The powers that be in Hollywood are certain to read the healthy box office take of the Steven Seagal starrer Exit Wounds as an indication that the formerly ponytailed, slightly less paunchy one is somehow back in the public favor. But those with any common sense will know that the film’s financial success is owed more to his co-star, rapper DMX–a fact that is abundantly clear to anyone who sees his film. Not only is DMX simply more popular than the once-mighty Seagal, his charismatic presence is one of the few things in this Joel Silver-produced actioner to rise above formula. Of course, that this tale of police corruption and the cop (Seagal, natch) and crook (DMX) out to fight it is merely average makes it worlds better than Seagal’s heretofore most recent output, but anyone looking for a reinvention of his stoic superman image won’t find it here.
For the DVD, Warner Bros. has included a handful of supplements to go along with a nice widescreen transfer of the film and the theatrical trailer. The behind-the-scenes documentary is, as with all making-of specials on theatrical releases that air on HBO, a 20-minute exercise in promotional hype, but the talking head interview segments make this this one is more amusing than most. At one point, DMX asks the interviewer if he’s allowed to use the word “m**********r” (he is, it being HBO); but even funnier is the pretentious talk by producer Dan Cracchiolo about the movie being an “homage” to cop films (how?) and how Seagal has a “human” quality (since when?). Almost as funny is a second behind-the-scenes segment that follows affable supporting player Anthony Anderson on the set for a day. Rounding out the solid if unspectacular package are selected cast and crew filmographies and the video for DMX’s Bill Withers-sampling soundtrack cut “No Sunshine.”
Specifications: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen; English and French 5.1 Surround; English, French, and Spanish subtitles; English closed captioning.
