.co.uk

Surely with the media's fixation in "saving the planet" these days, it wouldn't be so criminal (as it seemed it once was) to watch Rob Cohen's 1997 "Eco-Thriller", which stars the ageing action hero, Steven Seagal.

Seagal plays Jack Taggart, an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency. A crooked businessman (Kris Kristofferson) soon becomes his target after it is discovered he has been using abandoned mines to dump toxic waste. In order to save the day, Taggart must arse-whip a number of dirty local town yokels and then preach an ecological message within the church to let the innocent folks know that pissing with the environment is an absolute no-no.

O.K., so it may not sound like the most exciting synopsis ever, but at least Seagal shows a genuine affection for the issues that many of us choose to ignore. Surprisingly, he comes across as a nice guy really well here, and still manages to find the time to serve up several broken bones and bloody noses to keep things moderately entertaining for the action fans along the way.

Seagal's elaborate choice of wardrobe also adds a surprising element of visual flair to the film. Sporting a number of long, brightly coloured leather trench coats to go with his similarly unique ponytail, his character seems almost iconic. Add to that his whispery voice, bucolic personality and Aikido mastery, and one might start to think he makes a likeable personality and half-decent action hero (and I never thought I'd ever be suggesting that).

Fire Down Below, on the whole, is certainly a lot better than the truly awful On Deadly Ground, which spat a similar message of pro-environmentalism. It's still far from great, but it's certainly tolerable. The only real problem, in regards to its genre, is that most people won't ever bother to watch it.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.