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 Somebody's hanging people on the wall. crucifixion-style, and something's got to be done about it. Call in the Glimmer Man. Now you see him, now you don't. The catchy nickname was given to him by his superiors in the good old days when he worked undercover in one jungle after another for the U.S. government secret service. His real name is Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) and he now works as a detective in New York. His talents are desperately needed to lend a helping hand in the jungles of L.A. this time. There's a serial killer on the loose who enjoys turning household members into religious idols, crown of thorns included. Following in the footsteps of so many other action films that have replaced "good cop, bad cop" with "black cop, white cop," he has a sidekick who shares the star billing. This time it turns out to be Keenen Ivory Wayans (of TV's In Living Color fame) in the role of homicide detective Jim Campbell, who has some problems adjusting to both his new partner's prayer beads and nonconformist personality. Not only is the guy a grandstanding loner from New York, but he has a tendency toward Buddhism. To make matters worse, all paths and evidence seem to lead back to Jack. When an ex- wife turns up dead as the next victim (this is more than writing on the wall), Campbell's suspicions become aroused while Cole's suspicions are confirmed and he sets out to uncover the dastardly (yes, I actually said dastardly) plot that finally will force Cole to revert once again to his special deadly talents as "Glimmer Man". You can take the man out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the man. Yes, it's an action film. Isn't that synonymous with Seagal? There's an intentional line of tongue-in- cheek humor running throughout the film that works nicely by letting us know that it is never taking itself too seriously. The choreography for the martial art sequences (done, as usual, by Seagal himself) are extremely effective and backed up by some clever sound effects. Brian Cox, who plays the sinister Mr. Smith, is always a fine actor to watch, but doesn't quite have a large enough role this time around to turn him into the man you love to hate. Gee, do you think the good guys'll win?
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