I admit it, I am not a Steven Seagal fan or of his films, but I do keep watching them for curiosity. As far as they do, Shadow Man is pretty bad, but it does start off quite promisingly and it for me is not as bad as Out for a Kill, which is a serious contender for Seagal's worst film ever. Plus there are some striking locations. However, the camera-work is very slapdash a vast majority of the time, and the direction is pretty incompetent. The story is messy and predictable, the action is barely risible with some poor doubles, the film is dreadfully scripted and the pacing is sluggish. Sadly the acting doesn't fare much better, fine actress Imelda Staunton especially deserves much better than this but she tries hard with an underwritten role. Seagal is part of the problem, I actually consider him a poor actor overall, and this is no exception. Here, he looks very tired and unkempt and he seems to be going through the motions. Overall, marginally better than I thought, but that is faint praise. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Another excursion into the increasingly weird direct-to-video life of action star Steven Seagal. SHADOW MAN follows the declining trend of the actor's efforts in the 21st century, a cheaply made and intensely derivative offering shot in Romania with a mixed cast and nary an ounce of originality in the script. Once again we have Seagal shambling back into action in an attempt to rescue his kidnapped daughter in a plot already used in two or three of his other recent movies.

With the current crop of the actor's DTV efforts, the movies themselves are pretty interchangeable, marked by poor, MTV-wannabe direction and a blatant disregard for logic or credibility. Seagal is literally the "shadow" man here, spending much of the film lurking in the shadows, perhaps to disguise his double chin or increasing bulk. Occasionally he gets out of his chair to do a little fighting or shooting, but the action is in short supply here. When Seagal performs his 'martial arts', it's typically a punch, a kick or a wrist-throw, a single move that kills or disables the enemy; don't expect any fine show of Aikido as the star just hasn't got it anymore. His stand-in is also lurking around, perhaps not as much as in some other films he's made but he's obviously doubled in other places (is getting out of a car simply too much for him?).

The rest of the cast is a real mixed bag – made up of Romanian nationals, once almost-famous US actors (Garrick Hagon, a pilot in the original STAR WARS) and Brits. Two of the Brits are instantly recognisable from their roles in soaps (Eva Pope and Alex Ferns, the latter better known as EASTENDERS' Trevor) while another, Imelda Staunton, is noticeable from the incongruity of her appearance here: this stalwart British actress is better known for her roles in 'proper' films like VERA DRAKE.

Still, there is some fun to be had here, especially in the film's more ludicrous moments. An early car chase blatantly rips off THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, with edgy camera-work that directly resembles the cinematography of that film; in addition, there's a bit of 'theme' music that pops up which is Jason Bourne's theme, minus two notes so the composer doesn't get sued for breach of copyright. I also loved an early set-piece in which Seagal finds himself trapped in a room and uses a number of household items to craft himself weapons; don't expect any of the cool bomb-making in the UNDER SIEGE flicks though. Here, he uses a gramophone (!),some random pipes from behind a wall, food, and kitchen knives to attack the enemies.

Perhaps realising that action fans are turning away from these films in their droves, the producers amp up the sex and violence to try and attract them back. So we get bloody gun-shots and a surprising amount of nudity and sexual situations, probably the most seen in a Seagal flick; watch out for the hilarious 'hug' moment between Seagal and a pretty, bra-clad Pope and lots of gratuitous bits in pole-dancing clubs. Yet for the most part, SHADOW MAN is trash, one only for those people, like me, who find themselves inexplicably drawn to the actor's poorly-made films.

The former CIA agent Jack Foster (Steven Seagal) travels to Bucharest with his daughter Amanda (Skye Bennett) and his father-in-law George (Michael Elwyn) to spend vacations in Romania. In the airport of Bucharest, Jack sees his daughter being kidnapped by the taxi driver Anya (Eva Pope) and the limousine of George exploding. He chases the taxi with the CIA agent Harry (Vincent Riotta) and he finds that different groups believe George gave him the research of a lethal virus. While trying to rescue his daughter, Jack is entwined in a network of traitors and criminals that are disputing the powerful biological weapon and he has to fight to survive.

"Shadow Man" is another messy and noisy movie of Steven Seagal. The screenplay is terrible with an awful development of the characters and the situation, and along the first fifteen, twenty minutes, the viewer does not know what is happening. The cast is above average, highlighting the awarded Imelda Staunton and Eva Pope, but unfortunately the story is not good. I found funny to see the character of Steven Seagal with a girlfriend (with a wonderful body) and having a romance with Anya, since it is unusual in his movies this type of situation. The locations in Bucharest are very beautiful and with a better screenplay, this film could have worked. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "O Homem Sombra" ("The Shadow Man")