Marked for Death (1990)

Directed by Dwight H. Little. Starring Steven Seagal, Keith David, Tom Wright, Basil Wallace, Kevin Dunn, Joanna Pacula, Elizabeth Gracen, Victor Romero Evans, Michael Ralph, Danielle Harris. [R]

Upset over the tragic results of an undercover operation, DEA agent Seagal retires and heads home to Chicago, little expecting that he’d soon be contending with a sadistic Jamaican druglord’s gang. Aside from the black magic window dressing (utilized solely as exotic color and shortcut racism), it’s a pretty routine actioner, poorly-written but professionally-made. Seagal breaks a few bones and mumbles a few words, but little else; although intended to be intimidating, it’s hard not to snicker at the top baddie’s nickname (Screwface); highlights in the so-bad-it’s-good department include the phlegmatic hero intoning, “God made men,” Seagal providing vocals to a Jimmy Cliff tune on the soundtrack, and his sister’s hysterical exclamation of, “They hurt my baby!” Seagal claims to have rewritten roughly 90% of the script, but he lost the appeal to get his name added to the writing credits. Danny Trejo makes a brief appearance at the beginning.

43/100