Kill Switch

_A serial killer of serial killers_ A sleuth in Memphis (Steven Seagal) eschews Liberal leniency as he goes after two separate murderers (Mark Collie and Michael Filipowich). His methods and character are defended by his partner in the war on crime (Chris Thomas King) while a snooping FBI agent seriously questions both (Holly Dignard). “Kill Switch” (2008) was made at the start of Seagal’s third decade of filmmaking. Long gone are the days of mega budgets and theatrical releases. This was a $5 million direct-to-video action flick and people generally lambaste it as “the worst move ever made,” etc. The question is, does it work for what it is, a detective thriller? It did for me. The action sequences are drawn-out and feature snazzy quick-editing accompanied by a kick-axx soundtrack. Some critics decry the use of a body double, but such cannot be discerned unless you slow the speed down and look at the sequence frame-by-frame (and, even then, I could hardly tell it was a stuntman). As for the repeat edits, it struck me as dynamic cinematic artistry. Thankfully, the energetic thrills are counterbalanced by fleshed-out characters and quality drama in a script exclusively written by Seagal. Detective Jacob King (Seagal) is a likable protagonist and his friendship with his partner is developed. You WANT to see them apprehend the thug scum while the FBI agent creates further interest (for reasons you’ll see). On top of this, there are several creative bits thrown in, like the arcane clues left by the key serial killer, the ‘hip’ librarian, the edgy bar band, the inexplicable girl in the apartment, the amusing clown story, and the revelational close, which creates an almost ‘wow’ moment if you reflect and realize what’s really going on. Seagal’s “The Glimmer Man” had a similar story and ten-times the budget, but this is the more entertaining film. Unfortunately, armchair critics nitpick it to damnation. It runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in British Columbia (Vancouver, Coquitlam and Langley). GRADE: B