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    Too often, when it comes to casting, producers settle for style over substance. And they aren't fooling anyone. 
This is especially true when it comes to actors cast as tough guys or gals. There isn't enough leather, brooding or collagen-treated pout in the world to change a wimp into a warrior. 
    Let's just say that 007 Pierce Brosnan couldn't beat anyone up. 
    And while there are small problems with "Witchblade," which airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on TNT, none of them has to do with the casting of Yancy Butler as the latest in a long line of kick-butt crime fighters. Yes, Butler ("Hard Target") is beautiful in a darkly exotic way, but she is also athletic and physical. She's believable trading shots and punches with bad guys. At the same time, Butler brings a certain openness to her character of New York City homicide detective Sara Pezzini. 

    Based on the best-selling Top Cow comic book of the same name, "Witchblade" is a symbiotic weapon that brings the wearer certain powers. The Witchblade has existed for thousands of years. It is a living gauntlet that protects the wearer, who, by the way, can only be a certain woman. Joan of Arc was one. The Witchblade can actually cover the wearer in armor. In the comic book, Sara wore a brief bikini-like costume, which works well with the sword motif. 
     Yancy's character, who searches for the murderer of her father and best friend, settles for tight jeans. 

"Witchblade" has some cool special effects and well-choreographed fight scenes. But the rapid fire editing technique is a tad over the top, and the music is often a substitute for tension. Plus, who hasn't heard the speech where the bad guy tells the hero that they are really the same person. David Chokachi and William Yun Lee play Sara's partners in crime fighting, while Anthony Cistaro chews up some scenery as a billionaire obsessed with possessing the Witchblade. 
   Eric Etebari has the second-best role as Cistaro's mysterious henchman.