Steven Seagal certainly knows how to fight, and in some of his fight scenes in "The Glimmer Man" he comes across as a forceful, don't-mess-with-me presence. What he doesn't know is how to act: he's so wooden he's almost funny, especially when he has to show "disgust" at the horrible crimes he's witnessing, or when he's whispering his lines in an attempt to come off as "menacing". Keenen Ivory Wayans is likably unaggressive as his partner, and the director does his best to emulate the style of "Seven" (minus the intelligence), but (SPOILERS FOLLOW) the whole serial-killer business is actually a big red herring, and the film ultimately turns out to be the typical Seagal actioner. At least there are some good action sequences. (**)
107 Reviews
Seagal does some of his best fighting, and some of his worst acting as well!
gridoon8 February 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Standard Segal Fare, Average Action Formula
mwendel31 December 2003
This is another Segal formula flick. Thankfully, unlike some of his more recent movies, he's in much better physical shape (i.e. he's not fat). Segal plays yet another former government operative, now a local police officer/detective, trying to live out his life out of the "business".
Shrouded in mystery and controversy, Segal, once again, become a one man wrecking crew taking out everyone and everything, while maintaining his clam, Buddhist/Art of War philosophies in the process.
Why on earth they dragged, Keenan Ivory Wayans into a Segal formula movie is beyond me. I mean not say I didn't like him in the flick, but why him? Better yet, why anyone? As far as I can tell Segal usually does his better movies running solo, as he is the bona fide martial artist. One would figure if you were going to pair him up with someone, make it another action hero or another martial artist.
Either way, if you're a Segal, action movie fan this movie is a good way to kill a couple of hours. If you're not into that, then skip this flick.
Shrouded in mystery and controversy, Segal, once again, become a one man wrecking crew taking out everyone and everything, while maintaining his clam, Buddhist/Art of War philosophies in the process.
Why on earth they dragged, Keenan Ivory Wayans into a Segal formula movie is beyond me. I mean not say I didn't like him in the flick, but why him? Better yet, why anyone? As far as I can tell Segal usually does his better movies running solo, as he is the bona fide martial artist. One would figure if you were going to pair him up with someone, make it another action hero or another martial artist.
Either way, if you're a Segal, action movie fan this movie is a good way to kill a couple of hours. If you're not into that, then skip this flick.
Our solid heroes , Seagal and Wayans , face off a vicious L.A. serial killer who begins dispatching whole Catholic families
ma-cortes11 June 2019
A thrilling Seagal entry in enough budget and the kind of movie he was making at the beginning of the decade. Here N.Y detective Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) wearing Nehru jackets and prayer beads is teamed with L.A. Police Det. Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans) , but they are a little different . Seagal results to be an ex-CIA operative who has been convinced by a Buddhist monk to stop murdering enemies and along the way pursues a California serial killer called ¨The Family Man¨. As they investigate a series of ritualist crimes in which the victims are crucified against the walls of their houses . While Cole uses his special band of non-violence by slashing , chopping and impaling his way . Later on , they are aware the fact the Russian mafia has something to do with it all . After Cole's spouse is murdered , he is implicated and then somehow the mafia and Cia are blended into the mix .
The film displays several gunshots , struggles , bloody killing and lots of violence when the fights and killing happen . It's exciting and tense, at time passable action movie , but the fighting and gun-play are well done is this routine actioner ; in addition , introducing something new into the mix , self-mockery . Slick action movie from Seagal in which , both gained weight and lightened up , as he enjoys really and heads crack and bones rattle . Here Seagal stiffer and more humourless than ever but he finally wipes out enemies , while he cleanses his mind with Tibetan prayer beads . Despite the strained at buddy-buddy humor beween N.Y. Inspector Steven and the local homicide detective Wayans as mismatched colleagues , both of them play an attractive couple as two tough law enforcers . Wayans , clearly a better actor than this material suffers notably in action scenes and he plays a street-wise , fast-talking detective who cries over old movies as Casablanca. Our protagonists are accompanied by a good support cast , such as : an over-ripe Bob Gunton , John M. Jackson , Michelle Johnson , Stephen Tobolowsky , Ryan Cutrona , Richard Gant , Nikky Cox , Johnny Strong , Alex Panevega , Peter Jason , Wendy Robie , and Brian Cox who confirms his status as a great secondary of the 90s , among others .
The picture belongs to best period in Seagal hits including acceptable films as Hard to kill, Marked to death , Out of justice , Under siege , Undersiege : Dark territory , On deadly ground , Executive decision , Fire down below , The patriot . Following the last period of Seagal career, when he's doing middling and low budget films, lackluster , directly to video and many are deemed semi-turkeys stinkers , such as : The foreigner , Ticker , Half past dead and many others . Following the tendency to oriental action cinema, Seagal-also producer- hired Asian directors as Mink (Into the sun) , Leong (Out the reach),and Siu Tung Ching. These movies aren't on the level previous successful and big budget movies, such as Under siege I,II, Glimmer man, Exit wounds, Fire down below, Executive decision , among them. The film is produced by Julius Nasso , Michael Rachmil and Steven Seagal himself and his production called Seagal/Nasso Productions. Being professionally directed by John Gray , though it has some flaws and gaps . He was the youngest recipient ever of an American Film Institute Independant Filmmaker Grant . He is a writer, director and producer, known for Reckless (2014) White Irish Drinkers (2010),Born to Be Wild , Ghost Whisperer (2005), Haven , The Hunley (1999) Martin and Lewis, and Helter Skelter. The story is occasionally entertaining but only for the Steven Seagal fans. A decent Seagal action piece won't convert die-hard detractors and aficionados will not disappoint . A predictable movie when it is no being unbelievable .
The film displays several gunshots , struggles , bloody killing and lots of violence when the fights and killing happen . It's exciting and tense, at time passable action movie , but the fighting and gun-play are well done is this routine actioner ; in addition , introducing something new into the mix , self-mockery . Slick action movie from Seagal in which , both gained weight and lightened up , as he enjoys really and heads crack and bones rattle . Here Seagal stiffer and more humourless than ever but he finally wipes out enemies , while he cleanses his mind with Tibetan prayer beads . Despite the strained at buddy-buddy humor beween N.Y. Inspector Steven and the local homicide detective Wayans as mismatched colleagues , both of them play an attractive couple as two tough law enforcers . Wayans , clearly a better actor than this material suffers notably in action scenes and he plays a street-wise , fast-talking detective who cries over old movies as Casablanca. Our protagonists are accompanied by a good support cast , such as : an over-ripe Bob Gunton , John M. Jackson , Michelle Johnson , Stephen Tobolowsky , Ryan Cutrona , Richard Gant , Nikky Cox , Johnny Strong , Alex Panevega , Peter Jason , Wendy Robie , and Brian Cox who confirms his status as a great secondary of the 90s , among others .
The picture belongs to best period in Seagal hits including acceptable films as Hard to kill, Marked to death , Out of justice , Under siege , Undersiege : Dark territory , On deadly ground , Executive decision , Fire down below , The patriot . Following the last period of Seagal career, when he's doing middling and low budget films, lackluster , directly to video and many are deemed semi-turkeys stinkers , such as : The foreigner , Ticker , Half past dead and many others . Following the tendency to oriental action cinema, Seagal-also producer- hired Asian directors as Mink (Into the sun) , Leong (Out the reach),and Siu Tung Ching. These movies aren't on the level previous successful and big budget movies, such as Under siege I,II, Glimmer man, Exit wounds, Fire down below, Executive decision , among them. The film is produced by Julius Nasso , Michael Rachmil and Steven Seagal himself and his production called Seagal/Nasso Productions. Being professionally directed by John Gray , though it has some flaws and gaps . He was the youngest recipient ever of an American Film Institute Independant Filmmaker Grant . He is a writer, director and producer, known for Reckless (2014) White Irish Drinkers (2010),Born to Be Wild , Ghost Whisperer (2005), Haven , The Hunley (1999) Martin and Lewis, and Helter Skelter. The story is occasionally entertaining but only for the Steven Seagal fans. A decent Seagal action piece won't convert die-hard detractors and aficionados will not disappoint . A predictable movie when it is no being unbelievable .
Top marks for effort
N-H-G14 September 2003
Neatly crafted action thriller, with Seagal on top wrist-snapping form as a Buddhist cop from New York, with a shadowy past, teamed with Wayans' wisecracking LA cop to investigate the gruesome murders of a serial killer, known as the `Family Man'. The two leads work well together; in typical buddy cop fashion which provides the film with the comic relief it needs to give the audience a break from the serious themes involved.
The script is competently composed; trying to surprise us as best it can with several twists and turns, however, the story is so fully packed with things going on that it's easy for the audience to get lost along the way. However, that is not a problem as Seagal is on the case with his usual array of impressive martial arts and likeable personality, encased in an interesting character. To me, Seagal represents, in a way, a modern day John Wayne, always playing the same out for justice, good guy role and taking no crap from anyone along the way. He is a screen presence that can carry even the most brainless of films, but this film has both brains and brawn. Wayans does very well here too, managing to avoid the typical stereotype of the African-American cop who is simply there for laughs.
The direction is standard but competent in keeping a relaxed balance between the hectic action (entwined with the tense build-ups) and the comedic peace-time goings on. The gorier parts of the film, like the murders, are handled with skill and successfully manage to create an eerie atmosphere rather than simply a gory head-turning occasion.
The Glimmer Man is not a masterpiece by any means but it serves its purpose well as a tense action thriller. It tries hard to be more than it is, but its lack of originality is its biggest flaw but it gets top marks for trying. You can't take anything away with you afterwards, but you can enjoy yourself along the way.
The script is competently composed; trying to surprise us as best it can with several twists and turns, however, the story is so fully packed with things going on that it's easy for the audience to get lost along the way. However, that is not a problem as Seagal is on the case with his usual array of impressive martial arts and likeable personality, encased in an interesting character. To me, Seagal represents, in a way, a modern day John Wayne, always playing the same out for justice, good guy role and taking no crap from anyone along the way. He is a screen presence that can carry even the most brainless of films, but this film has both brains and brawn. Wayans does very well here too, managing to avoid the typical stereotype of the African-American cop who is simply there for laughs.
The direction is standard but competent in keeping a relaxed balance between the hectic action (entwined with the tense build-ups) and the comedic peace-time goings on. The gorier parts of the film, like the murders, are handled with skill and successfully manage to create an eerie atmosphere rather than simply a gory head-turning occasion.
The Glimmer Man is not a masterpiece by any means but it serves its purpose well as a tense action thriller. It tries hard to be more than it is, but its lack of originality is its biggest flaw but it gets top marks for trying. You can't take anything away with you afterwards, but you can enjoy yourself along the way.
the rot festers
ThingyBlahBlah326 May 2004
It's all been said already... this is crud from start to finish. You get all the Seagalistic touchstones: the pudgy, stone-faced megalith with a Mysterious Past who's way smarter (in this movie, his character speaks Russian, Chinese, and Japanese) and more all-around-perfect than anyone else; the bad guys who can't fight their way out of a paper bag; the "This guy is really good" speech at the two-thirds point of the film; and a climactic fight that's just as one-sided as the ones that came before.
You get messages about Non-Violence and Inner Peace sandwiched between scenes of henchmen being impaled on construction equipment and having their gonads crushed and limbs broken. You get good actors (in this case, Brian Cox, Bob Gunton, and Stephen Toblowsky) phoning it in for a quick paycheck.
I did want to point something out that nobody's mentioned here. Halfway through, the cops come to believe that Seagal is the serial killer they're pursuing (which would have been a neat idea). He is subjected to a polygraph test, which he passes. Then we are subjected to another ego-stroking scene wherein the awed polygraph tech says something like, "Someone would have to have amazing reflexes and total control of their emotions to trick this machine."
Ya know, standard Seagal boilerplate. But of course, he isn't the killer, and he really was telling the truth... but I guess the point is that they stuck in a few extra lines of dialogue about how great/perfect/wonderful Seagal is anyway. Oy vey!
My other favorite scene: Deverall's son has accidentally overheard the details of his father's nefarious (if ill-explained) plan. Seagal & Wayans ask who his accomplice is. Deverall's son remembers that he's an older guy with a Texan accent, but can't remember his name. "Smith?" says Seagal. "Yeah, that's it!" exclaims the son. Come on, maybe if the guy's name was "Myxlplyzmyx" or "Huffuruhhurr" I could accept the kid having trouble remembering it, but "Smith"?
The only thing that could have saved this trash is if they'd been daring enough to make Seagal the killer after all. That would have been one hell of a third act: Seagal the Unstoppable Killing Machine, but this time he's the villain, and Wayans and the LAPD have a heck of a time bringing him down.
My advice: skip it in favor of any of Seagal's first four. They're just as bad, but they're more entertaining.
You get messages about Non-Violence and Inner Peace sandwiched between scenes of henchmen being impaled on construction equipment and having their gonads crushed and limbs broken. You get good actors (in this case, Brian Cox, Bob Gunton, and Stephen Toblowsky) phoning it in for a quick paycheck.
I did want to point something out that nobody's mentioned here. Halfway through, the cops come to believe that Seagal is the serial killer they're pursuing (which would have been a neat idea). He is subjected to a polygraph test, which he passes. Then we are subjected to another ego-stroking scene wherein the awed polygraph tech says something like, "Someone would have to have amazing reflexes and total control of their emotions to trick this machine."
Ya know, standard Seagal boilerplate. But of course, he isn't the killer, and he really was telling the truth... but I guess the point is that they stuck in a few extra lines of dialogue about how great/perfect/wonderful Seagal is anyway. Oy vey!
My other favorite scene: Deverall's son has accidentally overheard the details of his father's nefarious (if ill-explained) plan. Seagal & Wayans ask who his accomplice is. Deverall's son remembers that he's an older guy with a Texan accent, but can't remember his name. "Smith?" says Seagal. "Yeah, that's it!" exclaims the son. Come on, maybe if the guy's name was "Myxlplyzmyx" or "Huffuruhhurr" I could accept the kid having trouble remembering it, but "Smith"?
The only thing that could have saved this trash is if they'd been daring enough to make Seagal the killer after all. That would have been one hell of a third act: Seagal the Unstoppable Killing Machine, but this time he's the villain, and Wayans and the LAPD have a heck of a time bringing him down.
My advice: skip it in favor of any of Seagal's first four. They're just as bad, but they're more entertaining.
Seagal and Keenan Ivory Wayans make a good team
disdressed128 June 2010
in my opinion this is one of Steven Seagal's better films,due in large part to having Keenan Ivory Wayans as a co star.they have good chemistry together.it's also one of his darkest films,at least of those i have seen to date.but there some funny moments to balance things out,comic relief,if you will.the fighting scenes are pretty are good,and as brutal as usual for a Seagal flick.you won't really find much new here,but if you're a Seagal fan,or a fan of the genre,this should keep you satisfied for the most part.by now,with Steven Seagal,you know what you're getting,or at least you should know.i was entertained for around 90 minutes or so.for me,The Glimmer Man is a 7/10
Not one of Seagal's Best
eibon0914 February 2001
A not so good action thriller because it unsuccessfully trends the same water as early Steven Seagal films because there is not a very good set piece. Steven Seagal plays the same kind of character that he has played since Above the Law. In my opinion the performance of Keenen Ivory Wayans is wasted in such an average film and belongs in a much better film. Bob Gunton is okay as the main heavy. The best acting in the entire film belongs to Brian Cox who is very frightening in the role of the murderer. My favorite scenes are the fight scenes with the Russian mafia. One of the film reasons to see The Glimmer Man(1996) is for the brief appearence of the beautiful and voluptupus Nikki Cox. Its too bad that there were not more scenes with her in them.
take it with a pinch of salt...!
chrischien15 July 2002
well i was over at a friend's house with some other folks and he gave us the choice to see a ninja movie, some sappy love story and glimmer man.
a good steven seagal comedy would do us all well.
and that's all it is. do NOT try and look for a plot. it's just a weak justification for some of the funniest action comedy around. most people (if they've seen will sasso's MADTV sketches of seagal) will know exactly what to expect from him in his "illegal justice" movies.
PURE COMEDY.
the "atomic slap" of the restaurant manager was pure gold. so if you're looking for some hilarious over the top action comedy (and it's even better cause a lot of the time you're pretty sure that seagal is trying to be serious) then really consider watching glimmer man.
a good steven seagal comedy would do us all well.
and that's all it is. do NOT try and look for a plot. it's just a weak justification for some of the funniest action comedy around. most people (if they've seen will sasso's MADTV sketches of seagal) will know exactly what to expect from him in his "illegal justice" movies.
PURE COMEDY.
the "atomic slap" of the restaurant manager was pure gold. so if you're looking for some hilarious over the top action comedy (and it's even better cause a lot of the time you're pretty sure that seagal is trying to be serious) then really consider watching glimmer man.
Coincidence, conspiracy, and continuity errors!
counterrevolutionary5 January 2003
Typical Steven Seagal fare: that is, it's crap. The plot relies on a series of incredibly improbable coincidences; there's a hefty dose of conspiracy theory which would be much more palatable if we didn't know that Seagal takes it all literally; and once again, bad-movie multi-millionaire Seagal tells us all about the evils of The Rich.
Seagal's survival relies, as usual, on the fact that Bad Guys never fire their guns from out of arm's reach, and always like to give a little "I'm gonna kill you" speech before blowing a man's head off.
Watch this one right after the even-worse *Fire Down Below* and note how the carpet in Keenen Ivory Wayans's apartment is more flammable than a big puddle of gasoline.
Oh, and watch in the final fight scene for the Incredible Disappearing Forehead Wound, which is probably the most entertaining thing in the film.
Seagal's survival relies, as usual, on the fact that Bad Guys never fire their guns from out of arm's reach, and always like to give a little "I'm gonna kill you" speech before blowing a man's head off.
Watch this one right after the even-worse *Fire Down Below* and note how the carpet in Keenen Ivory Wayans's apartment is more flammable than a big puddle of gasoline.
Oh, and watch in the final fight scene for the Incredible Disappearing Forehead Wound, which is probably the most entertaining thing in the film.
"...we gotta have compassion for the dead, the dying, the could be dead and the about to be dead".
classicsoncall25 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I probably mentioned it in a review of another Stephen Seagal film, but just in case I didn't I'll state it here - his movies are a guilty pleasure that I don't mind admitting. There's just something about the soft spoken persona that explodes into fists and fury when up against the bad guys that appeals to me. That's really about the only reason I need to tune into one of his pictures, seeing Seagal's no-nonsense martial arts style lay them out without prolonging the agony.
I guess you could say this is one of those films. Teamed with Keenan Ivory Wayans as a pair of Los Angeles detectives, it didn't strike me that there was a lot of chemistry between the two as partners but they made it work anyway. I liked the way Jack Cole (Seagal) brought Campbell (Wayans) around to his way of thinking - "Young warriors used to like to fight head on. Old warriors like to wait..." That plus the Tibetan prayer beads and powdered deer penis, a keen way to clear the mind and purify one's thoughts.
I read a few of the comments of confused viewers here and I didn't think the story was all that complicated if one pays attention. The surprising element in the story for me was when Smith (Bryan Cox) told Deverell (Bob Gunton) that his son would have to be one of three victims to get done away with, and Deverell didn't object. The crucifixion ending for henchman Donald (John M. Jackson) was pretty much telegraphed by the story line, but after all was said and done, did anyone else notice? The Family Man serial killer, who's murders opened the story, was still on the loose.
I guess you could say this is one of those films. Teamed with Keenan Ivory Wayans as a pair of Los Angeles detectives, it didn't strike me that there was a lot of chemistry between the two as partners but they made it work anyway. I liked the way Jack Cole (Seagal) brought Campbell (Wayans) around to his way of thinking - "Young warriors used to like to fight head on. Old warriors like to wait..." That plus the Tibetan prayer beads and powdered deer penis, a keen way to clear the mind and purify one's thoughts.
I read a few of the comments of confused viewers here and I didn't think the story was all that complicated if one pays attention. The surprising element in the story for me was when Smith (Bryan Cox) told Deverell (Bob Gunton) that his son would have to be one of three victims to get done away with, and Deverell didn't object. The crucifixion ending for henchman Donald (John M. Jackson) was pretty much telegraphed by the story line, but after all was said and done, did anyone else notice? The Family Man serial killer, who's murders opened the story, was still on the loose.
As a Seagal fan and follower this will NOT be in my video collection.
Wittmanntodd6 May 2001
Maybe it was the excessive weight gain Seagal had put on. Or maybe it was the horrible acting of Wayans in an action flick. Or was it the total lack of chemistry between the two leading characters? These and other considerations lead me to conclude that Seagal should have never made this acting nightmare. True, the story line was good. Yet, as an avid follower of Seagal's career and background, his physical appearance was inconsistent with his genre of clean, pure, healthy Zen Buddhist living, notably in his on screen discussions with Wayans. (Then again his real life affair with the "nanny" was inconsistent also!)
If Seagal wants to become a more diversified actor, then he should do what a fellow action figure did in "Kindergarten Cop"...put humorous material or situations in the script where the actor has no choice but to react in a comical way. Otherwise, leave the wise-cracks and the futile attempts at humor out of it while chasing a serial killer. Seagal is not a natural humor type of guy. It did not work.
If Seagal wants to become a more diversified actor, then he should do what a fellow action figure did in "Kindergarten Cop"...put humorous material or situations in the script where the actor has no choice but to react in a comical way. Otherwise, leave the wise-cracks and the futile attempts at humor out of it while chasing a serial killer. Seagal is not a natural humor type of guy. It did not work.
Seagal's best buddy action flick
ciscokid197025 May 2010
Seagal who had become famous as a one man wrecking crew teams up in this to do a two fisted action movie. If you liked 48 Hours or any of the Lethal Weapon movies this is for you. This is not some fruity drama or foreign romance
this is a fighting shooting DUDE movie.
The story is clean and full of action with clever bits of comedy and well placed explosions. This is a kind of movie that can be watched over and over again in the company of dudes who love dude movies. Seagal plays his Asian holy man role, that for peace and harmony likes to beat the living crap out of bad guys. For a partner there is the wise cracking Keenen Wayans who perfectly compliments Seagal. And there are plenty of smaller role bad guys that meet their demise. But the parts played by Brian Cox and John Jackson were great.
Well worth owning.
The story is clean and full of action with clever bits of comedy and well placed explosions. This is a kind of movie that can be watched over and over again in the company of dudes who love dude movies. Seagal plays his Asian holy man role, that for peace and harmony likes to beat the living crap out of bad guys. For a partner there is the wise cracking Keenen Wayans who perfectly compliments Seagal. And there are plenty of smaller role bad guys that meet their demise. But the parts played by Brian Cox and John Jackson were great.
Well worth owning.
Solid Seagal action
Leofwine_draca22 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
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 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.
Average Seagal movie...
paul_haakonsen20 December 2015
While "The Glimmer Man" isn't any outstanding action movie, I will say that it is still worth watching if you enjoy Steven Seagal movies. That being said, then it should also be said that it is a fairly average Seagal movie in every sense of the phrase. It is one of those mass produced action movies that most action stars tend to settle into doing, you know finding a formula that works and milking it beyond dry.
Story-wise then "The Glimmer Man" is your stereotypical Seagal movie. Yep, he is an ex-something-something now turned law man and taking on the seedy underworld singlehandedly.
You know what you get here; the usual Seagal martial arts, wits and punchlines. Yes, it is all here, and the obligatory broken arm as well. And true to most other Seagal movies he is untouchable, except for a single blow that gets through and strikes him. Indeed, business as usual.
Having Seagal act opposite Keenen Ivory Wayans, well I had some initial reservation to this, as I thought it would be comedy in the trademark Wayans fashion. But luckily Keenen proved to surprise and did actual acting and no do comedy.
"The Glimmer Man" is enjoyable enough for what it is, and bear in mind that it is a Seagal movie after all.
Story-wise then "The Glimmer Man" is your stereotypical Seagal movie. Yep, he is an ex-something-something now turned law man and taking on the seedy underworld singlehandedly.
You know what you get here; the usual Seagal martial arts, wits and punchlines. Yes, it is all here, and the obligatory broken arm as well. And true to most other Seagal movies he is untouchable, except for a single blow that gets through and strikes him. Indeed, business as usual.
Having Seagal act opposite Keenen Ivory Wayans, well I had some initial reservation to this, as I thought it would be comedy in the trademark Wayans fashion. But luckily Keenen proved to surprise and did actual acting and no do comedy.
"The Glimmer Man" is enjoyable enough for what it is, and bear in mind that it is a Seagal movie after all.
Weak, unimaginative plot with poor performances but just enough action to be watchable
bob the moo31 January 2005
A cop with an attitude is partnered up with a new-age cop with a shady past and amazing martial arts skills, to investigate a serial killer who crucifies his victims. Campbell sees it as a fairly straightforward case of a religious nut obeying orders from God; but Cole sees something else in some of the murders a sense of purpose and order that hints at a bigger plot. Going back to his handler at the CIA gets him nowhere but brings him to the attention of Frank Deverell and the Russian mafia. With so many people gunning for them, can Campbell and Cole stay alive long enough to get to the bottom of it? Although any film that contains both Seagal and a Wayans brother will hardly be an easy sell to me, I still decided to give this film a stab because I do like a solid action movie every now and again. Plot wise this film is about as weak as I had expected with a messy narrative that never really convinces and just seems like a couple of half-baked ideas crammed into one story with little concern with logical linkage or development. The hope seems to have been that enough action and energy would stop us seeing the holes sadly this doesn't work. The film has enough action to be worth watching but it isn't really anything special, although fans of Seagal will be used to this consistent standard.
The cast are just as average as you would expect. Seagal delivers everything with a total lack of emotion that is explained away by him being a totally calm Buddhist, as opposed to him just not being a very good actor. Physically he is pretty good here and his fight scenes do actually show a man with skill (as opposed to the out of shape man we have been shown almost waddling recently). Wayans tries to be a tough comic relief but his performances just reinforces the feeling of this being a formulaic mismatched cop movie; even if he is impressive in some of his action scenes as well. Neither of them are that good but they are certainly no worse than a lot of the reluctant buddy cops movies out there. The support cast should have been better but people like Gunton, Cox and Tobolowsky just sink into the mess rather than helping to raise it.
Overall this is a watchable "Friday night" style thriller that you will quite enjoy if all you want is watchable action surrounded by messy and clichéd plotting and delivery with "par for the course" acting. If you are after anything more than this then you'll be sorely disappointed as this is a weak film with an unimaginative plot, poor performances and only just enough action to be watchable if you're in an undemanding mood.
The cast are just as average as you would expect. Seagal delivers everything with a total lack of emotion that is explained away by him being a totally calm Buddhist, as opposed to him just not being a very good actor. Physically he is pretty good here and his fight scenes do actually show a man with skill (as opposed to the out of shape man we have been shown almost waddling recently). Wayans tries to be a tough comic relief but his performances just reinforces the feeling of this being a formulaic mismatched cop movie; even if he is impressive in some of his action scenes as well. Neither of them are that good but they are certainly no worse than a lot of the reluctant buddy cops movies out there. The support cast should have been better but people like Gunton, Cox and Tobolowsky just sink into the mess rather than helping to raise it.
Overall this is a watchable "Friday night" style thriller that you will quite enjoy if all you want is watchable action surrounded by messy and clichéd plotting and delivery with "par for the course" acting. If you are after anything more than this then you'll be sorely disappointed as this is a weak film with an unimaginative plot, poor performances and only just enough action to be watchable if you're in an undemanding mood.
More Like a Dimmer
thesar-27 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Imagine Lethal Weapon and all your other favorite buddy cop movies, but without the humor, charisma, heart, originality, big-budget, huge action scenes and actors that have chemistry together
Oh, wait, you've seen The Glimmer Man, too?
There is a plot here, a straight line, something that was originally pitched, but I failed to see any of that. I guess this was an excuse to get a man (Seagal) who was mere inches away from blowing up (and not in a good way) before he involuntarily retired from "acting" to pair with the least famous Wayans brother as his zany sidekick.
Only, he really wasn't that zany, and Seagal wasn't that action packed. Or so he would tell us. Repeatedly.
Let's dive into what they called a plot: There's this serial killer on the loose and another group who, I guess pretend to be him, or something like that and there's corrupt cops and some testicle-dust that helps one of our heroes
I'll be honest: it's been about a month and a half since I've seen this for the one and only time. I only watched it as it's my mission to conquer all the movies I haven't seen that the How Did This Get Made? podcast "reviewed." I'll be further honest: I didn't hate on this movie. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but maybe there was a good movie somewhere in this mess and the action by just-on-the-edge Seagal was somewhat fun. Wayans not so much, but I've enjoyed his other (behind-the-camera) films a ton more. So, he's forgiven.
This movie was truly a mess and not recommended. Only if you wanna partake in the same challenge I gave myself: watching all the How Did This Get Made? podcast films so you can enjoy their take.
* * * Final thoughts: Casablanca deserves better homage.
There is a plot here, a straight line, something that was originally pitched, but I failed to see any of that. I guess this was an excuse to get a man (Seagal) who was mere inches away from blowing up (and not in a good way) before he involuntarily retired from "acting" to pair with the least famous Wayans brother as his zany sidekick.
Only, he really wasn't that zany, and Seagal wasn't that action packed. Or so he would tell us. Repeatedly.
Let's dive into what they called a plot: There's this serial killer on the loose and another group who, I guess pretend to be him, or something like that and there's corrupt cops and some testicle-dust that helps one of our heroes
I'll be honest: it's been about a month and a half since I've seen this for the one and only time. I only watched it as it's my mission to conquer all the movies I haven't seen that the How Did This Get Made? podcast "reviewed." I'll be further honest: I didn't hate on this movie. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but maybe there was a good movie somewhere in this mess and the action by just-on-the-edge Seagal was somewhat fun. Wayans not so much, but I've enjoyed his other (behind-the-camera) films a ton more. So, he's forgiven.
This movie was truly a mess and not recommended. Only if you wanna partake in the same challenge I gave myself: watching all the How Did This Get Made? podcast films so you can enjoy their take.
* * * Final thoughts: Casablanca deserves better homage.
Nothing unusual here...just a serial killer who likes to crucify people and thinks he's doing the Lord's work!!
planktonrules28 May 2019
"The Glimmer Man" is a strange cop movie. Not only is the plot very strange but the leading man...now he IS strange!
A bizarre serial killer has been loose in Los Angeles. He kills folks and then crucifies them, Jesus-style...all because God apparently tells him to do so! A New York cop, Detective Cole (Steven Segal), has experience with such matters, as he's a cop with a strange mystical background. Odder, he dresses anything but like a cop...with a golden Nehru-style dragon jacket in one part of the film and an American Indian style jacket in another. And, in true Segal fashion he mumbles a lot and kicks a lot of butt. However, he's not alone as he's been given a partner (Keenan Ivory Wayans)...and his partner seems really baffled at his odd-ball partner!
Through the course of the investigation, it slowly becomes apparent that there is a madman....and some mobsters are copying this style of killing as well. And, to try to throw Cole off the case, they kill the cop's ex-wife and husband...and plant evidence on the bodies to implicate Cole. This unleashes the maniac in Cole...and he is going to stop at nothing to bring everyone to justice.
While the script and Segal's character are both truly bizarre, the film has a lot going for it for action film fans. There are several scenes that are among the best action scenes you can find anywhere. The scene where Cole saves a suicidal man as well as the bar scene are simply genius in their execution. Segal, whether you like his acting or not, is incredible in these scenes earlier in his career...later, he just seemed more like a caricature in some of his films (and, strangely, has begun looking more and more like Bela Lugosi).
Overall, a film with some weird and dumb elements...but the action is so amazing that you can easily turn off your brain and just enjoy it for what it is. Great for Segal fans and still pretty good for everyone else.
A bizarre serial killer has been loose in Los Angeles. He kills folks and then crucifies them, Jesus-style...all because God apparently tells him to do so! A New York cop, Detective Cole (Steven Segal), has experience with such matters, as he's a cop with a strange mystical background. Odder, he dresses anything but like a cop...with a golden Nehru-style dragon jacket in one part of the film and an American Indian style jacket in another. And, in true Segal fashion he mumbles a lot and kicks a lot of butt. However, he's not alone as he's been given a partner (Keenan Ivory Wayans)...and his partner seems really baffled at his odd-ball partner!
Through the course of the investigation, it slowly becomes apparent that there is a madman....and some mobsters are copying this style of killing as well. And, to try to throw Cole off the case, they kill the cop's ex-wife and husband...and plant evidence on the bodies to implicate Cole. This unleashes the maniac in Cole...and he is going to stop at nothing to bring everyone to justice.
While the script and Segal's character are both truly bizarre, the film has a lot going for it for action film fans. There are several scenes that are among the best action scenes you can find anywhere. The scene where Cole saves a suicidal man as well as the bar scene are simply genius in their execution. Segal, whether you like his acting or not, is incredible in these scenes earlier in his career...later, he just seemed more like a caricature in some of his films (and, strangely, has begun looking more and more like Bela Lugosi).
Overall, a film with some weird and dumb elements...but the action is so amazing that you can easily turn off your brain and just enjoy it for what it is. Great for Segal fans and still pretty good for everyone else.
Not even a glimmer of hope...
fmarkland3223 May 2006
Two L.A cops track down a serial killer nicknamed "The family man" who has wiped out whole families and when one of the police officer's wife takes the deep six, questions are raised and it turns out that a serial killer isn't responsible but rather mobsters. The idea of Seagal in a serial killer movie is an interesting concept, indeed one could see Seagal play a good serial killer however making him a cop who has a ridiculous penchant for prayer beads and razor sharp credit cards comes off more stupid than likably ridiculous. Also a running joke involves Wayon's enjoyment of eating powdered deer penis and well this raunchy material is utterly out of place. Not to mention the beginning of a school being taken hostage, due to a boy's breakup with his girlfriend. After Seagal neutralizes him, the girlfriend tells the young lad that she loves him. Now there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, if you want your girlfriend back, taking the school hostage may get you back on her good side. I myself would think flowers or the old fashioned phone call might work, then again though, i'm old fashioned. Besides who am I to put a damper on somebody else's brilliant reconciliation plan.
* out of 4-(Bad)
* out of 4-(Bad)
Get Yourself Some Powered Deer Penis
damianphelps31 January 2023
I know its easy to bash Steven Seagal for the absolute nutjob he seems to have become and for the multiple rubbish films that he has gone on to make.
BUT.
The Glimmer Man is a pretty good B movie. The story is standard detective/Cia/Mystery man going up against whatever he is going up against. It doesn't really matter. Its a pathway for the fight scenes.
The fights, although not numerous, are pretty enjoyable. The film also provides a few chuckles along the way.
I've watched it a few times over the years and have always been entertained by it. Not one of his best but a long way from his worst :)
BUT.
The Glimmer Man is a pretty good B movie. The story is standard detective/Cia/Mystery man going up against whatever he is going up against. It doesn't really matter. Its a pathway for the fight scenes.
The fights, although not numerous, are pretty enjoyable. The film also provides a few chuckles along the way.
I've watched it a few times over the years and have always been entertained by it. Not one of his best but a long way from his worst :)
SEVEN Meets A Whole Pile Of Crap
Theo Robertson23 August 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Imagine if you will an alternative universe where someone has made SEVEN where instead of a talented cast and crew they've cast a politically conscious environmentalist and a stand up comedian as the leads . If your imagination can't stretch that far just watch THE GLIMMER MAN as it's the next worse thing
!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!
Jack Cole is a cop with a hidden past and it's very ironic that he's played by Steven Seagal since he's also someone witrh a hidden past , but don't tell anyone because it's top secret . Perhaps the biggest secret is how someone like Seagal became a movie star in the first place since THE GLIMMER MAN continues in the vein of all of Seagal's other movies in that it's utter , utter crap . Look at the way he's introduced as his partner walks into his office " Yoi love beads man . In you're in the wrong office " Steven replies with something that is side splittingly witty , or he would if anyone was able to understand a bloody word he said because for much of the movie he just mumbles away . In fact the only time I could make out his dialogue was the scene at the school where he bursts in on the gunman holding the class hostage
" Don't make me kill you "
Is this what a cop would say to a suicidal gunman ? I'm just thinking that in another movie where Steven isn't the hero ( ie A good movie ) the cop would say something along the lines of " Don't kill me , I've got a wife and a couple of kids waiting at home " . So anyway suicidal gunman goes to blow his head off but Steven saves his life by hurtling them both through two sets of windows . It goes without saying that you shouldn't try this at home
As the story progresses Steven ( I've given up on calling him Jack though credit to the screen writer for giving Steven a sensible name ) becomes involved in a case a plagiarism where someone has been stealing bits out of other superior movies featuring serial killers . As Steven finds more victims you can see him thinking " What was that movie that starred Morgan Freeman as a cop ? " as he inspects the bodies , oh and the action keeps switching back to the hero's domestic life just so we know that this guy's good as a family man , this guy's very good as a family man such a pity he's so bad as a movie star
!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!
Jack Cole is a cop with a hidden past and it's very ironic that he's played by Steven Seagal since he's also someone witrh a hidden past , but don't tell anyone because it's top secret . Perhaps the biggest secret is how someone like Seagal became a movie star in the first place since THE GLIMMER MAN continues in the vein of all of Seagal's other movies in that it's utter , utter crap . Look at the way he's introduced as his partner walks into his office " Yoi love beads man . In you're in the wrong office " Steven replies with something that is side splittingly witty , or he would if anyone was able to understand a bloody word he said because for much of the movie he just mumbles away . In fact the only time I could make out his dialogue was the scene at the school where he bursts in on the gunman holding the class hostage
" Don't make me kill you "
Is this what a cop would say to a suicidal gunman ? I'm just thinking that in another movie where Steven isn't the hero ( ie A good movie ) the cop would say something along the lines of " Don't kill me , I've got a wife and a couple of kids waiting at home " . So anyway suicidal gunman goes to blow his head off but Steven saves his life by hurtling them both through two sets of windows . It goes without saying that you shouldn't try this at home
As the story progresses Steven ( I've given up on calling him Jack though credit to the screen writer for giving Steven a sensible name ) becomes involved in a case a plagiarism where someone has been stealing bits out of other superior movies featuring serial killers . As Steven finds more victims you can see him thinking " What was that movie that starred Morgan Freeman as a cop ? " as he inspects the bodies , oh and the action keeps switching back to the hero's domestic life just so we know that this guy's good as a family man , this guy's very good as a family man such a pity he's so bad as a movie star
Some Humor
skallisjr17 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
One thing about this film is the economy of characters; none is wasted. Near the beginning, Jack Cole helps disarm a distraught kid, and later that kid becomes a key element in a larger investigation.
Cole, an unorthodox cop, is asked to testify about the kid's troubled behavior by his stepfather, but the request is by proxy, and Cole declines. So naturally, this displeases the powerful and influential stepfather, and what do you know! Cole becomes "of interest" in the murder of somebody he'd be a logical suspect of killing.
So Cole has to clear his name, and drags his reluctant (and new) partner, Jim Campbell, along for the ride.
As with many Seagal films, there's a lot of violent action, with corpses scattered in the wake of Jack Cole's progress. For the observant viewer, there are holes one could drive a 16-wheeler through, but that doesn't detract from the film's perverse charm.
Not his best, but not bad
Cole, an unorthodox cop, is asked to testify about the kid's troubled behavior by his stepfather, but the request is by proxy, and Cole declines. So naturally, this displeases the powerful and influential stepfather, and what do you know! Cole becomes "of interest" in the murder of somebody he'd be a logical suspect of killing.
So Cole has to clear his name, and drags his reluctant (and new) partner, Jim Campbell, along for the ride.
As with many Seagal films, there's a lot of violent action, with corpses scattered in the wake of Jack Cole's progress. For the observant viewer, there are holes one could drive a 16-wheeler through, but that doesn't detract from the film's perverse charm.
Not his best, but not bad
Steven Seagal gets in touch with his feelings and touches a number of people with his fists and feet in this movie.
sol121814 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** The years since Steven Seagal burst upon the screen as Det. Nico Toscani in the movie "Above The Law" back in 1988 have been like the seven fat years in the book of Genesis. By the time he made "The Glimmer Man", some seven years later, Seagal had to wear extra baggy clothes to hide the extra weight that he put on his frame from all the success he had since then.
Steven Seagal, Det. Jack Cole and his partner Det. Jim Campall(Keenen Ivory Wayans), who only seems to be in the movie for comedy relief, are put on the "Family Man" murder case in L.A. The "Family Man" murdered some half dozen families and had them crucified in some weird ritual after they were dead. Seagal here plays a cop who who cracked up back in the early 1980's from the guilt that he felt about his service in Vietnam where he was known as "The Glimmer Man"; a hard as nails killer who the enemy only saw a glimmer of before he did them in. Det. Cole, or Seagal, later went to Thailand and took up Buddhism and became a sweet and peaceful man who wouldn't hurt a fly! Even though the movie "The Glimmer Man" is one of the most violent films that Seagal ever made.
"The Glimmer Man" is an almost incomprehensible movie to understand and follow. It starts off with a serial murder and then goes to what seems like a weirdo psychiatrist Frank Deverell, Bob Gunton, who thinks that he's the Godfather and uses a gang of thugs to smuggle arms from the now defunct Soviet Union to a Serbian freedom fighting organization. This whole racket is run Det. Jack Cole's former boss in Vietnam Mr. Smith, Brian Cox, who's working together with the Russian Mafia. That's about the best way I can describe the plot in the movie.
Early in the film Det. Cole's ex-wife Helen and her husband Andrew Dunleavy are murdered by the "Family Man" killer and it's made to look like it was Det. Cole who was the killer. This makes Cole realize that the killings are a cover for something more sinister. After breaking a number of heads and arms and legs of Russian gangsters and Deverell thugs Det. Cole finally gets to the bottom of what is really behind all these killings.
The movie is so violent it made me wonder what Seagal, who had a lot of control of the material in the film, was trying to tell his audience, love your fellow man? Since it went against everything that Buddhism stands for which I at first thought that the movie was advocating!"The Glimmer Man" builds itself up to it's inevitable bloody conclusion at the Overington Hotel in downtown L.A where Det. Cole has the Deverell mob turn on each other. This all happened when Det. Cole had a tape recording of Deverell played back on the phone to his top henchmen Donald Cunningham, John M. Jackson. The tape said that his boss was going to turn Cunningham in to save his own behind. That lead to a shootout between the two at the hotel where they were supposed to find both Det. Cole and Campell,the C&C boys , as Cunningham trapped Deverell there without knowing that he knew about his plans to double-cross him.
The hoods ended up killing themselves with, of course, the help of Cole & Campbell. Only Cunningham is left for Cole to do in at the end of the movie who after almost beating him almost to death ends up crucifying him! Steven Seagal seems to really enjoy working people over in the movie, he does it with such relish and enthusiasm, despite his non-violent Buddhist beliefs. Seagal does it to the point where he beats them in some cases to death even when their no longer a threat to him at all! when all he had to do is just put the cuffs on them and have them locked up behind bars! This isn't by a long shot going to make too many people watching the movie get turned on to Buddhism which I assume the film wanted them to do.
Steven Seagal, Det. Jack Cole and his partner Det. Jim Campall(Keenen Ivory Wayans), who only seems to be in the movie for comedy relief, are put on the "Family Man" murder case in L.A. The "Family Man" murdered some half dozen families and had them crucified in some weird ritual after they were dead. Seagal here plays a cop who who cracked up back in the early 1980's from the guilt that he felt about his service in Vietnam where he was known as "The Glimmer Man"; a hard as nails killer who the enemy only saw a glimmer of before he did them in. Det. Cole, or Seagal, later went to Thailand and took up Buddhism and became a sweet and peaceful man who wouldn't hurt a fly! Even though the movie "The Glimmer Man" is one of the most violent films that Seagal ever made.
"The Glimmer Man" is an almost incomprehensible movie to understand and follow. It starts off with a serial murder and then goes to what seems like a weirdo psychiatrist Frank Deverell, Bob Gunton, who thinks that he's the Godfather and uses a gang of thugs to smuggle arms from the now defunct Soviet Union to a Serbian freedom fighting organization. This whole racket is run Det. Jack Cole's former boss in Vietnam Mr. Smith, Brian Cox, who's working together with the Russian Mafia. That's about the best way I can describe the plot in the movie.
Early in the film Det. Cole's ex-wife Helen and her husband Andrew Dunleavy are murdered by the "Family Man" killer and it's made to look like it was Det. Cole who was the killer. This makes Cole realize that the killings are a cover for something more sinister. After breaking a number of heads and arms and legs of Russian gangsters and Deverell thugs Det. Cole finally gets to the bottom of what is really behind all these killings.
The movie is so violent it made me wonder what Seagal, who had a lot of control of the material in the film, was trying to tell his audience, love your fellow man? Since it went against everything that Buddhism stands for which I at first thought that the movie was advocating!"The Glimmer Man" builds itself up to it's inevitable bloody conclusion at the Overington Hotel in downtown L.A where Det. Cole has the Deverell mob turn on each other. This all happened when Det. Cole had a tape recording of Deverell played back on the phone to his top henchmen Donald Cunningham, John M. Jackson. The tape said that his boss was going to turn Cunningham in to save his own behind. That lead to a shootout between the two at the hotel where they were supposed to find both Det. Cole and Campell,the C&C boys , as Cunningham trapped Deverell there without knowing that he knew about his plans to double-cross him.
The hoods ended up killing themselves with, of course, the help of Cole & Campbell. Only Cunningham is left for Cole to do in at the end of the movie who after almost beating him almost to death ends up crucifying him! Steven Seagal seems to really enjoy working people over in the movie, he does it with such relish and enthusiasm, despite his non-violent Buddhist beliefs. Seagal does it to the point where he beats them in some cases to death even when their no longer a threat to him at all! when all he had to do is just put the cuffs on them and have them locked up behind bars! This isn't by a long shot going to make too many people watching the movie get turned on to Buddhism which I assume the film wanted them to do.
Classic Seagal at its best!!!
rynlarson16 February 2003
Truly my favorite Seagal movie. Akido, one liners, arrogance, and humor all provided by the action star the critics love to hate. The Lento's scene is probably the best of Seagal's troubled career and is sorely missed in his latest films. An action vehicle that played perfectly to his talents and probably the last of the finest when it comes to the Seagal collection with the exception of "Exit Wounds". Although unappreciated at the box office, this is what made Seagal "Seagal" and belongs in any Seagal fans DVD collection.
Could easily have been better
bsinc10 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler Alert The beginning of this movie starts out nicely, laying the basic plot, but it's in the possibilities that arouse that the movie fails to deliver. It would have been great to see that Seagal was actually the killer. Man, what a great bad guy he would make, but instead we are left with the usual unfolding of the recycled story that just doesn't seen to work anymore. The buddy buddy cop story that has some nice moments with the main actors is therefore nothing more than any previous Seagal cop movie, but it still possesses some bright moments. 6/10
The beginning of the end for Seagal?
poolandrews11 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The Glimmer Man is set in Los Angeles where ex New York Buddhist homicide detective Jack Cole (producer Steven Seagal) joins a task force lead by detective Jim Campbell (Keenan Ivory Wayans) who are hunting an active serial killer dubbed 'The Family Man' because of his ritualistic slaying's of entire families. The Family Man has killed eight families in six months & Campbell & Cole are told that he has struck again, two people in a seedy motel room bear all the hallmarks of the serial killer but super cop Cole knows that something is not right. As Campbell & Cole investigate the killings they find themselves under threat from from the Russian mafia, hit-men & the all round general scum of Los Angeles as they stumble across a plot in import chemical weapon's into the states...
Directed by John Gray one has to say that I like a good over-the-top Steven Seagal action flick, unfortunately The Glimmer Man is nothing like a good over-the-top Steven Seagal action flick. The script by Kevin Brodbin takes itself very seriously & one feels it tries to marry a dark serial killer thriller storyline not too dissimilar to the excellent Se7en (1995) which was a big box-office success the previous year together with the brutal violent action & martial arts of some of Seagal's previous better films like Out for Justice (1992), Under Siege (1992) it's sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) in particular which is an uneasy combination The Glimmer Man fails at spectacularly. The serial killer plot is there just for the hell of it & is totally abandoned by the halfway mark in favour of a buddy buddy mismatched partner cop action thriller like Lethal Weapon (1987), in fact The Glimmer Man feels like little bits & pieces, themes & ideas from various similar (much better) films all strung together in a rather lazy, routine & predictable narrative. As usual for Seagal there are some unintentionally funny scenes here the best being when Seagal's character is talking to a pathologist discussing a dead woman's body & Seagal proceeds to pick up a nearby scalpel, slice open the corpses breast & pull out a silicon implant so they can check the serial number on it! Yes, the scene really is as daft, dumb & silly as it sounds & that's not the only one. For instance when Campbell is hanging from the hotel window ledge at the end where did Seagal suddenly find all that professional abseiling gear to rescue him with?
Director Gray has to take a large chunk of responsibility here, the film drags badly especially at the start & it's surprisingly boring despite a few reasonable fight scenes. This is filmed in a functional if forgettable way & the constant gloomy whether & rain pouring from the sky is a direct & obvious rip-off from Se7en only it doesn't work here. In The Glimmer Man you can really see Seagal starting to put some weight on after having a string of financially successful flicks, maybe he became too complacent but as far as most people are concerned your only as good as your last film & it's this point Seagal's career took a nose-dive into the crapper to the point where he's staring these days in low budget action films opposite has-been rappers in Eastern Europeon countries. There are some trademark violent action scenes with Seagal slicing bad guy's throats with razor blades hidden in credit cards, breaking arms, shooting people to gain information, throwing them into steel posts, & generally causing lots of people lots of pain in a variety of entertaining ways. Unfortunately those scenes don't stop The Glimmer Man from being crap. There's an OK car crash sequence as a car crashes into a gas tanker conveniently parked diagonally across a road but a bit more could have been done with it & doesn't linger in the memory that long.
With a supposed budget of about $45,000,000 The Glimmer Man opened with under $8,000,000 & to very bad reviews. While I don't think The Glimmer Man lost much money I doubt it made much for Warner Bros. either which is why they probably went off Seagal a bit & only made two more films with him each one decreasing in budget. I have to mention Seagal's coat & Buddhist bead necklace here, it's awful & worth a few laughs all on it's own. I suspect Keenan Ivory Wayans was maybe trying to imitate his brother Damon Wayans who starred in a similar sort of action flick The Last Boy Scout (1991) along side Bruce Willis, the only difference being The Last Boy Scout is a terrific action film & The Glimmer Man isn't. As usual Seagal mumbles his way through the film & has become pretty lazy during the fight scenes not really moving or seemingly putting much effort into them.
The Glimmer Man is terrible, apart from one or two half decent & violent fight scenes this is just a jumbled mess of ideas stolen from better films. The Glimmer Man was the beginning of the end for Seagal in my opinion.
Directed by John Gray one has to say that I like a good over-the-top Steven Seagal action flick, unfortunately The Glimmer Man is nothing like a good over-the-top Steven Seagal action flick. The script by Kevin Brodbin takes itself very seriously & one feels it tries to marry a dark serial killer thriller storyline not too dissimilar to the excellent Se7en (1995) which was a big box-office success the previous year together with the brutal violent action & martial arts of some of Seagal's previous better films like Out for Justice (1992), Under Siege (1992) it's sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) in particular which is an uneasy combination The Glimmer Man fails at spectacularly. The serial killer plot is there just for the hell of it & is totally abandoned by the halfway mark in favour of a buddy buddy mismatched partner cop action thriller like Lethal Weapon (1987), in fact The Glimmer Man feels like little bits & pieces, themes & ideas from various similar (much better) films all strung together in a rather lazy, routine & predictable narrative. As usual for Seagal there are some unintentionally funny scenes here the best being when Seagal's character is talking to a pathologist discussing a dead woman's body & Seagal proceeds to pick up a nearby scalpel, slice open the corpses breast & pull out a silicon implant so they can check the serial number on it! Yes, the scene really is as daft, dumb & silly as it sounds & that's not the only one. For instance when Campbell is hanging from the hotel window ledge at the end where did Seagal suddenly find all that professional abseiling gear to rescue him with?
Director Gray has to take a large chunk of responsibility here, the film drags badly especially at the start & it's surprisingly boring despite a few reasonable fight scenes. This is filmed in a functional if forgettable way & the constant gloomy whether & rain pouring from the sky is a direct & obvious rip-off from Se7en only it doesn't work here. In The Glimmer Man you can really see Seagal starting to put some weight on after having a string of financially successful flicks, maybe he became too complacent but as far as most people are concerned your only as good as your last film & it's this point Seagal's career took a nose-dive into the crapper to the point where he's staring these days in low budget action films opposite has-been rappers in Eastern Europeon countries. There are some trademark violent action scenes with Seagal slicing bad guy's throats with razor blades hidden in credit cards, breaking arms, shooting people to gain information, throwing them into steel posts, & generally causing lots of people lots of pain in a variety of entertaining ways. Unfortunately those scenes don't stop The Glimmer Man from being crap. There's an OK car crash sequence as a car crashes into a gas tanker conveniently parked diagonally across a road but a bit more could have been done with it & doesn't linger in the memory that long.
With a supposed budget of about $45,000,000 The Glimmer Man opened with under $8,000,000 & to very bad reviews. While I don't think The Glimmer Man lost much money I doubt it made much for Warner Bros. either which is why they probably went off Seagal a bit & only made two more films with him each one decreasing in budget. I have to mention Seagal's coat & Buddhist bead necklace here, it's awful & worth a few laughs all on it's own. I suspect Keenan Ivory Wayans was maybe trying to imitate his brother Damon Wayans who starred in a similar sort of action flick The Last Boy Scout (1991) along side Bruce Willis, the only difference being The Last Boy Scout is a terrific action film & The Glimmer Man isn't. As usual Seagal mumbles his way through the film & has become pretty lazy during the fight scenes not really moving or seemingly putting much effort into them.
The Glimmer Man is terrible, apart from one or two half decent & violent fight scenes this is just a jumbled mess of ideas stolen from better films. The Glimmer Man was the beginning of the end for Seagal in my opinion.
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