Half Past Dead (2002)

It's Die Hard...
on Alcatraz, again! A newly reopened Alcatraz that is.

Is the main character an average Joe?
He's an undercover FBI agent posing as a car thief played by Steven Seagal, making this his 4th Die Hard clone and clear winner. Of course he has a shadowy past and knows how to kick ass. In short: no.

Sidekick?
Ja Rule, he gets to act tough, but never convinces.

Any personal problems?
Sasha (Seagal) has a wife who was killed by a crime boss. He also was briefly clinically dead after being shot in the opening sequence, but both "problems" never pose to be one in the rest of the film.

Is the lead character there by coincidence?
He is incarcerated due to his own doing and for a long time, so no.

Are there any friends or family in danger?
Only his buddy Ja Rule. And the rest of the inmates but he doesn't care about them.

What's at stake and why aren't the authorities doing anything?
In a weird departure of the usual money it's now Gold the bad guys are after. One of the inmates who is about to be executed never gave up the place where he hid his stash of stolen gold bars. On the night of the execution the bad guys take over New Alcatraz to extract the location of said loot. The authorities are of course on Alcatraz but are all taken down.

Any charismatic villains?
Morris Chestnut, sidekick to Seagal in Under Siege 2, now gets to work against the man instead of with him.

Is it any good?
No it's not. It received bad reviews and is the last movie of Steven Seagal that was released theatrically. It did get a DTV-sequel that features a supporting character from this movie in the lead role. That movie deals with a prison riot, so it isn't a Die Hard clone.