Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever

Plot synopsis:
Returning home with his mother Vinn (Talisa Soto) from a trip to Berlin, Michael Gant, the son of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) director Robert Gant (Gregg Henry), is kidnapped and his security detail is wiped out by the attacker, ex-DIA agent Sever (Lucy Liu). FBI agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas), left the agency after his wife Rayne was killed in a car bombing. His old boss, Julio Martin (Miguel Sandoval), asks him to investigate the Gant case. He claims that Rayne is still alive and he will give Ecks the information on her whereabouts, if he helps take down Sever. Ecks agrees and realizes Sever must be an orphan Chinese girl the DIA adopted to train as a covert operative and assassin with "no fear, no conscience and no morality." Meanwhile, Gant executes the only survivor of Michael's security detail. He then orders his elite agents, led by A. J. Ross (Ray Park), to pursue Sever and rescue Michael.
Ecks joins Martin and CSIS agent Harry Lee (Terry Chen) in Vancouver, where Sever is hiding out. Ecks learns that Gant stole an experimental weapon codenamed Softkill, a nanomachine which operates in the human circulatory system and can cause heart attacks at will. Gant had implanted Softkill in Michael in order to smuggle it into the United States. Ross and his men surround Sever in a shopping plaza, but she wipes out Ross's forces in a lengthy gun battle. Sever shoots Martin, and Ecks pursues Sever, climaxing with a fight that's cut off when Ross starts shooting at them with an M60 machine gun, giving Sever a chance to escape.
Ecks is arrested by Vancouver PD under the false pretense that he killed Martin. While being transported to jail, his convoy is attacked by Sever who frees Ecks. After a lengthy car chase, Sever tells Ecks that she's on his side and gives him his wife's location. Ecks meets Rayne at an aquarium and it's revealed that her "death" was orchestrated by Gant. Rayne ended up believing Ecks had died while he thought she was gone. Rayne then married Gant under the name Vinn. It ends up that Gant had Sever's family killed, it was initially believed that kidnapping Michael was Sever's revenge. However, Rayne reveals that Michael is actually Ecks' son, and Sever's kidnapping was for his protection.
Ecks, Rayne, and Sever go to Sever's underground bunker in an abandoned trainyard, where Rayne is reunited with Michael. Gant and Ross arrive with an army of heavily-armed DIA agents, and a massive battle ensues. Ecks and Sever eventually gain the upperhand, and Sever kills Ross in a fight in the bunker. Gant tries to retrieve the Softkill in Michael's arm, but is surprised to find it's not there. Sever kills Gant using a Softkill-loaded bullet, and escapes as the police arrive. The film concludes with Ecks and Sever looking over the sea and Ecks thanking Sever for reuniting him with his family.

Tags: murder

Review:
No, they pay these actors for face and name recognition, so when a movie like Ballistic: Banderas vs Liu comes along we don't have the inconvenience of learning about characters and plot.
Sarcasm aside - I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I think Ballistic would have been a better, more sophisticated, film if they scrapped the plot and cliché character developments and just went for 90 minutes of uninterrupted Banderas and Liu gunning at each other backdropped by a slow-mo explosions.This film would have to scale a cliff before reaching the level of plot intricacies and intelligence that just thrive in Michael Bay films.We get a crappy plot and crappy characterizations anyway just in case we don't have a favorite actor to root for.
I was rooting for the aliens from Independence Day to come down and blow them all up, but the bastards got stuck in traffic.Somewhere in the movie is a subplot about a nano-assassin, but I cared about that as much as the movie does.And since we're being honest, I admit this is a great film to watch after a night of provocative and cultured cinema to recalibrate your personal scale to the realities of the industry.
The film's third-rate espionage plot makes no sense at all and serves basically as a lame excuse for endless explosions, shootouts and double-flipping car chases, which have become the standard accoutrements for virtually every action picture since `Bullitt' in 1968.
Antonio Banderas makes up the other half of the film's title (he is Ecks, she Sever), and one only wonders what he could have been thinking about when he signed on to co-star in this particular project.
This excuse for an action film has to be the most boring and dull excuses for a movie I've ever seen.
The only two things "Ballistic" had going for it were the presence of some rarely-seen hardware (fun for you firearms buffs) and some spectacular action sequences (though these were plagued by some annoying clichés, such as a protective vest preventing all injury to a character, and henchmen showing complete disregard for personal safety), and these were simply not enough to save this turkey.
The acting of both Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas is very low-key - same as you would expect from main roles in a Western; very simplistic and sparse, seemingly shallow were it not for the implicit references to shared knowledge, which the audience is only let in on through flash-backs or from other characters.
This way of acting suits them both excellently, and creates an attractive ambient atmosphere, energized by their martial encounters and growing mutual sympathy.The bad guys (Gregg Henry as Gant and Ray Park as his right hand Ross) do not contribute a whole lot to this movie.
Gant is the sinister/smug/self-absorbed crook which Gregg also embodied as Val Resnick in Payback, and Ross' vocabulary is annoyingly redundant, particularly his constant use of the euphemism 'cancel' (one might be inclined to blame this on the script, but more subtle acting could have pulled it off by not emphasizing 'cancel' each time).Perhaps what I like most about this movie is that Lucy has a major role.
1/2 out of ****I'm not typically a particularly demanding moviegoer when it comes to action films; just give me well-choreographed mayhem set amidst a plot that makes a little bit of a sense or a few engaging characters and I'll probably be reasonably pleased.
I'm almost hesitant to say this, but the latest straight-to-video Jean-Claude Van Damme schlock might actually be better than Ballistic, which was arguably 2002's worst film (I've never seen Rollerball).There's something of a plot here, but I'm not entirely sure what the hell was going on.
Antonio Banderas plays FBI Agent Ecks, Lucy Liu is Agent Sever, and the two of them are duking it out because they somehow have crossed paths with a wealthy man (Gregg Henry) who is determined to smuggle a small electronic device that can assassinate its intended victim via heart attack.
And this is the only film I can think of where the people involved in a car chase actually follow the speed limit!I feel a bit sorry for the cast here, particularly Lucy Liu, whose martial arts talents are squandered here.
Her action scenes with Antonio Banderas and Ray Park were very good.
Just finnished watching this movie, don't know why i rented it maybe cause i wanted to see lucy liu in full action?!?!
If your expecting a movie with a good story line, plot twists, perfect acting well i geus this isn't your kind of flick.
Expect hard action (lucy liu can kick some serious butt!!), explosions, car chases, hot women and more fire power than rambo and commando put together.
"Ballistic" is a guilty pleasure, when watching it you now that it has gone too far in many moments, and anyone can notice that there's no screenplay (obviously no coherent story)...but who cares if you are having such a lot of fun.If you are a die hard-fan of action movies this is your sort of film.
Apparently they ran out of cars because towards the end of the film, they started blowing up railroad cars!Lucy Liu really delivers the goods here.
The plot wasn't really clear, sure, but if you like action movies then this is for you.
I've always liked Banderas.I don't anymore.How on earth such an actor could even contemplate acting in such a ridiculous piece of tediousness is waaaaaaay beyond me.There are absolutely no redeeming features - monosyllabic dialogue, wooden, stilted acting, John Woo-ish plagiarism - without the effect, mind-numbing musical score,NO sensible plot.Please, for the love of God, do NOT see this film.
The movie has some pretty cool action scenes, and I knew going in, that that's what I wanted to see.
Maybe I'm just better than most people at evaluating a movie before seeing it, but I fully expected to get more stylish action sequences, and less plot.
But it's the cool direction of "Kaos" (a cut down of his real last name), ESPECIALLY the action scenes, that set this film apart.
If your looking for nothing but a pure action film with no plot or great acting then I would suggest this film.I am a big lucy liu and antonio banderas fan so this movie appeals to me and is worthy of a good vote.The action scenes are very well done and the fight scene between lucy liu and ray park (Darth Maul) is my favorite.And kudos to ray park for putting on a pretty good performance of the bad guys right hand man.If your an action junkie like me then this movie is definitely for you..
This movie has a lot of good action, and no real plot.
On the plus side, some of the photography was beautiful.Bottom line: good action, crappy plot, looks cool, the two main character(s) are babes (depending on your gender/orientation).
This is an average action movie that I probably will watch again sometime when I want something that doesn't engage my brain but has pretty things to look at.
Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu are great fighters in this movie and so is Ray Park (fight scene with him is awesome).
Ecks v Sever has good-looking women, bad guys, explosions, great chase scenes.
ok admitedly, i did fast forward during the non-action scenes while reading the subtitles, because a) i'd read so many bad reviews, i know how these films are, i wouldn't be missing much b) i had 45 mins before having to return it c) it was free, i didn't care...
and this film has some fairly fun action scenes, a couple of shots would have looked very cool if put in a better context, (i.e SWAT guy falling off roof) so credit is due there :)Just sit through Ballistic, then sit through XXX, an utterly awful film in virtually every respect, that i'm amazed it isn't in the Bottom 100 instead of this..
While this is not the type of movie I would enjoy, I did like seeing Liu in a very different role as a capable martial arts fighter who also used serious weapons.Sever could beat up a big burly man who hit on her, or pretty much anyone else, or blow up everything in sight, or shoot at anyone around her with firepower I doubt most soldiers would have, and show no emotion whatsoever.
So, I watched 'Ballistic: Ecks vs sever' thinking that it would be the worst movie ever, right?
Throw in a number of explosions and what you have is 'Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever'.I'm astounded by the fact that 'Ballistic' - a fun, mindless action movie - is only sitting on a 3.5 on IMDb, while something truly terrible like 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle' can sit on a decent five.
Explosions, decent looking car chases, more explosions, a smattering of decent martial arts and gun fights, a few more explosions, and Antonio Banderas being awesome - what more does an action movie need?
'Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever' is a fun action movie.
Despite the fact that Talisa Soto can't really act, I think this was a pretty good movie.The only thing that strikes me as odd is how the plot is described and outlined.
Ballistic Ecks Vs. Sever is very artistically shot but the use of slow-motion becomes a little tiring half way through the film.The story revolves around Retired FBI agent Ecks(Banderas) and ex-operative Agent Sever(Liu) both with a seperate agenda involving the same man(Henry).
Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever was a great action movie.
Now, I know you all who hated the film must be thinking that I'm mad and I can't tell a good movie from a bad one- but I can.
And granted it wasn't "Gladiator" good but it certainly wasn't as bad as most of you said it was.The movie had a great plot.
But all this is true for "Spiderman" and its sequels and clones, and millions still pay to waste time with those.And most of the actors in "Ballistic" are doing their best; the pacing over all is quite good; the money has been well-spent to give the film a professional polish; and there's undeniable fun moments in the film, like Vin Diesal's cameo as a pick-up artist who gets his nose broken.But the film really survives as watchable more than once because of Lucy Liu, who is just a pleasure to watch as a betrayed ex-agent, exuding cold fury and an outsider's humanism at the same time; and because of the marvelous set piece at the Vancouver mall where Liu takes on a hundred SWAT cops and outshoots them all.
There's no point expecting "Die Hard" here, this is just another dumb action movie.But that doesn't make this a bad film; actually, it's a pretty good dumb action movie..
Give me a break.The movie was not A+ and yes there were few actual lines on at least Lucy Liu's part but I don't remember the film being advertised as a courtroom drama....
The action scenes are just fantastic and very inventive directed, Lucy Liu just kicks ass and Banderas also give it's best.
That was awesome!Antonio Banderas looked very and good acted good and Lucy Liu was very good.Ray Park was good and I just loved his fight with Lucy Liu!Talisa Soto looked beautiful!Gregg Henry was good.Wych Kaosayananda (Kaos) is a great director in My opinion and I hope he will continue to make more awesome films!I would like to see Banderas in more action films as well!If you love Banderas and huge non-stop action films then rent Ballistic: Ecks vs.
You say that Ballistic has "no story, no decent action, no effects."  It makes me doubt that you actually watched the film.
Lucy Liu did some fight scenes in the Charlie's Angels film, but the action in Ballistic is on another level.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsWych Kaosayananda (or Kaos,as he'd rather be known by this film) marks his directorial debut in Hollywood with this flat,empty and ultimately,for all it's loud,noisy pyrotechnics and explosions,utterly lifeless action vehicle,his only other directorial feature being a film he helmed in his native Thailand by the name of Fah.A mega flop in the States and,probably subsequently,a straight to video release on this side of the Atlantic,since first impressions always count,he'll have a hard time following it up with anything more successful,unless his next film is the sequel to another successful film with a major publicity campaign behind it.Ballistic:Ecks vs.
Sever is a failure on all counts.A complete case of style over substance,with no attention payed to writing an engaging script,balanced with all the attention in the world payed to orchestrating flashy,balletic action sequences playing over a thumping hardcore soundtrack,which backfires when these emerge as no fun whatsoever.The film has a runningly bland,tepid feel to everything going on in it,with weak,limp dialogue and soulless performances from the two lead stars (though with a script this weak,who can blame them?).Antonio Banderas emerges as wantern and disinterested in his role,while Lucy Liu,so engaging in the Charlie's Angels films,is here a perfunctory kick ass chick who barely utters a word until about two thirds of the way into the film.It's thankfully short and once or twice (literally) there are some engaging action scenes,but these belong in a much better movie where their presence would have had a more lasting impact.Don't waste your time or money.*.
OK, I know that most summer action flicks aren't exactly supposed to contain anything that comes even close to a semblance of a plot or story, but this recent film?
Think how rich you would be if you had a dollar for every cheap explosion, and ridiculously vapid villan that inhabited this "movie".As if the film's plot itself weren't a ludicrous tribute to the eighties, let's take a look at the director.
Well, Ballistic needs a disclaimer that says something like, "Exactly 1,587 cars got real blowed up during the making of this film, along with a black bus and some train boxcars." There are literally so many explosions in this piece of junk that it seems like the director (who, remember, calls himself Kaos) thought, "If all else fails, BLOW IT UP!" And there are far too many moments that reminded me of The Matrix, a movie that is ten times more intestering than Ballistic.
The story got so boring at one point that I actually played the Let's See How Many Lines Lucy Liu Has Game.
Antonio Banderas does a good job, even if he looks like he could use a bath and a shave for most of the film.
"Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever" is an odd movie in that it doesn't completely suck nor is it good.
some fighting scenes are unrealistic as hell, especially the HEAT-like shoot-out done by a a single female, but hey, its action and its a cool movie!
Do you people not know how to watch an action movie?
It's really not all that deceptive because he Ecks really IS against Sever at the beginning of the movie and Lucy sure as hell went ballistic more than once.
Imagine "Assassins", with Lucy Liu instead of Sly; and instead of a BAD script, this time not even an attempt at one, and you're almost there.I don't really know what else to say as it has to be at least three years since I watched this movie, and its detractors have a point when they say nothing about it really sticks in the memory except pyrotechnics and good looking, inexpressive stars.
I liked this.Not a bad film, and in some ways quite good fun.
If you like explosions and action this is your movie.
Really, the "plot" of this movie is just a cover so they can have some really cool explosions.And that's not a bad thing.Because explosions in movies are cool.Also,the fighting sequences and shootouts are really cool too.Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu do a fairly good job here,but the plot is beyond what their acting can save.Even though they are the 2 big name stars in the movie,the real stars of the movie are those oh so cool explosions!I'm going to give this movie a 6 out of 10,which is way more then this movie really deserves.If I was judging this for for it's plot,it would be a 1 of 10,because the script is on the level of "Glitter" or a Joel Schumacher Batman movie.The reason my rating is that high is simply  because I like the explosions...the explosions are cool!.
What I fail to understand is why Antonio and Lucy would waste there time on a movie like this.
Lets see, what would be a good formula for an action movie.
Incomprehensible and totally unmotivated Antonio Banderas + stone faced psycho killer Lucy Liu + non-stop explosions and gunfire + the most jumbled up, idiotic, and unresolved plot ever + a soundtrack that is all techno and actually frequently says things like "go go go go" during action scenes + some of the most ridiculous looking stunts ever caught on film = GARBAGE!!!!!Oh and lets not forget the touching moment when Ecks (Banderas) is reunited with his wife just as the movie is having its most poignant moment.
I had the impression of listening to a very bad video clip that only had explosions in it.Dialogue 0/10 I think Lucy Lu had 3 lines in the movie.
The role works well for Lucy Liu if they have given her more to do, the movie would have been a lot better.
The plot is almost non existent, there's a lot of explosions and some pretty good fight scenes.
Still the fight scene between Ray Park and Lucy Liu was good and that's the only thing that saves this film for me..
Though if you like movies with unreal over the top action, this film is something you might like..
Just call the film "Ballistic" so it doesn't sound like a sequel to a movie nobody saw.