Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Encyclopedia
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is a 2002 American action film
starring Antonio Banderas
and Lucy Liu
. Liu and Banderas play opposing secret agents who are supposedly enemies, but team up during the movie. The film was universally panned by critics, who generally regarded it as having no redeeming features, not even the comedic value normally associated with bad films. It is often listed among the worst movies ever made. In March 2007, the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
ranked the film #1 among "The Worst of the Worst" movie list, with 108 "rotten" reviews and no "fresh" ones. Financially, the film was also a box office failure, recouping just over $19.9 million of its $70 million budget.
), director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA), is kidnapped when he returns home from a trip to Berlin
, despite a heavily armed DIA escort. The kidnapper is a Chinese woman named Sever (Lucy Liu). Former FBI agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) is asked by his old boss to investigate the case. He realises that the kidnapper must be one of the Chinese girls the DIA adopts and trains as agents. Sever is pursued by FBI agents and by DIA agents lead by Ross (Ray Park
).
Ecks discovers that Gant stole a dangerous nanobot assassin, which operates in the human circulatory system
. Gant had placed the nanobot in his son's body in order to smuggle it to North America.
Robert Gant is married to Vinn (Talisa Soto
), who was previously married to Ecks. It is revealed that Gant separated Vinn and Ecks by staging the death (by car bomb) of each of them to the other; Vinn was officially declared dead and had a closed-casket funeral attended by Ecks. Gant had also killed the husband and child of his colleague Sever (Lucy Liu
), who subsequently kidnapped Gant's son to take revenge. However, it turns out that it is not Gant, but Ecks, who is the father of the child.
A final battle happens near an old railroad station. There, Ross and Gant confront Ecks and Sever. Gant tries to bargain with Sever, but Sever is sure that it is too late. A long gunfight follows, with Ecks and Sever blasting DIA agents and SWAT teams. Ecks and Sever manage to beat the SWAT teams and swarms of agents. Sever then gets in a one-on-one fight with Ross. She eventually wins the fight and kills Gant, too. After local police and FBI agents arrive, they find no evidence of Sever being there. Ecks reunites with his family.
ranked Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever number 1 on its "The 100 Worst Reviewed Films of All Time" list. All of the 108 available reviews gave the film negative ratings, which resulted in a 0% fresh rating. The film was ranked number one worst movie of the decade.
Among the most obvious plot holes noted by critics of the film is the fact that the FBI - an organization intended to work within the United States - is somehow working in Vancouver, Canada, causing costly shootouts with other Americans.
composed by Don Davis
was released but a soundtrack was not.
first-person shooter
, Ecks vs. Sever
, was based on a very early version of the film script and, story wise, is almost nothing like the final rewrite. It was released in 2001, before the film. It was considered an impressive technological feat on the GBA and was accepted more than the film itself. A second game created after the premiere, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
, which follows the plot-line from the film, is considered a sequel to the first game. It got very positive reviews and received a 9/10 on IGN.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
and Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
. Liu and Banderas play opposing secret agents who are supposedly enemies, but team up during the movie. The film was universally panned by critics, who generally regarded it as having no redeeming features, not even the comedic value normally associated with bad films. It is often listed among the worst movies ever made. In March 2007, the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranked the film #1 among "The Worst of the Worst" movie list, with 108 "rotten" reviews and no "fresh" ones. Financially, the film was also a box office failure, recouping just over $19.9 million of its $70 million budget.
Plot
Michael, the son of Robert Gant (Gregg HenryGregg Henry
Gregg Lee Henry is an American theatre, film and television character actor and rock, blues and country musician.-Biography:...
), director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
(DIA), is kidnapped when he returns home from a trip to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, despite a heavily armed DIA escort. The kidnapper is a Chinese woman named Sever (Lucy Liu). Former FBI agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) is asked by his old boss to investigate the case. He realises that the kidnapper must be one of the Chinese girls the DIA adopts and trains as agents. Sever is pursued by FBI agents and by DIA agents lead by Ross (Ray Park
Ray Park
Raymond Park is a Scottish actor, stuntman and martial artist, best known for his playing the physical part of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Toad in X-Men, Snake-Eyes in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and Edgar on Heroes.-Early life:Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland...
).
Ecks discovers that Gant stole a dangerous nanobot assassin, which operates in the human circulatory system
Circulatory system
The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc...
. Gant had placed the nanobot in his son's body in order to smuggle it to North America.
Robert Gant is married to Vinn (Talisa Soto
Talisa Soto
-Early life:Born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, Soto is the youngest of four children born to an Italian mother and a Canadian father of Puerto Rican descent. Her parents later relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.-Modeling:At the age of...
), who was previously married to Ecks. It is revealed that Gant separated Vinn and Ecks by staging the death (by car bomb) of each of them to the other; Vinn was officially declared dead and had a closed-casket funeral attended by Ecks. Gant had also killed the husband and child of his colleague Sever (Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
), who subsequently kidnapped Gant's son to take revenge. However, it turns out that it is not Gant, but Ecks, who is the father of the child.
A final battle happens near an old railroad station. There, Ross and Gant confront Ecks and Sever. Gant tries to bargain with Sever, but Sever is sure that it is too late. A long gunfight follows, with Ecks and Sever blasting DIA agents and SWAT teams. Ecks and Sever manage to beat the SWAT teams and swarms of agents. Sever then gets in a one-on-one fight with Ross. She eventually wins the fight and kills Gant, too. After local police and FBI agents arrive, they find no evidence of Sever being there. Ecks reunites with his family.
Cast
- Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
as F.B.I. Agent Jeremiah Ecks - Lucy LiuLucy LiuLucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
as Agent Sever - Gregg HenryGregg HenryGregg Lee Henry is an American theatre, film and television character actor and rock, blues and country musician.-Biography:...
as DIA Director Robert Gant / Agent Clark - Ray ParkRay ParkRaymond Park is a Scottish actor, stuntman and martial artist, best known for his playing the physical part of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Toad in X-Men, Snake-Eyes in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and Edgar on Heroes.-Early life:Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland...
as A.J. Ross - Talisa SotoTalisa Soto-Early life:Born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, Soto is the youngest of four children born to an Italian mother and a Canadian father of Puerto Rican descent. Her parents later relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.-Modeling:At the age of...
as Rayne Gant / Vinn Ecks - Miguel SandovalMiguel SandovalMiguel Sandoval is an American film and television actor.Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later joined the troupe full time and continued his study of mime. He began his film career in...
as Julio Martin - Terry ChenTerry ChenTerry Chen is a Canadian movie and television actor.Chen was born to ethnic Chinese parents originating from Taiwan and mainland China in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After an education at schools in his hometown and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he attended college in Calgary and...
as Agent Harry Lee - Roger R. Cross as Zane
- Sandrine HoltSandrine HoltSandrine Holt is a British-born Eurasian Canadian model turned actress.-Early life:Holt was born Sandrine Ho in London, England to a Chinese father and a French mother. At age five, she and her family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which has remained her hometown. Holt attended St...
as Agent Bennett - Steve BacicSteve BacicSteve Bacic is a Canadian actor of Croatian origin. He is known for playing the character Telemachus Rhade on the Sci-Fi series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. After being a guest star in season 1-3, he joined the cast early in season four...
as Agent Fleming - Aidan Drummond as Michael Gant
- Eric Breker as Agent Curtis
- Tony AlcantarTony AlcantarTony Alcantar is an American actor. He may be best known for his improv work with the Windy City Women Improv Troupe.Alcantar toured and performed with The Second City in both Toronto and London, Ontario....
as Edgar Moore - David Parker as Dark Suit #1
- Josephine Jacob as Pretty Girl
- David PalffyDavid PalffyDavid Palffy is a Canadian film and television actor of Welsh and Hungarian descent. He has a degree from the University of Calgary . He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and was cast in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Palffy has many television/film credits as an actor and as a...
as Sleazy Man - David Pearson as VPD Officer
- John McConnach as Escort Agent
- Norm SherryNorm SherryNorman Burt Sherry is an American former catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the man who, while still an active player as the second-string catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, helped the great lefthanded pitcher Sandy Koufax harness his talent and transform...
as Ross Sniper - Brian DrummondBrian DrummondBrian Drummond is a Canadian actor. He also serves on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. He and his wife serve as vice-president and president, respectively.- Career :Drummond was born in Salmon Arm, British...
as VPD Officer - Ashley Kobayashi as Mali
- Lenora Wong as Harry's Wife
- Joel KramerJoel KramerJoel Bruce Kramer is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'7" and 203 lb small forward and played college basketball at San Diego State University...
as Bus Driver - John DeSantisJohn DeSantisJohn DeSantis is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known as Lurch in the 1998–99 Fox Family production of The Addams Family, entitled The New Addams Family. This role was originally portrayed by Ted Cassidy. He is 206 cm tall. Because of his great height, he has been recognised as one of the...
as Bus Guard #2 - Charles AndreCharles AndréCharles André was a French architect, the first in a long line of French architects in the André family. Beginning in 1901, he was a member of the École de Nancy....
as Agent Addis - Mike DopudMike DopudMike Dopud is a Canadian-born film actor, television actor, voice actor, stuntman, stage actor and athlete. He is best known for playing Detective Smits in White Noise the 2005 action-horror film, Agent Turner in Alone In The Dark a 2005 action-horror film, playing Vic Hadfield in the Canadian...
as DIA Agent - Jim Filippone as DIA Pilot
- Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
as Man in Car (Uncredited) - Justin Liu as the common Da Feiji master.
- Oliver Cheng as the common Da Feiji expert.
- Pandy Cai as Cai Feiji.
- Jonathan Kelly as the Da Feiji Technology Teacher.
Reception
The film was a massive box office failure, grossing less than 30% of its budget at the box office. It also received very negative reviews from film critics. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranked Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever number 1 on its "The 100 Worst Reviewed Films of All Time" list. All of the 108 available reviews gave the film negative ratings, which resulted in a 0% fresh rating. The film was ranked number one worst movie of the decade.
Among the most obvious plot holes noted by critics of the film is the fact that the FBI - an organization intended to work within the United States - is somehow working in Vancouver, Canada, causing costly shootouts with other Americans.
Soundtrack
A scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composed by Don Davis
Don Davis (composer)
Donald Romain Davis is an American film score composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Best known for his work on The Matrix, he has worked on a variety of films, from horror to comedy.- Early life :...
was released but a soundtrack was not.
- "Name of the GameName of the Game"Name of the Game" is the first single to come from Tweekend, The Crystal Method's second studio album. Despite the massive popularity of the song, The Crystal Method almost never plays it live. The track features guitars by Tom Morello, vocals by Ryan "Ryu" Maginn, and scratching by DJ Swamp; it...
" - The Crystal MethodThe Crystal MethodThe Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television... - "Hell Above Water" - CurveCurve (band)Curve was an English music group formed in 1990 chiefly around the collaboration of singer/songwriter Toni Halliday and bassist/guitarist/programmer Dean Garcia.-History:...
- "StupifyStupify"Stupify" is a song by the metal band Disturbed. The song was released on April 12, 2000 as a single from their debut album, The Sickness. It peaked at number-twelve on the United States Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number-ten on the United States Modern Rock Tracks chart...
" - Disturbed - "SmartbombSmartbombSMARTBOMB: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution is a book written by journalists Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby. It was published on November 4, 2005 by Algonquin Books...
" (Plump DJ's remix) - BT - "Go" - Andy Hunter°Andy Hunter°Andy Hunter° is a British Christian DJ and composer of electronic dance music.-Biography:Hunter, professionally known as Andy Hunter°, was born in Leicester, England on 23 April 1974. He became involved in music in his early days of adolescence, and later became interested in sound engineering in...
- "Bloodlock" - SashaSasha (DJ)Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
Video games
A Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, Ecks vs. Sever
Ecks vs. Sever
Ecks vs. Sever is one of the earliest first-person shooters for the Game Boy Advance and was developed by Crawfish Interactive. Based on an early script of the film Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, it is the first video game developed and released before the film it is based on had begun production. It...
, was based on a very early version of the film script and, story wise, is almost nothing like the final rewrite. It was released in 2001, before the film. It was considered an impressive technological feat on the GBA and was accepted more than the film itself. A second game created after the premiere, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (game)
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is the second video game based on the film Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. Like its predecessor, Ecks vs. Sever, it is also a first-person shooter on the Game Boy Advance.- Reception :...
, which follows the plot-line from the film, is considered a sequel to the first game. It got very positive reviews and received a 9/10 on IGN.