And so the extraordinary, leprous perfection of On Deadly Ground ensured that Seagal would never have like opportunity again. Yet Frankenstein must always be destroyed by the monstrous thing that his hands created. A steady parade of box office successes, culminating with Under Siege, afforded Seagal the rare opportunity to make anything he wished. Then, then are these special few individuals left bereft of the vast canvases that the full exercise of their powers demands. Audiences hoot down their works and vote with their feet. Critics carve up their progeny, slashing them with pens dipped in acid and bile. Vast resources, tens of millions of dollars, armies of men and women are put at their disposal, all to realize their malign, demented visions.Īfterward, the studios that cosseted them behold the horrors that their agents have spawned. Not only to star, but to direct and write or co-write the script. Likewise, in some insane, spastic fit of miscalculation, is a Steven Seagal allowed to make a vanity project. And for brief, shining moments these few seem to become the living avatars of Jabootu itself. Few people capable of foisting such monumental dreck on the public are ever in the position to do so. Such a fiasco could only occur when some misguided studio, all too desperate for a hit, extends much too much money and artistic autonomy to someone who blatantly doesn’t deserve it. No, it was because, even as the film majestically unspooled across that vast screen, it marked the beginning of the end of Seagal’s box office power. Not that he lacked the talent or the will to create more such wonders. And so, even while first watching On Deadly Ground, I knew that Steven Seagal would never again make its equal. This is true even for those who dedicate a lifetime to seeking out Jabootu’s twisted progeny. Even as bliss enfolds you, you’re naggingly cognizant that this moment will seldom be matched. It whispers to you mockingly, insidiously. Yet even now an awareness lurks deep in your brain. You stare at the screen stupefied, captivated, beholding something that’s as close to perfection as anything likely to be made by man. For the length of the film, you sit enrapt. (Either that or the tape transfer was inept.) I eventually just gave up.įor the Jabootuist, the first viewing of an instant classic like On Deadly Ground is a bittersweet experience. However, despite being a recent film, the cinematography for The Patriot is so dark that I had severe problem culling usable stills. NOTE: I apologize about the scarcity of photos for this review.
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