Yes, this is an action movie, but without more than 3 words per minute, it's hard to understand what's going on. Also, without a doubt some of the cheesiest lines for the bad guys I have ever heard. One says "You're f@#%ed white boy" 5 seconds before Seagal throws him through a window. (2) Poor special effects. Or, more accurately, a failure to mask the special effects that are in this movie. For example, the "sky effect" is very lame... at Seagal's house in the U.S. and when he's "interrogating" the pilot by pretending to crash the plane. Also, when he fights the guy in the barber shop who likes to float through midair like Casper the Ghost. Ridiculous. I think the producers wanted a "Matrix"-like effect with the fight sequences, but they want you to believe the fights are real (unlike the Matrix, where suspension of disbelief is part of the storyline, played to great effect), which clearly does not work. The CGI used is not at all necessary to make this movie, which makes it clear that this is a very low-budget flick. (3) Very flat characters. No, I didn't expect to know the innermost psyches of each character, but some vital ones are left almost completely undeveloped. Examples: (a) Seagal's cellmate, King, which seems to be a person Seagal will meet again (given the dialogue), never appears after he gets out. Very confusing. (b) Seagal's wife, very easy on the eyes, but obviously not an actress. She mumbles her words, and overdoes it with the facial expressions of dismay every time hubby decides to kick someone's butt in a crowded restaurant. We see her so little that when his house blows up with her in it, who cares? (c) The head Tong guy. So forgettable I don't even remember his name. All we see of him is his scowling at a table with ever decreasing henchmen. He repeats himself constantly, which is very annoying. (4) A totally disconnected plot. I mean seriously, we go from southern China, to America, to Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, etc. He can't stay in one location for more than 10 minutes. I understand this is the "Tong network", but why would each bad guy wait exactly in a predictable spot when they know Seagal is coming to kill them? And the biggest flop? An archaeologist who used to be a thief who knows advanced martial arts, might be a government agent, etc. Who is this guy? A spin on this theme worked in "On Deadly Ground" because his merc background was apparent from the beginning. However, such a notorious person going into hiding by becoming a world reknowned professor is laughable. This DVD landed in the trash can after one viewing. Just making it through to the end was a supreme effort of will, believe me. In the final analysis, this movie fails so horribly because I think it takes on way too much of a plot with such a limited budget. With the proper (major) studio backing, and a few competent writers, this could have been a much better film. As is, it has a film student project feel to it. Seagal should be ashamed to even be associated with this movie. I cried at the end not because it was dramatic, but because I wasted $20 on this piece of trash and the thought of someone else being victimized as well. Lesson learned: if it is straight to video a la Seagal, better get a second opinion first. Or, in the words of another reviewer, "rent it cheap!" Better yet, pass this stinker up entirely.