Many would agree that in the latter days of Seagal's prime (and I only use the term 'prime' to indicate the short-lived pinnacle of his rather flat and fleeting career, because let us not forget that he is still out there making films as we speak; Under Siege 3 is coming to a cinema near you, I kid you not!) he lost the plot, put on weight, and wasn't the same dark brooding character that he once was. The great finger-cracking one even directed his own film (see On Deadly Ground), which is almost always a sign that the Hollywood Grim Reaper is closing in on your trail (take Clint Eastwood for example). So it is with little pleasure that I introduce to you the latter years of Seagal's declining career in The Steven Seagal Collection 1994-1997.

Now before all three of the remaining Steven Seagal fans get out of their wheelchairs and write in to complain to DVDnet, can I please explain why this boxset has left me feeling a little empty on the inside? It begins like this....

From the outside the box looks pretty, real pretty. A lovely looking and well constructed white box with a big shiny picture of everyone’s favorite ponytail wearing martial arts has-been on the front. All four discs fold out and look an absolute treat and although the cardboard will soon bend, bleach, fold, and find dog ears, it will for at least the first few weeks look like a proud and worthy addition to anybody's DVD collection.

The movies themselves are a mixed bag. Under Siege II and The Glimmer Man are both reasonable action movies, even though they are unashamedly big, bad, and horribly B-grade. On Deadly Ground and Fire Down Below are, however, slightly harder to stomach. The acting and dialogue is of course a little lacking in most cases, but is obviously replaced with men being shot, stabbed and hurt in terrible ways. This is obviously to teach the kids who watch violent films a lesson – if you become a bad guy and choose to wear the big black cowboy hat, then in the end you’re going to get hurt.

Seagal’s performances are of course exactly the same as in any of his other films – its really not that hard to walk around looking pissed off and ready to hit someone. It is interesting to add, however, that it was during this period of his career that Seagal was accused of buying his martial arts belts and accreditations so that he could break into Hollywood, which to me sounds quite bizarre! He's obviously not an actor, so if he isn't a martial arts guru either then, well, what is he??? He's the man with the ponytails, that’s who he is, and don't you forget it or else he'll track down you, your elderly retired parents, your family, and any small pets you might happen to own. You get the picture? Good!

To be terribly honest I have been somewhat of a closet Seagal fan for many years now and I’ve got to admit that I’m pretty fond of this box set. These movies are far from the peak of ‘90s B-grade action, and far from the peak of Seagal’s career, but they are all still good quality neck breaking fun which should entertain anyone who’s ever wanted to save the environment by killing nasty, ugly terrorists.

Somehow, however, I never mentioned why this pretty looking box set has left me feeling jilted, and the answer is simple. There is not a single extra to be found anywhere on any of these discs. These four films are the exact same DVDs that were previously released individually and come sans extras. The box set comes with a tidy little booklet which contains chapter titles for each film as well as the usual blurbs and credits which can normally be found on the back covers of DVDs. Overall this collection offers better fiscal value than buying each movie separately, but brings nothing new with it. If you’re a Seagal fan than this box set could be a worthy purchase, especially if you’ve already picked up the first Seagal 1988-1992 box. If you want some fun action movies than this collection might not be the best bang for your buck, allthough there really are plenty of bangs available for those who can stomach all the rough acting.