Fire Down Below (1997)

Director:

Félix Enríquez Alcalá

Writers (WGA):

Jeb Stuart (story)
Jeb Stuart (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

One Man. One Sercet. One Chance in hell

Plot:

Environmental protection agent Jack Taggart is fighting big business types led by Orin Hanner who are...

Plot Keywords:

Toxic Waste | Snakes | Flashback Sequence | Father Son Relationship | Explosion

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Steven Seagal	...	Jack Taggart
Marg Helgenberger	...	Sarah Kellogg
Stephen Lang	...	Earl Kellogg
Brad Hunt	...	Orin Hanner Jr.
Kris Kristofferson	...	Orin Hanner Sr.
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Cotton Harry
Levon Helm	...	Reverend Bob Goodall
Mark Collie	...	Hatch
Alex Harvey	...	Sims
Ed Bruce	...	Sheriff Lloyd
Amelia Neighbors	...	Edie Carr
Richard Masur	...	Phil Pratt
Michael Krawic	...	FBI Agent #2
Clay Jeter	...	Walter Carr
Yvonne Pollard	...	Mrs. Carr

Also Known As:

Fire Down Below (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Alerte sous la Terre (Canada: French title) [fr]
Ameaça Subterrânea (Brazil) [pt]
Corrupção Total (Portugal) [pt]
En terra perillosa 2 (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
En tierra peligrosa 2 (Spain) [es]
Fire Down Below - L' inferno sepolto (Italy) [it]
Flegomeni gi (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Menace toxique (France) [fr]
Pozar u Kentakiju (Serbia) [sr]
Tappava salaisuus (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #35350) | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-18 (DVD version) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | UK:18 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce Air Park - 33638 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Seagal/Nasso Productions

Trivia:

Just as production started on location in Kentucky, it emerged that a real EPA investigation was taking place nearby. Steven Seagal invited the EPA official to visit the set so he could chat with him about environmental issues and what he did.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sarah runs in the closet at the end, Earl latches the door and locks it. Then when Jack comes to the house to find her, before he opens the door you can see it is unlocked and the latch is open.

Quotes:

Hanner JR: Do you want me to take him out?
Hanner SR: Son, you couldn't take out a cheeseburger from a drive-through.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in True Crime: Streets of LA (2003) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Give Me Back My Heart

Enjoyable

I have watched this several times and always find it enjoyable. There is a gallery of good actors in support like Harry Dean Stanton and Kris Kristofferson. Special mention should be made of Stephen Lang who although playing a murderous character does make one feel sorry for him. Also Marg Helgenberger gives a touching portrayal of Sarah Kellogg, ready to bloom after years of repression.

The photography of the landscape is beautiful and contrasts with the story about its despoliation by illegal dumping of chemicals. This film is more about character and story. The fight scenes themselves are quite brief.

Which brings us to Steven Seagal. His bland acting style works strangely enough in complement with the other stronger actors.He does the combat OK. He does preach (like in his more recent films) but hey, what's wrong with looking after the environment? This film is under rated and deserves another look.