Steven Seagal Joins The Russian Mob! And Then Quits! And Then Kills Them All!

Yes, kids, it's a trailer for another new Steven Seagal film. What can I say? I've got a weakness for the portly akido master.

The film is Ruslan, in which Seagal plays a former Russian mobster turned crime novelist on a mission of revenge against his former comrades and competitors. Here's the synopsis:

Ruslan is a successful crime writer – his fiction a tribute to a past left behind. When he returns to his old neighborhood to attend his daughter’s wedding, his dangerous past emerges. His estranged daughter Lanie is marrying the son of Rusland’s age-old nemesis, Mikhail Arban. Since their old days together, Arban has risen from the ranks to become the leader of the brutal East Coast Russian Mafia.

When his family becomes involved, Ruslan’s worst fears are realized. On the wedding day both Deborah and Lanie are gunned down at their home, leaving Deborah dead and Lanie in the hospital fighting for her life. Ruslan blames the truth of his criminal past on the brutal violence and sets out for his revenge. The betrayals and affiliations he discovers must put right in the name of his daughter. The truth of vengeance is Ruslan’s new vocation.

Seagal's working a bit outside of his normal circle on this one - Voltage Pictures are handling it - and, honestly, I think the change has done him good. It goes against the normal three-word-title rule but this seems a bit more like the Seagal of old. He may move a little bit slower and be a little bit rounder but he's a lot more engaged here than I've seen him in recent years and it seems as though he's tapped a little bit more into the well of brutality that first built his name. A good film? Nah, probably not, but at least it's not embarrassing ...

Check the trailer below the break!