If Hollywood estimated the total value of all the property smashed, wrecked or blown up over the course of this movie, the number would probably be twice the national income of Greece. That's mainly what "Exit Wounds" is all about - cops and robbers, with Neanderthal Seagal using his fists (yawn!) to do the talking as Boyd, a cop with a serious rage-control problem.
Sent to do time in the baddest precinct in Detroit, he stumbles on to what looks like a classic case of cops getting rich in a drug deal. DMX, another rapper to join Hollywood, plays the mega-rich drug czar Walker, who pays off cops left, right and center to keep the moolah rolling in. However, the twist to this predictable good-guy-versus-bad-guy tale is that Walker turns out to be the good guy, participating in a sting to identify crooked cops in return for the release of his brother, currently a ward of the state.
Every performance in this movie falls below expectations. Seagal does no more than break chairs with his hands (oooh!), with the occasional eye crinkle passing for a smile. As for DMX, the less said the better; his limited acting talents - a deadpan expression throughout - fail to increase the viewer's enjoyment, sometimes even provoking unintended laughter.
Bartkowiak does an acceptable job, given the material he has to work with; however, you can't help feeling that this movie would have been a lot more interesting with the addition of a little more suspense and a little less action. Not anything to write home about - watch it to see some beautiful cars and hear DMX rap in the background.
This article was first published on08 Aug 2001.