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More of the same for Steven Seagal, but this time it's all set on a train. Nothing wrong with a repeated formula -- it worked pretty well for him in the first Under Siege -- and the action is the obvious priority here, so you can't really knock the film for its entertainment value. Under Siege 2's downfall, however, is its cast of characters, all of whom become pretty annoying over a short period of time.

Seagal once again plays ex-Navy-Seal-pretending-to-be-a-cook Casey Ryback, who just happens to be on board a train with his niece (Katherine Heigl) when it is hijacked by a computer nerd named Travis Dane (Eric Bogosian) and a group of meat-head mercenaries. The bad guys plan on taking control of top-secret military satellite and blowing up the East Coast of the United States, as well as executing the train's passengers, unless they are given a sizeable sum of money by the government. Ryback, and a porter named Bobby Zachs (Morris Chestnut), however, somehow manage to avoid been detected, and the two team up and have to think of a way to stop their terrorists getting what they want, before it's too late.

The reason why Seagal and his niece are on the train in the first place is largely glossed over here (something about a dead family member), but it's not that important 'cause it's a routine plot that guarantees action. And this being Seagal, of course -- the only man who can stop the bad guys -- he ends up picking them off one by one, using a variety of deadly methods such as stabbing them with knives, blowing them up with homemade bombs, and Aikido chopping their necks -- nothing wrong with that, if you're an action/Steven Seagal fan (and it's a lot more entertaining than the garbage he puts out these days straight to DVD, that's for sure).

Characters wise, though, the movie loses considerable kudos. We all know Seagal can't act, so there's no point going down that route once again; Eric Bogosian, in the leading enemy role, is the main culprit here for being bloody awful throughout. If his big nose and laughable '90s perm aren't enough to make you believe this man is a complete joke, his desperate attempts to sound scary and threatening most definitely are. Equally as annoying is Morris Chestnut (Ricky from Boyz N The Hood), who spends his time trying to act cool, shit-talking the enemy and desperately to be funny. He fails on all three accounts.

I like Everett McGill as the leader of the mercenaries; he looks pretty fucking mean, if I'm honest, and is the all-around bad guy you'd hope would give Seagal some decent competition when he is eventually given the chance to fight him one on one. That is until Under Siege 2 reaches its final fight sequence, and (like in the first movie) it ends up being incredibly anti-climatic, with Seagal completely owning his enemy and barely breaking a sweat. Bang goes my anticipation for a tension-fuelled fight again.

In truth, Under Siege 2's editing is choppy, and its effects aren't all that impressive, either, considering its sizeable budget (a whopping $60,000,000). It's not badly paced, though, and Seagal's given plenty of room to do his "thing" (the only "thing" he's really any good at). As with all the Steven Seagal’s movies, this is far from a classic, and there's plenty wrong with it, but the action scenes will provide a bit of a laugh (just watch as he somehow manages to outrun two colliding trains, unscathed, with his facial expression completely unmoved).

(C) Andy Carrington, 2011.