Steven Seagal needed a new approach to his standard head-busting heroics, so he teamed up with Keenen Ivory Wayans for this routine 1996 action flick. This time stone-faced Steve plays Los Angeles homicide detective Jack Cole, newly transplanted from New York and teamed up with Jim Campbell (Wayans). They're assigned to track down "The Family Man," a serial killer who earned his nickname by crucifying entire families and leaving religious graffiti as his calling card. The case heats up when the latest victim turns out to be Cole's ex-wife, and Cole is considered a... primary suspect. That makes Seagal get really mad--you don't want to get Seagal too upset, y'know--but he still has time to quote Buddhist wisdom and crack wise with Wayans, who plays it relatively straight as the practical half of this partnership. Glimmer Man is typical Seagal stuff all the way, with obligatory fight scenes every 10 minutes or so, but Seagal fans will enjoy it and Brian Cox makes a suitably hissable villain. --Jeff Shannon [show more]
Steven Seagal stars as Jack Cole, an LA cop investigating the work of a serial killer known as The Family Man. If you were thinking though that this sounds far too much like a conventional Hollywood thriller for the likes of Seagal, then you would be right. Whilst Jack Cole is a cop, he has a murky past and yes, you know the rest - he used to be in the military before being recruited into the CIA. And if you were wondering where the title of the film came from, it refers to our hero - "there'd be nothing but jungle, then a glimmer, then you'd be dead!"
There are a number of weaknesses with this film; the story for a start. To say that it is thin would be an understatement. The finale too will leave you feeling a little disappointed. However, despite these things it is definitely worth a watch. There is a scene in a restaurant that shows Seagal at his very best and it is certainly equal to, if not better than, any other scene in any of his films. The Glimmer Man also benefits from a decent supporting cast who do their best with a limited script. Keenan Ivory Wayans (Scary Movie) plays Seagal's partner and adds a little comic relief as well as some action of his own (it will make you wonder why he hasn't appeared in more films?). Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity, Troy) and Bob Gunton (Argo, The Shawshank Redemption) also add weight.
If you are a fan of the big man's early films, and like me grew up watching them, there will have come a time when you realised that he was never going to make a decent film ever again. We wished it wasn't true, but accepting it can be something of a liberating experience. Where I used to get really angry at the fact that he couldn't be bothered to dub his own voice in the majority of his straight to DVD offerings, now I am calm. I simply don't watch them. Instead, I sit back and enjoy the glory days. In fact 8 of his first 9 films are well worth watching: Nico - Above the Law (1988), Hard to Kill (1990), Marked for Death (1990), Out for Justice (1991), Under Siege (1992), Under Siege 2 (1995), Executive Decision (1996) and The Glimmer Man (1996). Do yourself a big favour and stop there (although to be fair, Exit Wounds (2001) is passable). The only film to avoid during his 'early period' is On Deadly Ground (1994).
In summary, The Glimmer Man has all of the things that you would expect: lots of action, a Buddhist quote or two, some more action and Seagal wearing a silly coat. It is definitely worth watching and at only 91 minutes in length things keep ticking along nicely. Seagal is also meaner, and certainly a lot leaner than we have come to expect in recent years. Fundamentally, The Glimmer Man is a fairly routine action film. However, it is the fact that Seagal has seemingly been unable to do routine very well of late that makes this one a little more rewarding than it would perhaps have been otherwise.
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Detective Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) is on the trail of a psychopath in Los Angeles. When he is teamed with homicide detective Jim Campbell (Keenan Ivory Wayans), they stumble upon a conspiracy that leads back to Cole's past - as a top secret government agent known as the 'Glimmer Man'.
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