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.

Steven Seagal went back to his roots with this action thriller, which harks back to his early work, much of which was city-bound and also dealt with conspiracies and violence on the 'mean' streets (his acting debut, NICO: ABOVE THE LAW, in particular). In fact, this film is quite surprising, as Seagal had apparently turned into an ex-military guy who killed hundreds of baddies and set traps to kill people, but not so in this film. Here he's a cop with a suspicious past, which even leads to him being blamed for a series of murders (a first, Seagal is usually the 100% clean good guy). Of course, we all know he's a goodie after all and he shows this by exposing police corruption all around, and beating up a healthy number of bad guys.The film is refreshingly free of the environmental stuff that Seagal has insisted on dolloping in his 1990s actioners (ON DEADLY GROUND being the worst offender). However, he's cast as a Buddhist in this film, and someone who dislikes resorting to violence (although, as you might be able to guess, it's not long before he does). What makes this film different from Seagal's other work is the relatively complex plot, which twists everywhere so that you don't know who's killing who. Thankfully, everything sorts itself out after half-an-hour of this headache inducing stuff.Another difference is that this time, Seagal has a partner (and it's not some woman who hides in the background either). Keenen Ivory Wayans is likable and friendly as a homicide cop, and he's not a bad fighter either. There's a brilliant fight in Wayans' apartment which ends with him being blown out of his window by a gas explosion! Seagal basically plays himself again (what else but the whispering hard man?), but he's even cooler and smarter this time around, always one step ahead of the enemy. The rest of the cast give solid support too, especially the believable killers (who turn out to be just doing their jobs). This time around, the killer is a sadistic serial killer too, something which brings back shades of OUT FOR JUSTICE.A Seagal film wouldn't be a Seagal film without some violent fight scenes, and this film doesn't disappoint. While there aren't a great deal of enemies for Seagal to fight in this film, the ones there are always team up, so there are some fast moments with Seagal killing loads of people at once. Expect lots of smashing windows and tables too, as Seagal chucks people around and breaks the odd arm or two (what a surprise!). He even has a trick up his sleeve in the form of a credit card with a razor blade, which he uses to kill three men in one extremely cool scene.Other show stoppers include Seagal rolling out of the back window of an upside down car, and the final fight between him and the main baddie, which is one of his best. There's quite a bit of blood in this fight, and even Seagal gets whacked on the nose and bleeds (a rare occasion, for someone to land a punch on Seagal). It's definitely a climax worth waiting for. With a higher humour content than before (mostly in the form of Wayans), a plot which actually requires you to think, and the expected action and fight scenes, THE GLIMMER MAN is nothing amazing but it's solid entertainment and a bit better than some other action films of today.

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.