Jack Cole (Seagal) is a New York cop and snappy dresser who transfers to L.A. when a serial killer begins terrorizing the city. Known as "The Family Man" because he slaughters the whole family, and does so also with a religious subtext, the stakes are high for Cole and his new partner Campbell (Wayans) to crack the case. The heat really ratchets up when Jack's ex-wife becomes a victim, and our two heroes discover that the Russian mafia is involved in all this somehow, as they usually are in these instances. As it turns out, Jack's CIA past comes to light as his former boss and now bad guy Mr. Smith (Cox) has joined forces with another local baddie named Deverell (Gunton). Things may seem complicated for the seemingly-mismatched pair of Cole and Campbell, but the Buddhist monk and the wisecracking cop are the only hope of rescuing the citizens of Los Angeles. Will they succeed despite all the obstacles in their way? Prepare to soak up the awesome power of glimmering men as Seagal eats his way through L.A. like a pudgy Pac-Man. It seems pretty clear that the filmmakers were trying to replicate the magic of The Last Boy Scout (1991), even throwing a Wayans brother into the deal. But without the stellar writing of Shane Black, or a comparative budget, or the charisma of Bruce Willis, you're left with a Seagal on the decline...this is where his laziness started to become really apparent, with face-palmingly obvious stand-ins, other actors overdubbing his voice, his whispering when he does have to talk, and the predominance of his paddy-cake slap-fu during the non-gun-related fight scenes. Oh well, at least this is before he became a sadistic torturer, as he did in his later DTV movies. Keenen Ivory Wayans not only shined with his great comic timing and snappy one-liners, we also appreciated the fact that his character, Campbell, was a classic movie fan. He even got to do some impressive Keenen Ivory-Fu, which was much appreciated. Not only did Wayans pull his own weight in this production, he pulled most of Seagal's as well. Without Wayans adding the brightness, this would have been a total slog. Brian Cox was perfectly fine as the baddie, but it was very reminiscent of Noble Willingham in Boy Scout. When Cox and Seagal are talking in the Italian restaurant, it's a battle of the whispers. You definitely need the subtitles on the DVD. So while we do see the triumph of Seagal's so-called "sissy beads", the movie remains just on the edge of a breakthrough of quality and value. It's entertaining enough, but it's also easy to see why it was one of Seagal's last movies to hit theater screens. Speaking of edges, you haven't seen the proper use of a credit card until you've seen Seagal brandish his plastic. I hear he earns double airline miles for every dead gangster. Once again, Seagal was also heavily involved in the music, teaming up with the prolific Todd Smallwood on two bluesy rockers for Taj Mahal and The Jeff Healey Band. Music aside, the plot is nothing you wouldn't see on an episode of Criminal Minds, and it's plain to see Seagal's torpor setting in. Taking all this into consideration, The Glimmer Man might bring back some fond memories of perusing the shelves at your local video store...but seen from today's perspective you can see the ill omens that would predict the course of Seagal's later career. Despite the best efforts of Wayans and perhaps a few others, The Glimmer Man is pretty middling.

Unable to apprehend a serial killer known as "the Family Man" a Los Angeles detective named "Jack Cole" (Steven Seagal) is called in to offer his assistance. Unfortunately, although he has had some previous success in this particular type of assignment, his enigmatic reputation and eccentric style don't mesh well with others in the police force--which his new partner "Jim Campbell" (Keenen Ivory Wayans) begins to realize only too soon. Even so, with the sudden escalation of these murders, everyone is willing to look the other way. At least for the time-being. However, everything begins to seriously unravel due to some evidence which points directly at him--and he now becomes the lead suspect. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay film for the most part but its total disregard for realism hampered it quite a bit. For example, in the real world when a police officer shoots and kills somebody he is immediately suspended pending a thorough investigation. But not here. And that's just one of the faults contained in this movie. But for what it's worth, both Steven Seagal and Keenen Ivory Wayans put in fine efforts in spite of it all and for that reason I have rated this film accordingly. Average.

A practicing-Buddhist detective (Steven Seagal) joins forces with a wise-cracking, LA cop (Damon Wayans) on the cases of a serial killer called The Family Man who intrudes on the homes of families, shooting them in the foreheads point blank (the gun, equipped with silencer), then displaying them in the ritualistic form of the Crucifix, spiked to their bedroom walls. Soon, however, Seagal realizes that certain murders might be imitations, meant to resemble those of The Family Man, in actuality tied to chemical weapons smuggled and meant for sale to terrorists. Wayans loses his home, and suffers great harm to his person, thanks to his association with Seagal. I did think I would like this a little more than I did. Sure, Seagal has the requisite fight scene where he hurls men through tables, across the bar, through windows, and crashing into displays and walls, with broken bottles and faces as a result. There's a treasure of villainy, including Brian Cox as a CIA government man from Seagal's past, Bob Gunton (Shawshank Redemption) as the one responsible for negotiating the weapons trade with the Russian mob, Stephen Tobolowsky as The Family Man (who Seagal must kill in a Catholic Church much to his dismay after repeated warnings), and John M Jackson as Gunton's enforcer soon turning on his boss. Jackson is the unfortunate final bad guy and the eventual recipient of a major ass-whooping. I honestly think the feeling of familiarity with the plot and action scenes (the serial killing subplot shows us some grisly crime scenes but the approach to solving them is uninspired; this is more about the--yawn-- weapons smuggling uncovering than removing a serial killer from the streets) hurts The Glimmer Man. Yes, faces are beaten to a bloody and battered pulp, and Seagal's hands still move at warp speed when he destroys his foes, but I found myself just wanting more this time around. Wayans tries to use his sense of humor to save the day, and Seagal looks as relaxed and comfortable as I have ever seen him; but, the film simply lacks grit and intensity (there's also that energy missing) needed considering what the heroes are up against. This is a good example of the beginnings in Seagal's action hero decline. This was also a glaring example of Seagal's continuing chunky physique; I'm not one to harp on this as some do, but his limited movement does deter from the authenticity of his fight scenes...that said, at least he can absorb extra punishment and move more than one man around without it seeming less realistic.

The latest Steven Seagal crime movie "The Glimmer Man" takes its title from the hero's dexterity and cunning at eliminating his foes before they can retaliate. Devoted fans of the real-life Aikido master will cheer their pony-tail hero as he demolishes his usual quota of thuggish villains who richly deserve every slap, smack, punch, and crackle they receive from Seagal as a way of atonement. What might upset them are the many variations that embellish this saga. No, "The Glimmer Man" isn't a message-laden, ecological nightmare that Seagal's earlier epic "On Deadly Ground" was. This Seagal vehicle grafts a creepy, whodunit, serial killer plot reminiscent of the 1995 Brad Pitt chiller "Se7en" onto a standard-issue police procedural. This time out we're allowed to laugh a little at the antics of Seagal and his newest sidekick, LAPD Detective Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans of "A Lone Down Dirty Shame"), who gets to be the butt of our protagonist's pranks. The script allows Wayans to behave in a fashion that would appear inappropriate for the screen persona of Seagal's indestructible character. For instance, we get to see Wayans cry like a baby as he watches "Casablanca" in a downtown movie palace. Seagal's recent pictures have been overshadowed by his 1992 box office smash "Under Siege." "The Glimmer Man" represents an appeal to a more broadly defined audience, but nevertheless, it is more a watchable than most of his far-fetched fare.Steven Seagal's "Glimmer Man" character Jack Cole replicates the cop that he played in his cinematic debut "Hard to Kill" 9(1988) who had a hazy background as a CIA agent. Here, Seagal plays an ex-CIA assassin who plied his trade during the Vietnam War. As usual, Cole suffered from the lone wolf, "Dirty Harry," syndrome. Mystery cloaks Cole so thoroughly that Campbell (Wayans) cannot decide whether to trust him or arrest him. Gradually, our detective heroes discover that their suspicions about the serial murders are correct. They uncover an elaborate CIA/Russian Mafia plot to smuggle chemical weapons into the U.S. in a most interesting and original manner. Complicating matters is the actual serial slayer, Christopher Maynard (Stephen Tobolowsky of "Momento"), who lives up to his weirdness. Frank Deverell (Bob Gunton of "The Shawshank Redemption") is Seagal's chief adversary who masterminds the chemical weapons smuggling operation. As a CIA honcho, Mr. Smith (Brian Cox of "The Long Kiss Goodnight") brings urbanity and a touch of Dixie to his duplicitous dastard. Cox makes such a impassive but slimy villain that he deserves the abuse that Seagal delivers with glee.The real fun in any Seagal epic is the incredible way that he crushes his adversaries without suffering any payback. Nothing in "The Glimmer Man" matches the far-fetched scene where he escapes the hoodlums right after he emerged from a coma and pushes his own gurney out of the hospital. Another change here is the joke-swapping rapport between Seabal and the impeccably tailored Wayans. Seagal characters aren't known for either their levity or their pranks. They are typically a humorless, moribund breed of hero. Keenen Ivory Wayans' presence helps to lighten things up in this bizarre thriller. He gets shot at, his apartment blown up, and he falls out of a high-rise motel window. Wayans looks and dresses ultra-cool but he gets no more respects and twice the number of bruises than Seagal.Underlying the complicated plot is the budding relationship between Cole and Campbell as they pursue their investigation in its bl00dsplattered, pyrotechnical explosive finale. The humor and antics that develop between these two make "The Glimmer Man" more interesting than the usual Seagal opus. "The Glimmer Man" is a vast improvement over "On Deadly Ground" and "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory," but it is just another potboiler, albeit a polished one. The powdered deer penis scene is hilarious.