Steven Kuo posted on January 07, 2010 21:20
The movie Marked for Death is one of the top rated films of Steven Seagal or Sensei Take (as he is addressed by his students in Japan and in the U.S.) and it is also one of the most controversial martial movies with respect to his being an aikidoka and a member of the World Aikido Federation or Aikikai which is headed by the son of the founder O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Seagal or Sensei Take is one of the very few westerners who spent almost half of his lifetime learning Japanese cultures, its religion and had lived as one of them.
The movie is about a retired DEA agent John Hatcher (played by Seagal) who returned to his hometown only to find out that the town was taken over by a notorious drug lord. He finds himself marked for death and his family in grave danger when Screwface (drug kingpin) retaliates after Hatcher took down some of his men.
There had been a lot of controversy after this film or martial arts video was shown because this was where Seagal exposed Aikido techniques in brutal form which is contrary to the teachings of the founder Ueshiba Sensei to his descendants: not to expose Aikido techniques in public much more its brutal and deadly form but to teach Aikido as a martial art that is a “Way of harmony” and universal peace thus to expose its technique in a harmonious approach.
As a result, Sensei Take (Steven Seagal) was therefore not allowed to take the 8th Dan Black Belt exam by the late Morihiro Saito Sensei who was at that time the head shidan of the Iwama Dojo (the original dojo of the founder) and as an Uchideishi (stay in descendant) of the founder until the time of his death.
Steven Seagal is at present remain the 7th dan black belt and after Marked for Death, his martial videos didn’t show much of Aikido techniques in brutal form, only basic pinning throwing, pinning and disarming techniques combined with punches and kicks which highlighted the martial arts action.
Ratings: (1-poor ; 5-excellent)
Action: 5
Story line and plot: 4
Martial arts techniques: 5
Overall: 5