Film Review: Ticker (2001)

Contrary to what the most enthusiastic supporters of the "Me Too" movement might like to believe, accusations of sexual impropriety on film sets are nothing new. Decades ago, films could receive negative publicity over such alleged or real incidents, even those destined to be instantly forgotten, like Ticker, a 2001 action thriller directed by Albert Pyun.

The plot is set in San Francisco, and the protagonist is Ray Nettles (played by Tom Sizemore), a police detective who is still mourning the loss of his wife and child, who were killed in a car bombing. He has to face his demons again when San Francisco becomes the target of Alex Swan (played by Dennis Hopper), an Irish terrorist who uses his superb bombing skills to murder tens of innocent people in the hope of forcing authorities to release his girlfriend, Claire Manning (played by Jaime Pressley). Nettles refuses to yield to the maniac’s ultimatum and instead starts hunting down Swan, helped by Lieutenant Frank Glass (played by Steven Seagal), the head of the bomb squad.

Those who remember Ticker are most likely to recall it for the scandal caused by Jaime Pressley publicly accusing her co-star Steven Seagal of sexually harassing her on set. Whether such accusations are true or not, Pressley on screen shows the enthusiasm of a corpse and gives the impression of hardly waiting for the production to wrap up so her ordeal might end. However, this is hardly ultimate proof for Pressley’s claims because the same can be said for other members of the cast – Sizemore, Ice T, and Peter Greene. Even Seagal, who is supposed to be the film’s biggest star, seems disinterested, probably due to a script that deprives him of the opportunity to showcase his martial arts skills and instead forces him to attempt acting, which is definitely not his forte.

Despite having a somewhat interesting cast, Ticker ultimately turned into a direct-to-video production. The main reason is Albert Pyun, the director responsible for some of the worst atrocities to ever grace the video store shelves at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century. Ticker would once again prompt even the most experienced cinephiles to wonder how Pyun managed to sustain his career for such a long time. Terrible acting goes hand-in-hand with even worse direction, atrocious special effects, and cinematography so dark that the audience will struggle to discern with whom Seagal’s character is fighting in the ending. Even if the accusations weren’t true, Ticker represents something Seagal should be ashamed of.

RATING: 1/10 (--)

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