OUT OF REACH is yet another straight-to-video release marking Steven Seagal's descent from once-upon-a-time greatness to obscurity and inanity. This is a film that bears little resemblance to the Seagal we know and love of old. Although there have been some mildly entertaining flicks from the action star in the last few years, this isn't one of them; it's a painfully silly, utterly unappealing Polish take on COMMANDO, although dispelling all the humour and action that made that film a classic.Seagal is portly and out of breath here and even a simple action, like a forward roll, has to be undertaken by his stunt double. What's worse, his voice is even doubled for some segments here as apparently Seagal's always too busy to do any post production dubbing. The story is muddled and cheap and there are some very poor child actors hanging around who are sometimes an embarrassment. Matt Schulze is a frankly weak villain whose posturing and humour are derivative in the extreme and the only appealing cast member is female lead Agnieszka Wagner, and that's only because she's pretty.The (minimal) action scenes are poorly choreographed and utterly boring and as a whole this is a waste of both time and money. It's a shame, as director Po-Chih Leong was once promising, a creative force behind the likes of HONG KONG 1941 and now he squanders his time in cheapo Eastern European silliness.

I wanted to start my review by "Steven Seagal rides again", but it's actually more like "Steven Seagal fails again !", because come to think of it, the last movie where Seagal did right, was long time ago, and since years, he's doing the same poor movie, time after time, with lower and lower action, rather effort, from his side, every time ! You can stand many negative points, as long as the positive points are more. So, let's play what's negative and positive in Seagal. It's a universal fact that Seagal can't act. No problem. Many action stars can't too. Seagal is incredibly cold. On the contrary of what you think, that may serve his movie-character, enhancing it with peculiarity. Seagal is unattractive, with uncombed hair and obvious paunch. So what ? Bud Spencer had that, yet he was charismatic, with a devil of a smile and millions of fans. Seagal isn't funny. Come on, Charles Bronson used to be an action hero, till the age of 70 something, while having no sense of humor, or doing a comedy. Let alone that Seagal mocked at himself numerously, in movies like My Giant (1998), and The Onion Movie (2008). Seagal doesn't work with major studios anymore. Don't bother yourself, as since the 2000s start, he makes from 2 to 4 direct-to-video movies per year, producing all of them, so his career is continuous, and his name is still there. Seagal is whispering instead of talking. Get out here, you go to his movies to watch good fights and action sequences, not listing to anything but bullets and explosions, and arguably his whispering voice can be intimidating and a proof of scary confidence. As you see, I was too indulgent, all the way. BUT, when Mr. Seagal makes movies, where he doesn't hit somebody by himself, or even speak with his own voice, then I must scream AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!! Because this way, it isn't about having many negative points, IT'S ABOUT NOT HAVING ANYTHING POSITIVE ANYMORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!First of all, I don't hate Out of Reach's script. I think in the right hands, it could have been wonderful and huge. Kind of early Taken, which would be produced 4 years later. I loved the main conflict, the unspoken language of the girl; with always smart ciphers, and the idea of ending the movie with a climactic fencing. However, everything else was hateful. The production is wretched to the utmost. The sets are have-not. How to make an action movie in so tight places ? You can swear that the cameraman was squeezed while shooting a lot of scenes. And you read that it cost 20 million dollar to make ?? Most probably, 19 million were Seagal's salary, and 18 million of them he spent on his food ! The performance is between usual, bad, and very bad. I won't forget Matt Schulze as the evil man. He was truly evil, yet to the whole schools of acting all over the world ! Here's a guy who thinks he's evil by goggling, screaming, and – let's not overlook – spitting ! The heroine is there in utterly inserted way. Save the first laconic fight, there is no action. That climactic fencing ends before it starts. It's crystal clear that watching a Seagal movie for enjoying some action has become fruitless lately. I believe they used dubbed voice for Seagal, not due to "changing the story after most of the movie was shot", as I read, but for substituting Seagal's unheard voice with more audible one, and adding some one-liners to make the movie look funnier or cooler. And when you hear Seagal dubbed over by a voice-over artist, you have to furiously ask; what's left for that guy to do ?? I know. Putting his picture on the posters to fool some of the most miserable viewers out there, whom are ignorant enough to know the ugly truth, incapable of finding better movies, or – worse – still have faith in the late Steven Seagal ! Seagal once said : "I have been able to make Above the Law (1988) which was a politically conscientious movie. And On Deadly Ground (1994) which was environmentally conscientious movie. So I want to keep making movies like that, which are more geared with a certain entertainment value, but also bring people forward into contemplation". OK. According to that, Out of Reach has the least entertainment value, plus it brought me forward into contemplation concerning how Seagal and his movies grow more and more deprived of any discernible talent during the last 15 years ! This is very little to entertain. And you have to bear a lot of diminishing factors to finish it as well. So, consider it an unimpressive episode of Without a Trace, or a special one of The Biggest Loser !! Finally, Seagal's pen-pal in the movie, played by Ida Nowakowska, said describing him, in the movie's last line "He's not one for words". I can describe Seagal, in the last half of his movies, as someone who's not for words, or acting, or action, OR ANYTHING !

steven seagal has got many kick ass action flicks out there, sadly this ain't one of them, this time we find seagal writing to and supporting a young orphan girl, and when one day she is took away to be used as prostite, seagal goes looking for her, i mean come on the story alone is bad, steven seagal goes to rescue pen pal it's laughable, and while there are some decent little action scenes, there is nowhere near enough and that remains one of the films biggest flaws there is simply not enough action in it, sure there's more than the patriot but simply not enough, overall possibly one of seagal's worst movies if not the worse, come on seagal you can do better than that you used to be the king of action flicks

i found that this one is much better than say the last 3 or 4 direct to DVD movies. He stars as Billy Ray Lansing ex-CIA,, now some kind of Park Ranger or something,, he is helping a child overseas kind of like one of those programs where you send a child letters, and they tell you how they are doing,, anyway it turns out unknowingly he is helping a sex slave human trafficking program, i guess when the girls turn a certain age, the bad guys in this movie put them on a boat to somewhere, and sell the girls, well our character good guy Billy Ray gets involved and starts to start kicking some major butt. The villain in this film ain't too bad either,, the final fight scenes are very good as well. this movie has a decent plot with a good message, all in all not a bad film.