General Commander Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate)

‘

General Commander is a 2019 action film directed by Philippe Martinez (Wake of Death, Citizen Verdict, The Steam Experiment, & Viktor) & Ross W. Clarkson (Vixen, Captured, & Just a Bruise). It was originally pitched as a TV series. Steven Seagal was working on the film Attrition at the same time as this. It was also produced by director Philippe Martinez (Harsh Times, Land of the Blind, The Flock, Van Wilder 2, & The Groomsmen) with Karinne Behr (The Defender, Out of Season, Irish Jam, & Modigliani). A botched mission in Phnom Penh, Cambodia that results in a fatality leads to the disbanding of a CIA Global Response team led by Jake Alexander (played by: Steven Seagal from Above the Law, Marked for Death, Out for Justice, Under Siege 1/2, & Executive Decision). The remaining members include Sonia Dekker (played by: Sonia Couling from The Mark 1/2, Paradise Beach, Strike Back, & Final Combat), Tom Benton (played by: Byron Gibson from Deep, Action Jackson, Rise of the Footsoldier: The Spanish Heist, & The Hangover Part II), Maria Lopez (played by: Mica Javier from Love Me Tomorrow, Siargao, & Empty by Design), & Ben Harrison (played by: Jai Day from Hong Kong Rebels, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Skiptrace, & Lady Bloodfight).

Against CIA Agent Jessica Thompson’s (played by: Megan Brown from Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Mr. Brooks, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, & Feast III: The Happy Finish) orders, the team continues their hunt for arms dealer Gino Orsetti (played by: Edoardo Costa from Live Free or Die Hard, Non-Stop, Down the Shore, & Antidote) with the financial assistance of Hong Kong-based magnate Katarina Sokolov (played by: Evgeniya Akhremenko from Viktor, Kto ya?, & Mister Mayfair). While in Bangkok, Tom secures a meeting with Orsetti by posing as an interested buyer in the organs that he has up for sale. Meanwhile, CIA Agent Alec Hayes (played by: Robert Rownd from Chasing Fire, Hello Forever, I America, & Sherlock Jr.) unsuccessfully dispatches a hitman to assassinate Alexander & thus prevent his team from carrying on with their illegal mission. Sonia & Tom meet with Orsetti, while the rest stake-out. Things go wrong & the team must defend themselves without any real back up or support. Who will make it out alive during this deadly war????

General Commander delivers when it comes to action & beautiful locations but that’s about it. I am a huge Steven Seagal fan but this was one of his worst films in recent years. He’s advertised as the lead on the artwork & all the promotional stuff for this but he has more of a supporting role here. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still featured a decent amount in General Commander but it’s not really his movie. The other cast members were okay but I thought it would have been much better with different choices more based on their talent than their looks. You can tell that’s what the producers were going for with this. Lots of gun play, chaos, & attractive faces to sell it to the public. I thought Edoardo Costa & Byron Gibson were solid despite the other performances. The script was awful & the direction was sloppy especially with the locations that they had at their disposal. General Commander was very low budget & you can definitely tell from the final product. Sometimes film makers with their producers use their budget wisely which makes everything look bigger & better at the end but not with this one. Fans know what to expect with a Steven Seagal flick so most of them will enjoy this feature. The true highlight here is all the action & it’s actually really good. They knew their target market & made sure they provided them with at least that. Just have lower expectations because it’s not one of Seagal’s best efforts & the whole production comes off as lazy at times.

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Lionsgate! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer is a huge upgrade compared to the standard pressed DVD that’s available everywhere unlike this limited release. General Commander has some beautiful locations so they shine on this made on demand blu ray release. The English : Dolby Digital 5.1 track sounds real good in the home set up. The dialogue is very clean, the score/soundtrack has a nice boost to it, & all the action is elevated here. It also has English SDH & Spanish subtitles. There’s no extras on the disc. This is a BD-R release, it’s made on demand & not as easily available as the pressed standard DVD release but it’s worth tracking down especially if you are fan of Steven Seagal or low budget direct to video action films. I will say, this is the highest quality BD-R that I’ve ever seen in my life & you can barely tell the difference between it when compared to a pressed disc. Very impressed with the overall presentation, CHECK IT OUT!!!!

You can buy it right now @ https://www.moviezyng.com/031398305040.aspx