| The Perfect Weapon | |
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| Directed by | Titus Paar |
| Written by |
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| Distributed by | Momentum Pictures |
Release date | 2016 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $15,436 [1] |
The Perfect Weapon is a 2016 American action film directed by Titus Paar and starring Steven Seagal.
In the near future, the world has become a totalitarian state under the control of the Director (Steven Seagal). When Condor (Johnny Messner), an elite assassin, fails to terminate his target, he finds himself on the run from the organization that employs him.
Condor is sent on a mission and fails due to his emotional instability and the Director has him go into a sleep state to fix him, but he escapes after learning he is going to be killed either way. It ends where Condor kills the Director, who is actually a robot copy, and the real Director comes out to plan his own attack against Condor as the screen goes dark
The film was the first released by Firebrand and was financed by the Fyzz Facility and Boundless Pictures. Filming finished in November 2015. [2]
The director said he "really liked the backbone of" the film "the totalitarian state and hitmen in a scif-fi world" but he "really didn’t like the script." He agreed to do the film it he could rewrite the script and claims he rewrote every scene. "Added the old Japanese aspect and wanted it to be a homage to the things I liked as a kid, a homage to the 80-90s action era but at the same time create a complex story with some emotional scenes and character arcs." [3]
He says he "realized a serious film called The Perfect Weapon with Steven Seagal would never work or be taken seriously so It doesn’t take itself too seriously" and says he added the elements of rebellion towards the state and the complex love triangle with the female lead." [3]
Paar cast the film full of homages to the 80s and 90s such as Vernon Wells and Richard Tyson. He says his main influence was Blade Runner. [3]
Dolph Lundgren was going to play the lead role but that fell through and he was replaced by Johnny Messner. [3]
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American-born actor, screenwriter, and martial artist. 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. Seagal also holds Serbian and Russian citizenship.
Above the Law is a 1988 American crime action film written, produced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, 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. The film originated after a successful screen test, financed by Michael Ovitz, leading to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros. The film was set and filmed on location in Chicago. The film premiered in the United States on April 8, 1988.
Hard to Kill is a 1990 American 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.
On Deadly Ground is a 1994 American environmental action adventure film directed, co-produced by, and starring Steven Seagal, and co-starring Michael Caine, Joan Chen, John C. McGinley and R. Lee Ermey. It is Seagal's only directorial effort and features a minor appearance by Billy Bob Thornton in one of his early roles. Seagal plays Forrest Taft, an expert firefighter who chooses to fight back against the environmental destruction caused by his ruthless former employer (Caine).
Executive Decision is a 1996 American action film directed by Stuart Baird in his directorial debut. It stars Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, David Suchet and B.D. Wong. It depicts the rescue of an airliner hijacked by terrorists, by a small team placed on the plane in mid-flight. The film was released in the United States on March 15, 1996 and grossed $122 million against a $55 million budget.
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Steven Seagal as the ex-Navy SEAL, Casey Ryback. Set on board a train traveling through the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Los Angeles, it is the sequel to the 1992 film Under Siege also starring Seagal. The title refers to the railroading term that the subject train was travelling through dark territory, a section of railroad track that has no train signals and in which communications between train dispatchers and the railroad engineers were impossible.
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.
Submerged is a 2005 American action film directed by Anthony Hickox, who also wrote it with Paul de Souza and produced with Michael P. Flannigan, Daphne Lerner and David Varod. The film stars Steven Seagal, William Hope, Vinnie Jones and Christine Adams. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on May 31, 2005.
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.
Johnny Messner is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of a muscular military man in the 2004 film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.
Michael Jai White is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White appeared as Marcus Williams in the Tyler Perry films Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?, and starred as the character on the TBS/OWN comedy-drama television series Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse. White portrayed Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Legacy and the Cyborg Seth in Universal Soldier: The Return. He portrayed boxer Mike Tyson in the 1995 HBO television film Tyson. He also played the title role in the blaxploitation parody film Black Dynamite, as well as the animated series of the same name.
The Patriot is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by Dean Semler. Starring Steven Seagal, the film is loosely based on the novel The Last Canadian by William C. Heine. Seagal's first direct-to-video film, it features him as a local doctor and former immunologist who races against time to find a cure for an active viral outbreak, the origins of which trace back to a militia leader who injected himself with a deadly virus.
Remarkable Power is a 2008 comedy film directed by Brandon Beckner, who also co-wrote the script. The film features Tom Arnold, Kevin Nealon, Evan Peters, Nora Zehetner, Kip Pardue, Dulé Hill and Johnny Messner. It was filmed between October 9 and November 4, 2006 in Los Angeles.
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.
Assassination Games is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash and starring Jean-Claude van Damme and Scott Adkins with Ivan Kaye as their main antagonist. The film was released in the United States on July 29, 2011.
Absolution is a 2015 action thriller film directed by Keoni Waxman and starring Steven Seagal, Vinnie Jones, and Byron Mann. The film is a sequel to A Good Man, and is the sixth collaboration between Steven Seagal and director Waxman. The film also marks the third collaboration between Seagal and Jones, and between Seagal and Mann.
Code of Honor is a 2016 American action thriller film written, produced, edited, and directed by Michael Winnick. The film stars Steven Seagal and Craig Sheffer and was released to video on demand on May 6, 2016.
End of a Gun is a 2016 American action film directed by Keoni Waxman, starring Steven Seagal in the lead role.
Beyond the Law is a 2019 American crime action film directed by James Cullen Bressack. It stars Steven Seagal, Johnny Messner, DMX, and Bill Cobbs. The film follows a former detective who vows to avenge his estranged son's death and eventually takes on the local mob.