I like watching movies. I don't mind watching some movies over and over again. Good ones, bad ones, it takes a truly horrific movie for me to walk away. Sometimes I will leave the tv on in the background while I do particularly rote work where I don't have to think too much. The channel of choice, of course, is AMC. Why? Because they show old, tired movies all day long, interrupted only by the obnoxious ads for whatever scooter device, or free diabetes testing kits the majority of their daytime demo needs (read: way over 65). It's where, as my Dad says, old movies go to die.
It takes a very bad film for me to change it off of AMC during the day. For a multitude of reasons, when a Steven Seagal movie comes on, I won't change it. There is a perfect mix of bad dialog, ridiculous action, b-list stars, and of course Steven's ugly mug playing the romantic action lead. Normally it's easy to tune out, with the occasional explosion or burst of gunfire causing me to glance over from my work.
But the other day, 'On Deadly Ground' was on. Typical Seagal fare for sure, he plays the good guy, working for the bad guys, then goes over to the good guys side, with lots of martial arts in between, and of course, somehow, inexplicably, he gets the girl. But while I was watching it, or basically ignoring it actually, something caught my attention- it was well written dialog! I turned my full attention to the tv.
At the end of 'On Deadly Ground' Seagal delivers a scathing report on Big Oil, and corporate greed fueled environmental destruction. To hear a well written, researched, and delivered condemnation of those who seek to destroy our world for their own personal gain at the end of one of his movies was shocking to say the least, and really out of character I think.
And in 1994? Almost unheard of except in Environmental circles. I am not really sure if anyone actually ever saw this film, beyond AMC, but this message rings true, ever so much more today. With the BP spill still wreaking havoc in the gulf, and the Michigan and China spills on it's heels, this message has more power now I think, than it did tagged onto Seagals 1994 effort.
If you have 4 minutes, I think you should take a look. It's worth it. Take what he is saying and multiply it by 10 for today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfNEKKva7HY
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