Uriah43 After escorting two new female prisoners to a secret detention facility "Cross" (Steven Seagal) and his men are essentially put in a holding pattern pending transportation to further escort the remaining prisoners to another location. However, one of the female prisoners named "Samantha Mendez" (Steph Song) is actually a CIA courier who happens to have secret information regarding a bank account worth millions of dollars and there are those who are willing to do whatever is necessary to obtain the device she is carrying. Along with that, the other female prisoner by the name of "Charlotte Walker" (Aliyah O'Brien) is also not who she appears to be and this creates yet another problem for Cross. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a standard action film which benefited from its isolated location but was hindered by the lack of lighting which the director (Keoni Waxman) apparently felt was necessary for the overall effect. Additionally, although Steph Song was definitely attractive, none of the actors really put in a stellar performance and this didn't particularly help the movie either. Be that as it may, although it certainly had room for improvement, it wasn't necessarily a bad film overall and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

aforandromeda When Cross (Steven Seagal) and Manning (Steve Austin) are tasked with the routine decommissioning of a top secret C.I.A prison facility, everything initially goes smoothly until the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners who are to be moved on the next day. However, when the prison comes under attack from a group of mercenaries, led by the brutal Blake (Michael Pare), who demand the handover of the new arrivals, only Cross and Manning can stop them.It's fair to say that the premise of Maximum Conviction is absolutely nothing new. Borrowing heavily from the plots of Die Hard, Assault on Precinct 13 and Seagal's own Half Past Dead, originality is certainly not on the menu. What is on the menu for viewers however, is a fast paced, brutal and highly enjoyable 98 minutes of mayhem.Seagal's fight sequences are the best he's delivered in a number of years. He's certainly beginning to show his age, but the choreography is spare, violent, simple and snappily edited, giving Seagal a chance to shine. From what I can make out, the use of stunt doubles is minimal. Steve Austin casts his considerable frame over proceedings, with his fight scenes being especially brutal. Whatever opinions people have of Austin's admittedly limited acting range, he is a heavyweight screen presence, a presence utilised to great effect here. A small criticism is that the pair don't nearly share enough screen time together.Michael Pare, an actor seemingly always more effective as the villain of the piece, is also on top form. Refreshingly, he plays his role not for villainous laughs, as happens so often in these kind of movies, but instead portrays callousness and sheer nastiness.It's worth noting that Seagal, after working with director Keoni Waxman in this movie and also the preceding The Keeper and A Dangerous Man, has continued to work with him for two more movies. Waxman, while not the greatest director, seems to be helping Seagal achieve some of the best work he has done in a long time, going a long way to exorcising the memory of some of Seagal's truly execrable misfires of the mid 2000's, such as Shadow Man, Attack Force and Flight of Fury. Waxman's style is direct, straightforward, free of flashy gimmicks and all about the action. Scenes featuring simply dialogue are somewhat rushed, but you forget that when the action is as entertaining and exciting as on offer here. The fights are well choreographed, plus the shootouts are tense, imaginative and highly effective. The movie barely pauses for breath thanks to it's simple and straightforward set up.Admittedly, Maximum Conviction is unlikely to win Steven Seagal (or indeed Steve Austin) many new fans, mostly due to the movie's unimaginative plot and bone crunching brutality. However, the high quality of action on display may go a long way to bringing some of Seagal's lapsed fans back to enjoying his movies again. As for loyal, existing fans of the two big guys, Maximum Conviction is absolutely essential viewing.

joemon_2009 My type of movie. Was so like Die Hard with Michael Pare character and his men taking over the prison with innocent people killed and heroes like Seagal and Austin being the only ones to save the day. Austin's quote "No pain, no gain" was a repeat of catchphrases that heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger used upon defeating an opponent.Seagal just like in all his movies never takes a beating, but that's Steven Seagal for ya.This film is just what Die Hard influenced just like other films in 90s onwards like Under Siege, Sudden Death, Air Force One, Speed, Lockout etc. Especially with the limit of locations. It does show action films have become more brutal over the years especially with the Warden having his finger cut off by Blake.

devilove17 I am not a Segal fan never have been but this is a good movie Great plot the movie flowed and it all made sense. The acting not so great but the movie as a whole very good I hope they make a second one. Definitely buying the movie as I saw this on net flix. Austin is a bad a$$ and the last fight scene with the Bren Foster was awesome that guy is one to look out for he is a beast. I am excited to see them do another one. Good Job Steve and Steven Good job. This movie is as good as the expendables for sure Segal out did himself this time truly a great movie and Austin redeemed himself in this one as well. Pretty funny dialogue during some of the non action scene's . Recommended to anyone who wants to see a great action flick.