Stars: Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule

Director: Don Michael Paul

Summary: An undercover FBI agent, Sascha Petrosevitch, takes bullets for his buddy, Nick Frazier. Nick figures Sascha for dead until the two are reunited again on duty at New Alcatraz. At New Alcatraz, criminal mastermind Lester is set to be executed. Lester knows the whereabouts of a fortune in gold, but isn't talking. With only hours to live, Lester takes a meeting with Sascha, just as corrupt prison official Donny and his gang raid New Alcatraz by helicopter and take Lester and a Supreme Court justice hostage.

An undercover FBI agent, Sascha Petrosevitch (Steven Seagal), takes bullets for his buddy, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule). Nick figures Sascha for dead until the two are reunited again on duty at New Alcatraz (a hellish, high-tech version of the now-defunct prison). At New Alcatraz, criminal mastermind Lester (Bruce Weitz) is set to be executed. Lester knows the whereabouts of a fortune in gold, but isn't talking. With only hours to live, Lester takes a meeting with Sascha, just as corrupt prison official Donny (Morris Chestnut) and his gang raid New Alcatraz by helicopter and take Lester and a Supreme Court justice hostage. Highly energetic action scenes pay respect to the films of John Woo, and director Don Michael Paul makes many tasteful choices in the film's editing and music.

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Despite critical roasting, Half Past Deadis, surprisingly, not half bad. Once you recognise this bastard child's recent action-flick heritage (The Rockbeing the most obvious of a dozen pilfered plot lines), you can kick back and enjoy the unexpected perks that arise when a deep-cover FBI sleuth (Steven Seagal) accompanies a convicted crook (rapper Ja Rule) into "New Alcatraz" prison. A death-row killer (Bruce Weitz) sits on a $200 million goldmine, keeping his secret as a bargaining chip when criminal commandos (led by the ever-cool Morris Chestnut) drop in for a lethally greedy raid. After cutting his teeth on trashy, short-lived US TV series, director Don Michael Paul can't do much to help the puffy, career-tanking Seagal, but he's got lively allies in Ja Rule and alleged "has-been" Nia Peeples (forget Lara Croft, this babe rocks), and even legendary action-TV producer Stephen J Cannell drops in for a cameo. Derivative from the get-go, but fun just the same. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, 3 Deleted Scenes, Making Of Special, Theatrical Trailer
Year:	2002
Release Date:	September 15, 2003
Runtime:	94 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 33389
Keywords:	Dead, General, Wide, Screen, Past, Half, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller