On Deadly Ground 1994

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Although you could certainly wish that Seagal and his writers... could have found less preachy ways to express themselves, On Deadly Ground is otherwise lively entertainment for action fans. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: What a Renaissance Man, that Steven Seagal. He lumbers, he sermonizes, he directs! Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Unfortunately Seagal, who also makes his directing debut with this script, is no match for Caine. His on-screen personality is petulant and humorless, his voice so grating you want to reach for a mute button. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: You can't preach about preserving the environment and make movies full of sludge. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: ''I didn't want to resort to violence. I didn't have a choice,'' [Seagal] says; a greater man might have said, ''Make my day.'' Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The less said about Joan Chen, the better. To say that her talents are wasted is to understate the matter. Read more

Nigel Floyd, Time Out: In contrast to his short, sharp fighting style, Seagal's presentation of the human conflicts and underlying issues consists of vague, sweeping gestures. Read more

Leonard Klady, Variety: This is a vanity production parading as a social statement. Read more

Richard Harrington, Washington Post: Martial arts maven Seagal has long been on deadly ground with critics, and this, his directorial debut, is likely to keep him there. Read more