Attack Force (film)

Attack Force

Attack Force DVD cover
Directed by Michael Keusch
Produced by Joe Halpin
Vlad Paunescu
Steven Seagal
Pierre Spengler
Written by Joe Halpin
Steven Seagal
Starring Steven Seagal
Lisa Lovbrand
David Kennedy
Music by Barry Taylor
Cinematography Sonja Rom
Edited by Jonathan Brayley
Production
company
Clubdeal
Steamroller Productions
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • December 5, 2006 (2006-12-05)
Running time
 95 minutes
Country United States
Romania
United Kingdom
Language English
Budget $12 million

Attack Force is a 2006 American action film directed by Michael Keusch, and also written and produced by Steven Seagal, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Lisa Lovbrand and David Kennedy. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 5, 2006.[1]

Plot

Marshall Lawson (Steven Seagal) is the commander of an elite military unit. In Paris, France, Marshall loses all three of his men in a seemingly random attack, and he takes it upon himself to investigate the attack, with the help of his girlfriend Tia (Lisa Lovbrand) and his friend Dwayne (David Kennedy). Marshall uncovers CTX, a covert military drug so secret that an arm of the military headed by a man named Werner (Danny Webb) wants Marshall eliminated. And Tia was one of the two military scientists who developed CTX.

As it turns out, Reina (Evelyne Armela O'Bami), the hooker who killed Marshall's team, was under the influence of CTX, which turns whoever is under its influence into a seemingly unstoppable killer. A Paris night club owner named Aroon (Adam Croasdell) was the other military scientist who helped develop CTX, and now, Aroon has plans to release the CTX into the water supply in Paris, which would turn the city's residents into ultra-violent killers. Marshall, Tia, and Dwayne must stop Aroon and Werner before that happens.

Cast

Production

Filming took place at Castel Film Studios in Bucharest, Romania in 60 days on January 7 and March 8, 2006.

When the film was first announced under the name Harvester, the plot description described a significantly different scenario than the one in the finished film; the villains were described as aliens with actress Ileana Lazariuc listed as "alien queen." In an email exchange between Seagalogy author Vern and co-writer Joe Halpin prior to the release of Attack Force, Halpin confirmed that although the movie had been written with a sci-fi element, it had been shot in two ways: one explained the villain's actions as the work of European mobsters, and the other explained them as the work of aliens. Asked if the alien plot elements would be present in the final cut, Halpin answered “Who knows,” explaining that the producers and Seagal would come to an agreement in post-production.[2] In the finished film, the villains are explained to be gangsters, and no reference is made to any extraterrestrial origin.

Critics and fans have speculated that leaving the nature of the story unresolved during principal photography led to the pervasive use of other actors overdubbing dialogue (particularly Seagal's) that occurs in the finished film. Seagal's 2005 film Submerged appears to have undergone a similar post-production process.[2]

Reception

The movie was not well received; as of February 2014 it had a 20% "fresh" audience rating on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes (it was not screened for critics).[1] David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews called it, "flat-out unwatchable," and "egregiously shoddy," claiming, "even the most ardent Seagal fan would be hard-pressed to sit through this monstrosity of a production in just one sitting." [3] Seagalogy author Vern noted "[Seagal] does a bare minimum, the lowest amount he can get away with and still seem like the star. Not much fighting, not always appearing (or speaking) in his own scenes, no speeches," but goes on to note, "...I don’t agree that it’s his worst," comparing it favorably to Seagal's previous film (also directed by Michael Keusch), 2006's Shadow Man.[2]

Several reviewers complained about the perceived slapdash nature of the film, in particular the extensive use of an obvious voice double overdubbing much of the dialogue from Seagal.[1]

Television rights

USA Network premiered Attack Force on American television in December 2008, and began repeating it in the late/early morning/night hours.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Attack Force (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Vern. "Attack Force (2006)". Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  3. ↑ David Nusair. "Three Action Films From Sony.". Retrieved 5 February 2014.

External links

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