Livestonth
I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Seraherrera
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Brennan Camacho
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Phillipa
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Well, given the fact that this movie stars Steven Seagal and Steve Austin, then you know exactly what you are in for. And true enough, the movie is exactly that, a mindless but entertaining enough action movie."Maximum Conviction" follows the same recipe that Seagal has used for the past 20 odd years. Steven Seagal is an ex-something-something facing formidable forces that must be overcome. And as usual, he emerges fully unscathed and in mint pristine condition. Yep, same old same old from the teddy bear of action movies.Don't expect to be blown away in any way, especially not by any theatrical thespian performances.A very predictable movie that will have some appeal if you, like me, grew up watching Seagal action movies. If you have seen a single Seagal movie, then you have essentially seen this movie already.There is some good enough fighting and action sequences in "Maximum Conviction", and there is the obligatory broken arm injury, of course. And of course Seagal is superior to everyone he stands face to face with, be it by hand, knife or firearm.Nothing outstanding in "Maximum Convinction". This is a generic, mediocre and typical Seagal movie by all means. It is worth a watch a single time if you need some very mindless action, say if you are nurturing a hangover, for example.
aforandromeda
When Cross (Steven Seagal) and Manning (Steve Austin) are tasked with the routine decommissioning of a top secret C.I.A prison facility, everything initially goes smoothly until the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners who are to be moved on the next day. However, when the prison comes under attack from a group of mercenaries, led by the brutal Blake (Michael Pare), who demand the handover of the new arrivals, only Cross and Manning can stop them.It's fair to say that the premise of Maximum Conviction is absolutely nothing new. Borrowing heavily from the plots of Die Hard, Assault on Precinct 13 and Seagal's own Half Past Dead, originality is certainly not on the menu. What is on the menu for viewers however, is a fast paced, brutal and highly enjoyable 98 minutes of mayhem.Seagal's fight sequences are the best he's delivered in a number of years. He's certainly beginning to show his age, but the choreography is spare, violent, simple and snappily edited, giving Seagal a chance to shine. From what I can make out, the use of stunt doubles is minimal. Steve Austin casts his considerable frame over proceedings, with his fight scenes being especially brutal. Whatever opinions people have of Austin's admittedly limited acting range, he is a heavyweight screen presence, a presence utilised to great effect here. A small criticism is that the pair don't nearly share enough screen time together.Michael Pare, an actor seemingly always more effective as the villain of the piece, is also on top form. Refreshingly, he plays his role not for villainous laughs, as happens so often in these kind of movies, but instead portrays callousness and sheer nastiness.It's worth noting that Seagal, after working with director Keoni Waxman in this movie and also the preceding The Keeper and A Dangerous Man, has continued to work with him for two more movies. Waxman, while not the greatest director, seems to be helping Seagal achieve some of the best work he has done in a long time, going a long way to exorcising the memory of some of Seagal's truly execrable misfires of the mid 2000's, such as Shadow Man, Attack Force and Flight of Fury. Waxman's style is direct, straightforward, free of flashy gimmicks and all about the action. Scenes featuring simply dialogue are somewhat rushed, but you forget that when the action is as entertaining and exciting as on offer here. The fights are well choreographed, plus the shootouts are tense, imaginative and highly effective. The movie barely pauses for breath thanks to it's simple and straightforward set up.Admittedly, Maximum Conviction is unlikely to win Steven Seagal (or indeed Steve Austin) many new fans, mostly due to the movie's unimaginative plot and bone crunching brutality. However, the high quality of action on display may go a long way to bringing some of Seagal's lapsed fans back to enjoying his movies again. As for loyal, existing fans of the two big guys, Maximum Conviction is absolutely essential viewing.
LeonLouisRicci
Steven Seagal's final line in this Movie is..."it's not over till we're dead". Possibly a shout-out to his relentless critics that endlessly tell him to retire or at the very least to lose some weight. In this Movie he seems to be trying to end the laziness. He is not dubbed here and manages to find just enough breath to make his lines understandable. He is not doubled here and actually does his own Martial Arts scenes.So that is the upside. Steve Austin on the other hand makes the other Steve look like a thoroughbred Thespian. Seriously, does this guy have ANY expressions or changes of tone to his voice. He has got be the worst Action Hero Actor ever, bar none. But hey, he is an imposing physical presence and that is the minimum requirement to convince.This is a darkly lit, endless trek down corridors and around corners. Stiff and long scenes in front of consoles and computer keyboards. It jumps and pulls the frame once in a while to try a bit of styling but no go. Anyway there is quite a bit of gunfire and a goodly amount of hand to hand and enough Characters to allow for a large body count, so if this is for you, have at it, and for the curious to see if maybe Segal is on a self-imposed comeback.
Wizard-8
Several years ago I essentially stopped watching Steven Seagal's new movies, because they had become unbelievably bad. However, this new film of his intrigued me because he was being paired up with Steve Austin, so I decided to give it a look. After watching it, I swear once again I will not rent any future Steven Seagal movies. Austin is not a great actor, but he does seem to be trying - certainly a lot better than Seagal, who is awful. Seagal has gained so much weight that he waddles instead of walks, and his martial art sequences are so rapidly edited that it's clear he can't pull off multiple moves like he did with his earlier films. Though plenty of blame has to fall on the shoulders of director Keoni Waxman, who films the action sequences (both martial art and gun battles) in the dullest way possible, and lenses everything in unattractive and murky colors. By the way, though the DVD box seems to suggest that Seagal and Austin fight side by side, in actual fact their characters have almost no time together.