The Foreigner | |
---|---|
Directed by | Michael Oblowitz |
Written by | Darren O. Campbell |
Produced by | Andrew Stevens Elie Samaha Steven Seagal Kamal Aboukhater |
Starring | Steven Seagal Harry Van Gorkum Max Ryan |
Cinematography | Michael Slovis |
Edited by | Michael Kuge |
Music by | David Wurst Eric Wurst |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | US$16,700,000 [1] |
The Foreigner is a 2003 American action thriller film starring Steven Seagal. The film was shot entirely in Warsaw, Poland, and was the first of a long string of direct-to-video films released starring Seagal from 2003 to 2009. The film recouped its budget from the US home video market alone. [2]
Jonathan "Jon" Cold (Steven Seagal) is a former "foreigner", or deep cover operative who now works as a freelance agent who is frequently commissioned to deliver high-risk packages.
As Jon prepares for his father's funeral, Alexander Marquet (Philip Dunbar) asks him to take on an assignment. Jon is keen to leave the business, but he reluctantly accepts the job.
His task is to take a mysterious package from France to a wealthy man in Germany. But Jon will soon find that there are a lot of people who are determined to prevent him from doing so. Jon is accompanied by Dunoir (Max Ryan) to a farmhouse to pick up the package, and they are attacked by assassins.
Jon fights them off and decides to continue with the assignment. Leaving Dunoir behind in France, Jon heads for his father Jackson's memorial service in Warsaw, Poland, and Jon meets up with his brother Sean (Jeffrey Pierce) before continuing on to Germany.
The package turns out to contain a black box flight recorder from an aircraft that had been suspiciously downed, and the recipient – sinister industrialist Jerome Van Aken (Harry Van Gorkum) – has a vested interest in it.
Once he arrives in Germany, Jon discovers that he is being pursued by various agents and assassins, while Van Aken's wife Meredith (Anna-Louise Plowman) and CIA spook Jared Olyphant (Gary Raymond) also seem to want to get hold of the package.
Kate Fischer has a small role. [3]
A sequel to The Foreigner, titled Black Dawn , was released in 2005. Seagal's character John Cold is the only character who returns from the original.
The Foreigner was released straight to video without receiving a theatrical release. It was critically panned for its nonsensical plot, poor acting, Seagal's lack of martial arts and the low-quality filmmaking. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 0% based on reviews from 5 critics. [4]
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-law's dojo. He later moved to Los Angeles where he had the same profession. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in four films.
Above the Law is a 1988 American crime action thriller film cowritten, coproduced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who was also a producer, and stars Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating the mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.
Hard to Kill is a 1990 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after Above the Law, he portrays Mason Storm, a detective who falls into a coma after being shot during a home invasion that killed his wife. Reawakening seven years later, Storm embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his wife, and expose the corruption of Senator Vernon Trent, the man who ordered the murder of his family. The film was released on February 9, 1990, and grossed $59 million.
Under Siege is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis, written by J. F. Lawton, and starring Steven Seagal as a former Navy SEAL who must intercept a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones, after they commandeer the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri.
The Glimmer Man is a 1996 American buddy-cop action comedy film directed by John Gray and produced by Steven Seagal. The film stars Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bob Gunton, and Brian Cox. The film was released in the United States on October 4, 1996.
Fire Down Below is a 1997 American action film starring Steven Seagal and directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá in his directorial debut. The film also includes cameos by country music performers Randy Travis, Mark Collie, Ed Bruce, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt, and country-rocker and the Band member Levon Helm, as well as Kris Kristofferson in a supporting role. Steven Seagal plays Jack Taggert, an EPA agent who investigates a Kentucky mine and helps locals stand up for their rights. The film was released in the United States on September 5, 1997.
Half Past Dead is a 2002 American action film written and directed by Don Michael Paul in his directorial debut, and produced by Steven Seagal, who also starred in the lead role, alongside Andrew Stevens and Elie Samaha. The film co-stars Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Tony Plana, Kurupt, and Nia Peeples. The film tells the story of a criminal who infiltrates a prison to interrogate a prisoner about the location of a fortune in gold while an undercover FBI agent has to stop him. Distribution and copyrights were held by Columbia Pictures. Half Past Dead was released on November 15, 2002, by Screen Gems. The film grossed $19 million worldwide against its budget of $25 million.
Gotcha! is a 1985 American action comedy film, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino and directed by Jeff Kanew, who also directed Edwards in Revenge of the Nerds in 1984.
Into the Sun is a 2005 action film directed by Christopher Morrison and starring Steven Seagal, Matthew Davis, Takao Osawa, Eddie George, Juliette Marquis, and William Atherton.
Avenging Angelo is a 2002 American direct-to-video action comedy film directed by Martyn Burke and starring Sylvester Stallone, Madeleine Stowe, and Anthony Quinn. The film received mostly negative reviews.
Black Dawn is a 2005 American action film directed by Alexander Gruszynski in his feature film directorial debut. It was produced by, and stars, Steven Seagal, who reprises his role as Jonathan Cold. It is a follow-up to the 2003 film The Foreigner.
Back in Business is a 1997 action thriller film starring Brian Bosworth and Joe Torry. The film revolves around two policemen, Joe Elkhart (Bosworth) and Tony Dunbar (Torry) and their pursuit of drug runners and dirty cops. Bosworth's character is an environmentalist, similar to Steven Seagal's character in "Fire Down Below."
Hitman is a 2007 action-thriller film directed by Xavier Gens, based on the video game series of the same name. The film stars Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47, a professional hitman engineered to be an assassin by the Organization. He becomes ensnared in a political conspiracy and finds himself pursued by both Interpol and the FSB. Dougray Scott and Olga Kurylenko star in supporting roles.
Attack Force is a 2006 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Michael Keusch, and also written and produced by Steven Seagal, who also stars in the film. The film co-stars Lisa Lovbrand and David Kennedy. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 5, 2006.
Real Men is a 1987 American comedy film starring James Belushi and John Ritter as the heroes: suave, womanizing CIA agent Nick Pirandello (Belushi) and weak and ineffectual insurance agent Bob Wilson (Ritter).
The Onion Movie is a 2008 satirical American comedy film written by The Onion writers Robert D. Siegel and Todd Hanson. It was filmed in 2003 and released on June 3, 2008, direct-to-video. It is Rodney Dangerfield's final film role, prior to his death in October 2004.
Force of Execution is a 2013 direct-to-video action crime film directed by Keoni Waxman, written by Richard Beattie and Michael Black, and starring Steven Seagal, Ving Rhames, and Danny Trejo. The movie marks the fourth collaboration between Steven Seagal and Keoni Waxman, and the fourth collaboration between Steven Seagal and executive producer Binh Dang. The film is set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Extraction is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller and written by Umair Aleem. The film stars Kellan Lutz, Bruce Willis, Gina Carano, D. B. Sweeney, Dan Bilzerian and Steve Coulter. The film was released on December 18, 2015, in a limited release, and through video on demand by Lionsgate Premiere.
Contract to Kill is a 2016 American action film starring Steven Seagal. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States, and was released via video on demand.
Cartels, also known as Killing Salazar, is a 2017 action film starring Luke Goss, with Steven Seagal in a minor role, and directed by Keoni Waxman. It had a limited theatrical release on July 7, 2017, and was released on DVD and digital streaming on September 19, 2017.