Exit Wounds

Exit Wounds

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2001 (2001)
Founder	Joel Silver (producer), Andrzej Bartkowiak (director)
Products	Action comedy film
Parent	Warner Bros.

Exit Wounds is a 2001 American action comedy directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Steven Seagal, DMX, Isaiah Washington, Anthony Anderson, Michael Jai White, Bill Duke, Tom Arnold, and Jill Hennessy. Seagal plays Orin Boyd, a Detroit detective known for bending the rules in his relentless quest for justice. The screenplay is adapted from John Westermann's novel bearing the same title.

This movie represents the second installment in a trilogy helmed by Bartkowiak and produced by Silver, focusing on martial arts action within urban settings complemented by hip-hop soundtracks. It follows Romeo Must Die (2000) and precedes Cradle 2 the Grave (2003). These films share several cast members, crew personnel, and shooting locations.

Exit Wounds garnered mixed reactions from critics. It debuted with $19 million in box office receipts and ultimately earned $79.9 million worldwide against a production budget of $33 million. This film marked the conclusion of Steven Seagal's exclusive contract with Warner Bros.

Plot

Detroit Police Department detective Orin Boyd thwarts an assassination attempt on the Vice President by right-wing extremists but is reassigned to the city's most troubled precinct, the 15th, due to insubordination. His new commanding officer, Captain Annette Mulcahy, formerly of internal affairs, cautions him against further defiance and enrolls him in anger management classes, where he crosses paths with local talk show host Henry Wayne.

Boyd encounters drug dealer Latrell Walker and his partner T.K. Johnson engaged in a questionable transaction with Matt Montini. After a confrontation, Boyd discovers Montini is an undercover agent aiming to apprehend Walker, but Boyd’s interference compromises the operation. Sergeant Lewis Strutt steps in to calm the situation.

Following the disappearance of $5 million worth of heroin from evidence storage, Boyd teams up with partner George Clark to investigate Walker and T.K. They uncover that Walker is actually Leon Rollins, a wealthy computer specialist whose brother Shaun is incarcerated unjustly. Leon reveals that corrupt officers led by Strutt orchestrated Shaun’s framing. Leon and his associate Trish have secretly recorded these officers’ illicit activities to clear Shaun’s name.

Boyd reports the corruption to Mulcahy, who is killed during an ambush orchestrated by Montini and Useldinger. Boyd escapes and warns Captain Frank Daniels about an impending heroin deal involving Strutt’s faction. At the warehouse rendezvous, Boyd realizes Frank is complicit in the corruption.

Reinforcements arrive under Clark’s command along with Police Chief Hinges. Useldinger shoots Boyd but is killed by Clark; Hinges kills Frank. During a rooftop confrontation, Strutt attempts to flee with money but falls to his death after struggling with Boyd. Montini battles Leon but dies when Leon gains the upper hand.

At daybreak, Leon hands Hinges a videotape exposing police corruption, hoping it will lead to Shaun’s release. Although Hinges doubts its effectiveness, Shaun is released early from prison. Boyd remains at the 15th precinct partnered with George, while T.K. joins Henry as co-host on Detroit AM radio.

Production

Adapted from John Westermann’s novel, the film relocates the story from Long Island, New York to Detroit. Steven Seagal was cast under a pay-or-play agreement.

Principal photography took place in 2000 across Toronto, Hamilton, and Calgary. Notable filming sites included Toronto’s Guvernment nightclub (interior), Tonic nightclub (exterior), and Calgary’s Centre Street Bridge.

This production reunited actors DMX, Isaiah Washington, and Anthony Anderson with director Andrzej Bartkowiak after their work together on Romeo Must Die (2000). It stands as the middle entry in a trilogy of urban martial arts action films produced by Joel Silver and directed by Bartkowiak, characterized by hip-hop influenced soundtracks and overlapping cast members; the final installment being Cradle 2 the Grave (2003).

A notable production detail involved Eva Mendes’ voice being dubbed without her approval because producers found her original vocal tone unsuitable.

Martial arts sequences were choreographed under Dion Lam’s direction.

On-set accident

Stunt performer Chris Lamon suffered fatal head trauma on August 23, 2000, passing away six days after an accident occurred during filming of Exit Wounds in Hamilton, Ontario. The incident happened while a van was being towed upside-down as part of a chase sequence; Lamon was expected to safely roll out but instead hit his head. Another stuntman involved sustained a concussion from the same event.

Soundtrack

The hip hop album accompanying the film, released on March 20, 2001 by Virgin Records, reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart and climbed to number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ranking.

Box office performance

Exit Wounds opened at the top spot, generating $19 million across North America during its initial weekend. The movie proved unexpectedly successful, accumulating over $50 million domestically and close to $30 million internationally, marking a significant commercial resurgence for Seagal.

Critical reviews

The film holds a 34% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 65 critiques, with reviewers highlighting weaknesses in the plot and dialogue. On Metacritic, it received a score of 39 out of 100 from nine critics, reflecting generally negative feedback. In contrast, audience polling by CinemaScore awarded it an "A−" grade.

Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times rated it three out of five stars, describing it as light escapism despite its lack of plausibility. Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly regarded it as a competent yet low-tier cops-and-drugs thriller and commended Jill Hennessy’s portrayal for bringing intelligence and appeal.

On the other hand, Todd McCarthy of Variety criticized Seagal’s acting and found the action sequences to be conventional and uninspired compared to director Bartkowiak’s earlier work on Romeo Must Die. He also pointed out that Toronto’s use as a stand-in for Detroit was unconvincing. Jonathan Foreman from The New York Post described the screenplay as awkward and denounced the film’s violence as both cynical and offensive.