Fire Down Below (1997 film)
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| Fire Down Below | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Félix Enríquez Alcalá |
| Produced by | Julius R. Nasso, Steven Seagal |
| Written by | Jeb Stuart, Phillip Morton |
| Starring | Steven Seagal, Marg Helgenberger, Kris Kristofferson |
| Music by | Nick Glennie Smith |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 5, 1997 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Fire Down Below is a 1997 cult action film directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá. It stars Steven Seagal as an EPA agent investigates a Kentucky mine and helps locals stand up for their rights. The film co-stars Marg Helgenberger, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Dean Stanton and Stephen Lang. It includes cameos by country music performers Levon Helm, Randy Travis, Mark Collie, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt.
Seagal's production involvement (The Patriot, On Deadly Ground) is detectable in the Aikido-inspired fight sequences, strength of Seagal's character versus antagonists, and repeated references to male on male sexual assault.
[edit] Plot
In the peaceful Appalachian hills of Kentucky, toxins are being dumped into abandoned mines, causing environmental havoc, but the locals, mindful of their jobs and the power of the mine owners, can do nothing. Environmental Protection Agency CID agent Jack Taggart is sent to investigate, after a fellow agent is found dead, probably not by accident. The EPA has received an anonymous letter from the town of Jackson, Kentucky, and Taggart goes there undercover to continue his colleague's investigations.
It is discovered that Hanner Coal Company, owned by Orin Hanner Sr., is being paid to dump toxic waste into an abandoned coal mine shaft, so Jack is assigned to go to the small town of Jackson, where his cover is that of assistant and volunteer carpenter to a local church. He stays in a room in the church's basement, and begins his cover work by repairing the roof at a house where one of the children is sick because of the pollution. As a newcomer to the small local community, he's threatened by Hanner's son Orin Hanner Jr., the incompetent local tool of his rich father, and the corrupt local Sheriff.
Taggart exposes the corruption and pollution and survives an attempt to kill him in an underground explosion, but still the locals are afraid to do anything to help. But when the mine owner has the church set on fire, Taggart's limit is reached, and the oppressors are taken down.
[edit] Trivia
The closing credits has the song 'Paradise' by John Prine which implies the long-term impacts of coal mining on rural areas including health hazards.
Lyrics to 'Paradise' by John Prine http://www.jpshrine.org/lyrics/songs/jpparadise.html
The movie was filmed on location in and around Kentucky. Some of the "truck chase scene" was shot at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Some of the opening scenes were filmed at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.
