A former special forces agent’s son is kidnapped and must now wipe out three dangerous crime syndicates if he wants to see his son alive again.
“Seized” begins just South of the US border in the sunny surf town of Rosarita, Mexico. Nero (Scott Adkins) is making breakfast for his moody son Taylor (Matthew Garbacz), with whom he has a strained relationship. After Nero handles some business calls his son is sent home for fighting with a few classmates. Taylor says he’s being bullied for his mom’s tragic passing and due to his father being overall absent. After their unresolved argument, Nero sits by his balcony and is suddenly shot with a tranquilizer. Hours have passed, the Pacific Ocean is now reflecting the moonlight, and Nero wakes up to a phone call. The voice on the other end speaks in an inconsistently thick Mexican accent and sends a Livestream of Taylor being held captive in a dingy room. The voice orders Nero to follow his instructions or his son will be sleeping with the fishes. There’s a package in his garage with a silenced Submachine gun, body armor, and a set of keys to a bulletproof Chevy Tahoe.
The voice on the phone is eventually introduced as Mzamo (Mario Van Peebles), who’s sporting a cowboy hat and the whole Narcotraficante look. Mzamo tells the distraught father that he must complete a series of missions to secure the safe return of his son and that he’s monitoring Nero’s every move on a body cam. Before his first mission, Mzamo says the cringeworthy line, “Go Call of Duty on their Asses!” As Nero enters a large restaurant, the camera shakily but effectively captures the tension with a brief single-take. I love when action directors have the confidence to not rely on cuts and quick edits, instead, choose to capture the entire spectacle of the scene. After entering, Nero swiftly executes two bodyguards and then turns the heavily armed Cartel’s sit-down dinner into the Last Supper. Scott Adkins has been in action films for years and although I think he resembles comedic legend Rob Brydon, I’m impressed with his fighting scenes. It’s typically obviously in an action film who just learned the moves and you can tell Adkins really trains and knows what he’s doing.
After that pretty excellent action scene, Nero and Mzamo verbally spar over the phone with some silly quips and it’s time for the next mission. He arrives at a strip club and there’s an array of brawlers and boobs. The action is once again well-executed but whenever someone opens their mouth, it’s basically a critical TKO. While this is happening, Mzamo has invited an assortment of sex workers, henchmen, and others for a Super Bowl type viewing party. The whole crowd is watching the action live-streamed through the body camera and it’s a missed opportunity for the filmmakers. The concept is there but I think there could’ve been more tongue-in-cheek commentary on blood sport being so revered.
Through more obvious exposition, Mzamo tells a business associate he’s using Nero to wipe out all of his rivals. Mzamo is certain that this rogue unaffiliated British assassin will keep the heat and criminal underworld from blaming him for all the gangland hits. With the targets getting increasingly difficult, Nero is determined to save his son no matter what. I never knew Mario Van Peebles was born in Mexico but he definitely could’ve worked on his accent. Adkins isn’t the strongest actor but his exceptional fighting skills make him a worthy action lead. He’s appeared in a few big-budget films but I’ve noticed he’s mainly cast in lower budget straight to DVD releases. “Seized” isn’t the best looking, cinematically speaking, but the Baja, California setting and overall solid camerawork make up for the few technical misfires. That being said, I don’t ever need to see a wife, child, or loved one get kidnapped as a plot device. It’s one of the most overused and lazy signs of writing, and there are other creative ways to motivate a protagonist. I looked up the director whose name is Isaac Florentine and he’s made quite a few films with Adkins. I’m hopeful their next outing will have a better screenplay and some more enjoyable combat to watch.
Now available on DVD, Digital, and On-Demand from Lionsgate
