The Foreigner (2003)

User Rating:

2.8/10   

Director:

Michael Oblowitz

Writer:

Darren O. Campbell (writer)

Release Date:

20 June 2003 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

If they think they can stop him, they're dead wrong.

Plot:

This story is about a freelance agent (Seagal) who is the courier of a package from France to Germany. He soon finds that many people want to get their hands on it.

Plot Keywords:

Courier | Martial Arts | First Of Series | Chase | Double Cross

Cast

Steven Seagal	...	Jonathan Cold
Max Ryan	...	Dunoir
Harry Van Gorkum	...	Jerome Van Aken
Jeffrey Pierce	...	Sean Cold
Anna-Louise Plowman	...	Meredith Van Aken
Sherman Augustus	...	Mr. Mimms
Gary Raymond	...	Jared Olyphant
Philip Dunbar	...	Alexander Marquee
Izabela Okrasa	...	Clarissa Van Aken
Grzegorz Kowalczyk	...	Rolls Royce Driver
Dianna Camacho	...	Hotel Clerk Imke
Deobia Oparei	...	The Stranger
Grzegorz Emanuel	...	Jonathan Look Alike
Przemyslaw Saleta	...	Security Guard
Jan Jurewicz	...	Man with Porsche

Also Known As:

Cudzoziemiec (Poland)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

Argentina:96 min

Country:

USA | Poland

Language:

English | Danish | German | Polish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Franchise Pictures

Trivia:

In one of the last scenes when Meredith is attacked by the Danes you can clearly hear one of them say: "Bind kællingen!" Which is actually Danish and means "Tie the bitch up!"

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the fight between Dunoir and Cold at the end of the movie, the knife Dunoir pulls is clearly a rubber training knife (note how it wobbles side to side during the slow motion portions; it is also uncharacteristically thick).

Quotes:

Jonathon Cold: You like the dollar bill?
Mimms: Dead presidents. Greenbacks. You care to expound.

Movie Connections:

References First Blood (1982)

How does Steve-o still have fans, anyway?

This movie seems somewhat promising at first, but quickly spirals into a pointless mesh of betrayal and murder. As just about everyone who's posted before me has said, this film basically follows a series of nameless, faceless people around looking for a package. In the process, roughly half of Poland's population is shot in the chest by a guy who must smoke a carton of cigarettes in the mercifully brief 90 minute running time. I don't remember the names of any of these characters or the actors who portrayed them. All I can say is that I'm sure everyone involved has seen better days.

And what's up with the editing in this movie? Does the guy in charge of postproduction really think slowing down and then quickly speeding up the film is going to add anything to the experience? Was writing a coherent story out of the question? Keep in mind these are all rhetorical questions. I intend to forget this travesty before I even hit the "submit" button.