Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever

Ballistic was a 2002 action movie starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu. It was directed Wych Kaosayanada and was written by Alan B. McElroy. It's considered as one of the worst movies made in 2002 both by critics and regular audience. I really wish I could disagree with this, but I really can't It was really bad and it was poorly made. It failed to impress critically and commercially.

You know how I always say I like all movies, except for a certain few. Sometimes, a movie comes along that just fits the latter. This one was one of the few movies I really disliked. I remember liking to watch this movie when it was released cause I just saw my first Antonio Banderas movie then (can't remember which movie), and I also just saw Charlie's Angles then. I remember thinking it was a nice coincidence that I just saw their movies and then they're appearing together in one film. Turns out I really didn't miss much.

I really thought it would be awesome cause I like Lucy Liu a lot, and I also like Antonio Banderas. I thought it would be an action-packed, ass-kicking movie, but somehow it just fell flat. It was one dimensional, and didn't progress much. Sure the plot flowed, but not in a direction that could have brought this movie into a new, better level. I feel bad for saying this but that's just my reaction to it. It didn't go anywhere. And it didn't make use of its stars. Although I will say that aside from Liu and Banderas, Gregg Henry and Terry Chen were also good elements to this movie.

I was hoping the action scenes would serve as its redemption but the sequences were poorly choreographed, and to be honest, a bit boring. It did have some really good action bits. Unfortunately, this time, when I said bits, I really meant small bits. Both actors are decent movie fighters, but somehow the movie didn't really utilize their skills or strengths. It just continuously fell flat. I think the camera angles and editing played a part on why the fight scenes got boring instead of exciting. I would give them that the explosions in the final battle scene was a little interesting. Also, the few moments of intense action in the same portion of the movie. I think the one with Sever (Liu) and Ross (Ray Park) was the most enjoyable one.

So yeah. It was a bit underwhelming and disappointing. It really utilize its stars to create a much more dynamic and engaging movie. It did have a potentially good premise, but was let down by the script and/or development. But I think my biggest problem with it was the editing. While it wasn't entirely bad, it was mostly disappointing. I still like Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas though.