Customer Reviews

Out for Justice [VHS]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Director John Flynn followed up Stallone's "Lock Up" with "Out for Justice", Steven Seagal's 4th film. This is another in a succession of guilty pleasure ass kicking films that Seagal started with his debut, '88's Above the Law. You either appreciate this kind of movie or you don't. Anyone expecting Eastwood acting out of Seagal at this point, hasn't been watching his movies. Now, if you know what you're in for: A real psycho is on the loose and Seagal goes after him, kicking the crap out of anyone in his way, then you won't be disappointed. I consider this to be one of Seagal's most entertaining. Plenty of wonderful violence abound, not to mention plenty of outrageously articulated fight scenes (in butcher shops & pool halls!)where Seagal gains little more than a scratch, if that. The plot! - Seagal is cop (surprise!) Gino Felino who "investigates" (aka violently kicks the butts of) all the slime balls who may know the where abouts of Richie Madano (William Forsythe looking fat and sloppy), the fat crack head who killed his childhood friend. Bottom line: Richie is out of control and on that stuff, going around shooting people willy nilly so Seagal sets out to stop him. Does he? What do you think, cool breeze? You'll love that classic intro where Seagal throws a violent pimp through a windshield. What a way to display the film title huh? Besides, any movie where Seagal confronts an animal abuser, kicks him between the legs, then lets his dog pee on him, can't be that bad right?!

*Look for Jerry Orbach, Gina Gershon, Julianna Margulies, Shannon Whirry, & John Leguizamo in small roles.

Also recommended with Seagal:
Above the Law
Under Siege
and for some real fun...
On Deadly Ground
Fire Down Below
Ticker
(these three are priceless in humor alone!)

With this entry Steven Seagal and director John Flynn delivered one of the most enjoyable action thrillers from the past 15 years. Out For Justice also show cases one of the best martial arts bar room brawl fight scenes ever put to film. Seagal in his day was hugely popular simply because his movies were violent and he was enjoyable to watch as he snapped arms, legs and anything else that came his way. Under Siege, one year later was Seagals biggest box office success however Out For Justice beats it hands down for extreme Seagal action. Seagal really seems to enjoy himself in these earlier movies like this one, Above The Law, Hard To Kill and Marked For Death but after Under Siege his new found world popularity seemed to go to his head and he was never again able to deliver a movie as solid as anything he made prior to Under Siege. In this one he is the hard as nails Steven Seagal that made him an action star in the first place. His martial arts capabilities are on full display in this movie with excellent and numerous aikido scenes against multiple opponents. William Forsythe plays Seagals adversary Richie Madano as a crazy, annoying wannabe gangster and you get right behind Seagal as he anilities Richie and his gang at the end. This is a full on over the top violent adult thriller that does not hold back any punches in its depiction of violent scenes. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys violent action thrillers and a must own for any Steven Seagal fan.

Gino Felino, like Nico Toscani, Mason Storm and John Hatcher before him, is a good cop in a bad mood. His partner Bobby Lupo has been gunned down in the streets in front of his wife and kids by crazed wannabe gangster Richie Madano. Richie was always into something bad, even when he was a kid and now seems to be going psycho, snorting coke and smoking crack. He's got a one-way ticket to oblivion and he's going to have fun getting there along with his evil henchmen Joey Dogs, Bobby Arms and Bochi. Luckily for the good citizens of Brooklyn, Gino is on the case and on the mission to find Richie by means of broken bones, severed limbs and agonizing pain.

As Steven Seagal movies go (the pre-1997 Golden Years) Out For Justice is definitely one of the strongest. Tight fast-paced direction, well balanced widescreen framing, a great score by David Michael Frank and an impressive cast of familiar faces give it a lasting impression. Also, Seagal has mentioned that this is his favorite film of his own and you can really see it in his acting. He's often been criticised for not giving any effort and I wholeheartedly agree in regard to his later films. But there was a time when he did try and in Out For Justice you can see that a little effort goes a long way. I know his Brooklyn accent isn't THAT convincing and his acting in general isn't exactly on par with Olivier, but if he we're to be just as enthusiastic about his other characters then maybe his film career wouldn't be in the toilet.

Out For Justice never loses its appeal. William Forsythe is just so evil as Richie that I've never been convinced by the nice guy characters he's played in other movies. The fight scenes in which Seagal takes measures to ensure maximum suffering are most entertaining and small moments of character give it a strange edge. But you can tell that there's been a lot of stuff left out. This is especially evident in the montage sequences where characters are wearing different clothing and meet up with each other all over the place. There is also hints at more murders by Richie in the trailer that are never seen or referenced in the film at all.

Proof positive that Seagal once had it. But then came religion and then...well...you know how it went.

The 2.4:1 1080p HD-DVD is an improvement over the standard definition DVD with bolder, deeper colors and a more solid picture but still exhibits a lot of weak black levels and shadow detail later on in the film. I am not very happy with Warner for not remastering this film. The Dolby Digital Plus sound design is also in improvement. Extras are limited to a trailer.

This is a hard movie to describe, but an easy one to either love or hate.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?:

This is a sort of continuation of the "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry" movie franchises with a touch of Bruce Lee-esque action/values/motives making Steven Seagal as "Gino Felino" a new icon from the same mold as earlier star-driven franchises.

Felino plays an honorable, though troubled, man living in a corrupt and decadent world. When his partner and best friend is gunned down in the street in front of his family, Gino simply takes over the investigation and sets out to mete out justice, hence the title.

ITS ALL IN THE EXECUTION!:

Put aside logic before you tune into "Out For Justice". This is strictly a Steven Seagal fun-fest vehicle for his fans and for fans of the genre in general. This is supremely-captivating entertainment that will make you either cheer or wrench, but you'll have to see it to know for sure.

Richie Madano (played by William Forsythe} is a perfectly-contemptible nemesis for Seagal. He proves all too well the old adage that a hero is nothing without a worthy and despicable adversary. After the continuation of Madano's crack-crazed "my last night, my big night" blather, we grow to yearn for Gino to catch up to him and his crew and make his wish come true.

In between, we have Madano killing random by-standers and Gino chasing after him and his crew, donning his beret and toting his 12-gauge pump as they tear up Brooklyn [near the Battery Tunnel, from what I can see]. Seagal shows a lot of imagination as he expertly uses anything from a cue ball to a wedge of cheese in self-defense as he marches on his quest, "Out For Justice".

There are some very comical scenes, like the ones involving the group of old-school gangsters who are scoping for Madano and keep showing up at his brother's bar. After they shake down the little Madano brother, they threaten him and it goes something like this:

"You're dead! You understand that? You're dead! You tell your bleeping brother that Rusty said 'You're dead!'"

RUSTY?! Have you ever heard of an Italian gangster named Rusty?

The end is predictable, but that doesn't matter, because Gino is "Out For Justice" and it's all in the execution. All in all, this is terrific, adult-oriented entertainment. Seagal does the same old stuff, but he does it differently and comically. I like to think of this film as an over-the-top anti-depressant for a rainy day.

This is a movie where Seagal is actually upstaged. In his role as Gino Felino, a man from "the hood" who is also a cop, Seagal goes after Richie Madano (WIlliam Forsythe) a crack head who killed Seagal's partner. But in this movie Seagal is a cop who doesn't play by anybody's rules but his own. His marriage is on the rocks, he's a maverick but even in that the cops allow him to take a shotgun and a car to search out Richie. Forsythe is so talented. I've seen about eight of his movies and he shows his acting ability in every single one of them. This time he's a crackhead and he does that very convincingly. He is able to harass and shoot up an entire neighborhood as Felino just misses catching up with him several times. Seagal is at his intimidating best, walking into a pool hall, "Has anybuddy in here seen Richie? Does anybuddy know why somebody would wanna kill Bobby Lupo? I ain't gonna leave until somebuddy tells me who killed Bobby Lupo!" The fight scene at movie's end, between Forsythe and Seagal is well -choreographed and very brutal. Seagal fans: this flick is a must.

I will start this review by saying that I'm not Steven's greatest fan. I've re-read my previous review for the regular DVD, and I've actually shocked myself by how much my opinion about this movie has changed. What we have here is a great action movie, which is fast paced, action packed, and never slows down for one moment.

Steven does his usual role, but I was shocked at myself when he actually laughed, and when he discovers the dog that was thrown from a moving car, it's really sweet. Anyone with a big maternal instinct will go all gooey at this scene. And his son as well, was a good little actor, his face said it all when he wanted to play baseball with his dad, and his dad got a call, and had to leave. Awwwwww!

William Forsythe plays an alright villain, he does come across as a bit OTT at times, and not particularly convincing. The late great Jerry Orbach is sadly underused in this, as is Gina Gershon, who looks completely different to how she normally does. I barely recognised her!

There's some pretty awful scenes in this - not awful, but awful in the way I had to look away from the screen! There's the snooker (pool over the pond!) ball in the material, the meat cleaver, and various other bone crunching violent bits.

The finale of the movie is light hearted, and it seems to take no time at all to get there. Gino comes across the guy who threw the dog who he's now adopted, out of the window, and tells him he's an animal lover. Without revealing too much more, it's really funny, and even the dog gets its own back.

Out For Justice is definitely a film to be picked up, especially in high definition, by any Steven Seagal fan, or action movie lover. You won't get much plot, but it's good.

Now can we get rid of the ponytail?! Not attractive on Steven!

Having not seen this film since it's theatrical release ten years ago, I picked it up on a whim hoping it could still entertain me. It did - though not for the same reasons it did when I was 17.

Over the top and quite possibly the most violent film I've seen since ROBOCOP, OUT FOR JUSTICE still delivers in the action department with enough shootings, stabbings, and beatings to satisfy even the most seasoned of action afficionados. What I see now, however, is that this film is also brimming with unintentional humor. Seagal's acting is at its most wooden, yet still somehow overdone. His wardrobe is downright hilarious and the dialogue in this film is so bad that it definitely goes down as one of the most quotable I've ever seen. Back to the "Italian cop" role a la ABOVE THE LAW, the viewer is not treated to the pretentious hilarity of Seagal's more "mystical" characters, so those hungry for more will have to treat themselves to HARD TO KILL as well.

Though not recommended for cinema snobs, I can guarantee OUT FOR JUSTICE will be 90 minutes well spent by anyone looking to have fun, whether it be through the thrills of the martial arts and gunplay, the comedy of a film that's "so bad it's good," or a combination of the two. Without a doubt the best worst film of Seagal's career.

I am currently writing my Master's thesis on this film alone. Seagal's portrayal of Gino Felino is nothing short of brilliant; his mastery of the accent and mannerisms of a true Brooklynite make this film a valuable cultural experience. William Forsythe is the most disturbing villain in years, and his crew, consisting of Bobby Arms, Joey Dogs, and Bucci are all memorable. Watch the cue-ball in towel bar fight scene and listen to the sound effects of a cue ball on the human skull, as well as Bobby Arms's leg being blown off, followed later by a good old fashioned corkscrew in the head to Richie. Should be screened in every Language of Film class.

I'll make this one short and to the point. I like ol' Stevie, though even I can admit that other than Above the Law, Under Siege, and this one, he could stand to broaden his horizons. This is, however, my favorite Seagal film. The plot and story are threadbare, but the action, particularly the excellent martial arts scenes, are what street wise aikido is all about, and I can assure you, 99 percent of the moves he does in this movie are what a good aikido stylist would do in a real situation, unless he's smart enough to run away. One particular highlight is a stick fight between Seagal and one time Bruce Lee nunchaku trainer Dan Inosanto. Seagal was supposedly going for a sincere acting performance, but unfortanetly, his dramatic capabilities are as easy on the eyes as his open hand is to your neck. Good fights, plenty of graphic gunshot wounds, and Jason Vorhees himself, Kane Hodder, doing some getting blown away in the movies big brutal finale. Good of its type.

With apologies to the writer of the first review, Aikido (spelled with an extra 'i') is an amazing martial art with spritual value beyond punching and kicking.

Seagal, a 7th degree black belt, is aware of this, and is adept at incorporating it into his hollywood features, and makes for much enjoyment and a couple "Ouch, that one had to hurt" comments

Out for Justice is not for the weak of heart, but if you can slip by the obscenities and violence, keep an open mind, and be attentive, this is a plethora of martial arts action, and plenty of busted heads!

Parents of pre-teenagers beware, seagal is on the hunt!