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HALF PAST DEAD

  
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At Theaters: 11/15/2002 On Video: 3/4/2003
Rated: PG-13 Length: 1 hr. 54 min.
Internet: Web Site Movie ID: 399916
Studio: Columbia Pictures Inc.
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Notes: 
Storyline Heading
Donny has assembled a commando team to infiltrate the newly refurbished Alcatraz in order to force a death row inmate to reveal the whereabouts of $200 million worth of gold. Inmate Nick must help Undercover FBI agent Sascha rally the other inmates to stop the invaders – before they murder the Supreme Court Justice who is present for the impending execution.
DETAILED STORYLINE
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Movie Type (Genre) Heading
Action - Lots of great action and some funny characters and dialog is what you get with "Half Past Dead." It's quick, it's cool and it's fun!
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Cast and Crew Heading
Steven Seagal EXIT WOUNDS, FIRE DOWN UNDER
Morris Chestnut LIKE MIKE, TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME, THE BROTHERS
Ja Rule TURN IT UP
Director: Don Paul THE ROAD TO ELDORADO
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Production Notes Heading
About The Story
About The Location
Choreography
About The Production
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Content Heading
PROFANITY: 2 GD's, 3 S-words, 7 A-words, several milder words.
SEX/NUDITY: None
VIOLENCE: Lots of big gun battles/martial arts fighting. Not too graphic.
DRUGS/ALCOHOL: None
ACTION: Nearly nonstop throughout the movie.
COMEDY: Some funny characters make it a fun movie with lots of chuckles.
DETAILED CONTENT
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Critic's Review Heading
Poor

The above rating is an average of the critic reviews below.

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Entertainment Weekly   Full Review
Poor "No, the title Half Past Dead doesn't refer to Steven Seagal's career, but judging by his latest DOA shoot-'em-up, it may as well. ''

Roger Ebert  Full Review
Poor "Half Past Dead" is like an alarm that goes off while nobody is in the room. It does its job and stops, and nobody cares. It goes through the motions of an action thriller, but there is a deadness at its center, a feeling that no one connected with it loved what they were doing. There are moments, to be sure, when Ja Rule and Morris Chestnut seem to hear the music, but they're dancing by themselves.''

Newsday  Full Review
Poor "Get out your money, get out your gun, Steven Seagal's back, and he's gained a ton. Throw out your money, throw out your gun, Ja Rule's with him and he's havin' more fun. Crash go the window, bang go the gun, prison is cool when the stage blood run. Turn up the volume, shake out your bun, you won't hear nothin' when this movie's done.''

Note: The rating above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.

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Opinion Heading

Based on an Exit Polling of 147 Moviegoers

Ages Age Group
How
Many
Your Probability of
Enjoying This Movie *
Would
Recommend
Movie To Friends
13-19Teens (M)
21
High
100%
13-19Teens (F)
20
High
95%
20-29Yg Adults (M)
21
High
90%
20-29Yg Adults (F)
27
High
93%
30+Adults (M)
29
High
97%
30+Adults (F)
29
Fairly High
97%
*Possible Ratings: Very High, High, Fairly High, About 50/50, Fairly Low, Low, Very Low.

About Our Opinions

Be sure to read the DETAILED OPINIONS
The positive and negative comments made by moviegoers are very
helpful when selecting a movie that's appropriate for you and your family.

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OPINION GRAPH

OPINION OVERVIEW
The following is the original "What's Worth Watching" write-up for this movie.

Moviegoer Opinions:
I love these movies where all the critics tell you how bad the movie is and moviegoers give it very good reviews. For this type of movie these are some excellent opinions. Sure, there were a few who rated it low, but that's to be expected. I suspect they were viewing this movie with a friend who's a fan of this type of movie and they're not.

With this many high opinions I can easily recommend "Half Past Dead" to those who just want to be entertained.

Cinema Review Prediction: (before moviegoer opinions are collected)
I predict "Half Past Dead" will receive some very high moviegoer opinions from both males and females of all ages. Everyone interested in this movie should thoroughly enjoy the funny characters and the intense action. I believe many will say that this is the best Steven Seagal movie yet. Even if you're not a Seagal fan I believe you will find "Half Past Dead" very enjoyable.

After seeing the low critic reviews, let me add that this is a fun and entertaining movie, but it's certainly not great filmmaking. Fortunately most people going to a Steven Seagal movie aren't expecting an Oscar winning movie. They just want to have fun and be entertained and "Half Past Dead" will deliver that.

D ETAILED S TORYLINE
Sascha Petrosevitch (STEVEN SEAGAL), a widowed undercover agent posing as a tough, international car thief, has many friends - on both sides of the law. One of them, career criminal Nick Frazier (JA RULE), has been like a brother to him. One night on a job, Sascha and Nick are intercepted by a female FBI agent named E.Z. Williams who, unbeknownst to Nick, is working in tandem with Sascha. Nick refuses to surrender and the Feds open fire. Sascha takes seven bullets for Nick – saving his life. Sascha's heart stops for 22 minutes – "half past dead” and he's almost pronounced dead before being revived.

To maintain his cover, Sascha is sentenced with Nick to the newly refurbished, high- tech Alcatraz, where inmates are fitted with a special implanted security chip to prevent escape. The prison also boasts a brand new, state of the art execution chamber, which will be used for the first time on legendary prisoner Lester, who is charged with robbing an armored vehicle and stealing $200 million worth of gold. The gold has never been recovered and Lester refuses to tell anyone where it is, including the Supreme Court Justice who sentenced him to die and who is now present to witness his execution. With one hour left to live, Lester summons Sascha from his cell to see him. Lester wants to ask him what it's like to be so near death, but the callous Sascha doesn't have much to share.

Moments before Lester's sentence can be carried out, a group of ten mercenaries, "the 49ers,” wearing black combat gear break into the prison. Led by the psychotic and ruthless 49er One (MORRIS CHESTNUT), who has an in-depth knowledge of the prison's security and communications systems, they have come for one reason only: to find out where the gold is buried. When Lester refuses to cooperate and the 49ers begin taking hostages, including the Supreme Court Justice, Sascha must rally his fellow prisoners to take on the expertly trained commandos. Nick's loyalty is tested when he learns the truth about Sascha's identity, and he must choose sides for the final showdown with the 49ers...

In a blisteringly paced, action-packed battle of high tech criminals versus hardened prisoners, Alcatraz becomes a battleground with the sentenced men fighting for the system that put them there. When the 49ers escape, taking Lester and the Supreme Court Justice with them, Sascha gives chase with help from Agent E.Z. Williams. Sascha and 49er One go head to head to the bitter end, a breathtaking skydive rescue from a helicopter bound for freedom….
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