than Van Damme and more realistic than Ah-nold. His first five features were awesome, stripped-down virtuoso cinemas of abrupt, lethal, down-and-dirty ass-kicking. In the 1990s, the fact that he was a man of monosyllabic tendencies only contributed to his cultivated silent but deadly image. He was well on his way to becoming a martial arts icon. Then, sadly, pfffft...

Obviously, Seagal found out that he could still make beaucoup money without putting in a 100 percent effort. Over the years, the man had just let himself go, and it's a damn shame. True, he never was much of an actor: he probably uses his Burger King cash card more often than his SAG card. But now, even the low-rent genre he toils in should be embarassed to have him as a member.

Is it a surprise anymore when we find, in whatever film he's in, that his character has had special super-duper combat training in his past? First of all, if Steven Seagal were to now play a role other than that of an ex-military name-taker and ass-kicker, his Jabba the Hut-sized noggin would probably explode from the unexpected dramaturgical exertion, and all we'll have left of Seagal is the desolate remnants of a ponytail. His acting is now as strained and forced as his trousers belt must be. This is not the worst movie I've ever seen (I once walked out of a Dolph Lundgren flick; The Red Scorpion, I think it was) but it's pretty bad. For the record, Seagal has almost officially surpassed the unlamented Michael Dudikoff in terms of film careers rapidly circling into the toilet. One and a half stars. The rating would be lower but I'm sentimental.
July 17, 2006

Don't do it!

This is not the Seagal of the early nineties. Something has happened to him and it's not good. He's gained weight, does not move like before, and is hard to understand. The technical process is terrible. I will never buy another Seagal (I have 14 of the old ones) again and I think Amazon should seriously consider taking this off their site.

February 17, 2006

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