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Cast:
Steven
Seagal
Byron
Mann
Monica
Lo
Tom
Wu
Sarah
Lane
Action:
Ching
Siu Tung
Producer:
Gary
Howsam
Jamie
Brown
Charles
Wang
Director:
Ching
Siu Tung
Score:
 
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BELLY
OF THE BEAST
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2003 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
For
those of us who grew up in the West loving action films,
Steven Seagal is probably one of those names we remember
fondly alongside the likes of Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van
Damme for making outlandishly violent, substance-free, popcorn
fight fests. Unfortunately, like those other two, he hasn't
aged particularly well and it's surprising in a way to still
see him making these kinds of films.
'Belly
of the Beast' is a straight to video English language actioner,
which may not have gained my attention, but for the fact it is
directed by Ching Siu Tung. Siu Tung is the legendary director
of films like 'A
Chinese Ghost Story' as well as being one of the world’s
top action choreographers most recently seen styling the moves
for films such as 'Hero'
and 'Shaolin
Soccer'.
Unfortunately,
but unsurprisingly, this does not rank among Siu Tung's best
(or even Seagal's for that matter) as it is a painfully
generic kidnap/rescue flick with nothing in the plot or script
to rise above most other straight to video fare. However, for
those of us who care less about dialogue than action, then
there are still some worthwhile moments.
If
this had been directed by an unknown American with a typical
western stunt co-ordinator then I would have been impressed by
the fight scenes on show, as they are quite stylish and often
cleverly choreographed. That said, the usual MTV editing and
short length of the fights is typically American. Given that I
know Siu Tung has done far superior work over the past 20
years, this makes the action seem less impressive.
It
may seem that this review is entirely negative, but that is
not the case. It's probably comparable to films like 'Romeo
Must Die' and 'Exit Wounds' which I personally enjoyed on
a superficial level. If you did too, then this might be worth
a rental.
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