![]() While there, he stumbles onto a plot involving a death-row inmate and his 200 million stash of gold. But the sh!t really hits the fan when the real killer and leader of the hispanics, Cortez (Robert Madrid) takes Twitch's girlfriend and Burke's daughter hostage. A man goes undercover in a hi-tech prison to find out information to help prosecute those who killed his wife. But there is a gang war brewing between the black and hispanic inmates that explodes into a hostile takeover of the prison when the black's gang leader is shot dead and the finger points at Burke. Lester McKenna ( Bruce Weitz) is a prisoner who. Alas, he and Nick get busted, and Sascha has a near-death experience (hence the film's title). Twitch, despite being less muscular, is just as mouthy and is pretty much the same. Sascha Petrosevitch ( Steven Seagal) is a car thief who's brought in by criminal Nick Frazier (Jeffrey 'Ja Rule' Atkins) to work for crime boss Sonny Eckvall. There he crosses paths with Burke (Bill Goldberg) a bulky prisoner who can take care of himself. He claims it's to be closer to his lady but his real motives are a bit more grandiose. Viewers will only cringe when Nick tries to teach Sascha the Ebonics version of all right (“aight”).Long time inmate Twitch (Kurupt) gets himself transfered to a tougher prison than the re-opened Alcatraz. Like its many predecessors Half Past Dead tries to draw laughs and create chemistry by pairing two opposite characters and while that worked for Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour it fails miserably between Seagal and Ja Rule. All actors Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Nia Peeples. Furthermore the proliferation of buddy action movies has simply grown tiresome. FBI agent Sascha Petrosevitch together with her inmate Nick Frazier is tasked to stop him. It’s hard to buy into a stunt that is so far from plausible. In one scene for example Seagal parachutes out of a helicopter that’s only about 200 feet above sea level. CastEdit Steven Seagal as Sasha Petrosevitch Morris Chestnut as Donny Johnson 49er One Ja Rule as Nick Frazier Nia Peeples as 49er Six Tony Plana as. But while Paul has chosen all the “right” ingredients to build an action flick he hasn’t put enough thought into the story’s logistics. Half Past Dead‘s new Alcatraz setting is ultra slick complete with state-of-the-art execution chambers yet still retains the dark and gritty feel that a prison should. It’s obvious that Paul put more focus and energy into the film’s visuals than into the story. ![]() With this movie actor/screenwriter Don Michael Paul who appeared in a bevy of little-known films in the late ’80s and early 90’s makes his directorial debut. Tony Plana is exceptional as the bad-ass prison warden El Fuego it’s too bad his character has such a small role in the film. ![]() As Chestnut‘s fellow commando 49er Six Nia Peeples manages to create a character that despite her tiny stature is convincingly intimidating. It was a refreshing change to see Chestnut–who has played nice-guy roles in a throng of romantic comedies such as The Brothers Two Can Play That Game and The Best Man–portraying a sociopath with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Morris Chestnut ( Like Mike) plays Donny aka 49er One the leader of the mercenaries. The two actors barely have any chemistry and the “brotherly” relationship they talk about incessantly never comes through on screen. Seagal‘s partner in crime Nick is played by rapper-turned-actor Ja Rule ( The Fast and the Furious). Or maybe this is just Seagal‘s rendition of what happens to a man after he flatlines for 22 minutes. Once again Seagal ( Exit Wounds) is the archetypal defender but instead of portraying a brooding silent hero he simply comes across as bored. ![]() It is also a typical Seagal pic so if you have ever watched any–including the Under Siege movies–you’ve seen this one too. Half Past Dead is a stock actioner complete with lame story flashy stunts and lots of folks pointing guns at one another. To save the day Sascha must rally the inmates against the commando force. When their plan backfires they begin taking hostages–including Justice June McPherson ( Linda Thorson). The film stars Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule in the pivotal roles. A group of mercenaries calling themselves “the 49ers” decide it would be a good idea to break into the prison and somehow force Lester to divulge the booty’s whereabouts. The prison happens to house a criminal by the name of Lester ( Bruce Weitz) who robbed an armored vehicle of some $200 million worth of gold that has never been recovered. When Sascha and his partner in crime Nick Frazier ( Ja Rule) get busted by the Feds Sascha agrees to serve time at the newly refurbished Alcatraz in order to keep his cover. Sascha Petrosevitch ( Steven Seagal) is an undercover FBI agent posing as an international car thief. ![]()
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