FBI Ruined Seagal's Career?

Kempojujutsu

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Here is an article on Seagal and about the FBI. Personally I feel putting out the same crappy movies with the same story lines is what killed your career Steven.


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Steven Seagal, whose action movies once were major box-office attractions, believes false allegations by FBI agents ruined his career, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.
The comments in the Times are the first Seagal has made publicly about an investigation begun some five years ago by the FBI into accusations he intimidated a reporter and had ties to organized crime.
The Times said Seagal is demanding an apology from the FBI. A spokesman for the actor was not immediately available on Friday.
"False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal told the newspaper. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers -- and kill careers."
Seagal, 56, was once a major star of action movies such as 1992's "Under Siege," which earned $156 million at worldwide box offices, but now he makes straight-to-DVD releases such as "Flight of Fury and "Attack Force."
The FBI investigation stemmed from Seagal's ties to former private detective Anthony Pellicano, who once was employed by many Hollywood stars, directors and producers, but is now in federal prison awaiting trial on wire-tapping and other charges.
The Pellicano investigation dates to 2002 when a free-lance reporter for the Los Angeles Times found a dead fish, a red rose and a note saying "Stop!" on her car. At the time, the reporter was researching Seagal and a former business partner.
Seagal told the Times that he and Pellicano had not been on speaking terms since the 1990s and the Times' story said his lawyers told FBI agents that by 2002, Seagal and Pellicano had become rivals in a bitter legal dispute.
The actor said in October 2004, an FBI official told him that federal agents knew he had nothing to do with the Pellicano investigation. Still, Seagal claims they have not publicly exonerated him.
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment "because of the ongoing nature of the investigation" and referred calls to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney was not immediately available to comment.
 

arnisador

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I was just reading that. Sheesh! He might be able to look closer for the main cause...his expanding gut comes to mind.
 

Sapper6

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i don't think the gut has anything to do with it. more like the lack of storyline and action is more the culprit than abdominal expression.

seagal lost me as a viewer when he started doing movies expressing his personal political viewpoints, and multiple movies with the exact same people starring alongside with a cheezier storyline.

oh, can't forget about the obscene lawsuits with the mafia, the secret CIA job, the polygamy, and spousal abuse.
 

gnrail

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When his early movies started to show up in the theaters I rushed to see them and collected quite a few on video. Then one of the cable channels played his biography and I found the man behind the characters I had grown to like was not very nice from early on. I don't rush to see his work any more and was surprised when I saw some clips from his latest straight to dvd works.

I agree with the rest the FBI didn't ruin his career
 

theletch1

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It's things like this that really make me think that maybe the martial arts movies should be left to the hollywood types instead of actual martial artists. Seagal Sensei is the real deal when it comes to his aikido but everything else about his personal life really gives the martial arts community a bad reputation.
 

Carol

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Moderator Note:


Thread moved to The Rec Room

- Carol Kaur -
- MT Moderator -
 

rutherford

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He should get them back by playing an FBI agent in the upcoming remake of Enter the Dragon.


Ok, hey, put down that sword! It's a joke! Yes, I know it's a bad one.


HELP!!
 

AceHBK

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Only person responsible or ruining his career is his personal trainer. If he was in shape..learned to run in his movies and lost his gut he would still have a career.

Now he and Wesley will have to start making films together.
 

crushing

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Wow, that is incredible! I didn't realize 'Under Siege' made that much money!
 

Mr. E

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If he wants to find someone to blame for his failure, how about his agent?

The last movie with him as the central charecter I saw was one where he tried to play up just how much of a bad (censored) he was. (I hope that got caught by the curse filters. Edit- no it didn't.) One guy went on telling just how dangerous his charecter was and later had him dead to rights with a shotgun. Instead of just pulling the trigger, he walked up and put the muzzle on his chest! Of course, you can guess what happened next.

The only other movie I saw with him was the movie Executive Decision. And when he dropped out of the plane to fall several thousand feet to his death I felt like clapping.

Part of me thinks that this whole thing is just another ploy to get back in the news instead of being ignored like the dried up, over weight, hack that he is deserves.
 

zDom

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seagal lost me as a viewer when he started doing movies expressing his personal political viewpoints ...

Yea, that's pretty much where the lost ME. I was watching to see the throws and locks in action, not hear environmental sermons.

oh, can't forget about the obscene lawsuits with the mafia, the secret CIA job, the polygamy, and spousal abuse.

Yep, that eliminated any remaining desire to watch a Seagal movie.

AceHBK: that girly run of his always made me laugh, too :lol:

(no offense to the ladies; I just don't know how else to describe it)
 

jks9199

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So...

The FBI killed his career 5 years ago with the start of an investigation, huh...

Who killed his career in the 90s?
 

Darth F.Takeda

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It's Karma!

The real said thing about that tool is he has one of the most extensive japanese sword collections in the west, it's a disgrace to all who weilded those weapons to be held by that guy.
 

matt.m

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I admit to having the earlier collection of his stuff. Belly of the Beast was not horrible either, however......the guy ran out on his wife and (Teacher/Father-In-Law). Beat his wife, pushed tree hugging. Look I just want to watch the Aikido, not the (Kung Fu) he is trying to incorporate.

Be what your are and not what you aren't, Morton rule #1.

Gee, John Cena, Steve Austin and Goldberg are actors that rely on wrestling (WWE) style of fighting in their scenes. They are sticking to their strengths. I am speaking in refrence to "The Marine, Ultimate Soldier 2, Half Past Dead 2, and the Condemned."
 

Big Don

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Doubling in size killed his career, well, that and the idiotic 25 friggin minute long speech at the end of On Deadly Ground.
The Action movie demographic really isn't interested in what you think about ANYTHING. Just kick *** and SHUT UP.
 

CoryKS

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I'm pretty sure we can pinpoint the precise moment of Seagal's professional demise: it's the moment when he decided that he should sing the theme song to his next movie.
 

Blindside

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I'm pretty sure we can pinpoint the precise moment of Seagal's professional demise: it's the moment when he decided that he should sing the theme song to his next movie.

Hey! That worked for Chuck on Walker, why wouldn't it work for Seagal? :D (And if you didn't know, Seagal fronts a blues band, that scarily enough has gotten some pretty positive reviews.)
 

Kennedy_Shogen_Ryu

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I have to admit that I am Seagal fan (though I honestly don't think I could tell you why) and I do own every Seagal movie out there. Please let me defend myself a little, I don't like Seagal the man, or Seagal the actor, but I can appreciate the talent of Seagal the martial artist. He has done a lot for Aikido as almost everyone I've talked to who studies Aikido did so because they watched a Seagal movie!

I've also heard quite a bit of his music, and if you like that style of music it is quite good.
 

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