China Salesman

So, I normally don’t like to give out spoilers here. I try my best not to, but I need to tell you that the best part of the movie happens in the first fifteen minutes.

You see the poster of the film and you see Seagal and Tyson putting up their dukes and your thinking “Wow! who would have thought I wanted to see that so badly?”

It was good, surprisingly good. Mike Tyson, who looked like he got into shape for this flick, represented for boxing, which rarely gets a chance to shine in action cinema as a fighting style (You should see a movie called Riot with Sugar Ray Lenard), and sense it’s been like 25 years since Steven Seagal has lifted his fat leg up in the air it feels like an even match. Chinese-style action (with american fast cuts), and I must admit, it was was worth that ticket price.

But once it’s over I could have literally left the theater. The film has a few good action segments. Some including Iron Mike, whose insertion in the movie made it feel like he was just there to put his face on the poster (Which is true, even more so for Seagal whose 15 mins in the film also included the battle with Iron Mike).

Seem like an interesting story as well. From the closing text it was a true story about a a Chinese telecommunication company in a biting war with another company that’s trying so hard to keep their monopoly that they are willing to start a war between two African nations on the brink of it.

I like the fact that China seems to be making a few movies in Africa to reflect the current culture merge, and I liked how the movie explored Chinese patriotism, but for a movie starring Steven Seagal and Mike Tyson (who are on the poster), you got to be prepared for how little action is in the movie and how much it’s about a political situation.

Good trick getting me to see the movie, but the only reason why I came ended so fast and I was just bored with what could have been a good movie otherwise.