I decided to watch this film on Cine+ Frisson last night simply because nothing else was available, figuring it couldn't hurt given that Steven Seagal and Michael Caine were involved. While Seagal isn’t always a positive factor, I generally trust Michael Caine not to let me down. It had been quite some time since I’d seen it before, and now I'm questioning my decision to revisit it. It’s a clear illustration of how an actor, even one with a history of successful films, should stick to what they do well and avoid directing, particularly when they have a personal political agenda to push through the movie. There are moments where Seagal gets to showcase his strengths – fighting – and those scenes aren't bad. Caine performs admirably as always, though his character is so over-the-top it veers into absurdity. The character he’s working with is just plain foolish; he’s presented as a seasoned professional but panics easily and shoots an Eskimo in front of the entire tribe. Seriously? The mercenaries they hire are somewhat better, but still pretty inexperienced aside from their leader. The pseudo-mystical elements involving the Eskimos felt like pointless padding that would have been more effective in a different type of film. Essentially, the whole movie serves as a platform for Steven Seagal’s political views—criticizing large corporations and the oil industry, and sharing his vision for the future. I strongly dislike having political messaging shoehorned into movies, and this one is overloaded with obvious left-wing ideas. The final speech is so disconnected from reality that it's genuinely embarrassing; apparently, it was originally thirty minutes long before Warner Bros. intervened to shorten it, which was fortunate. The only thing preventing me from giving this movie an even lower score is Caine’s solid performance in a weak role and the presence of some reasonably entertaining fight sequences.

Source on TMDB