Buscando justicia

****SPOILERS**** Outrageously violent, even for a Steven Seagal movie, as our "hero" Steven Seagal, Det. Gino Felino, is out looking for a coke-crazed hood Richie Madano, William Forsythe, and his not-too-bright gang who were responsible for murdering his partner Bobby Lupo, Joe Spatago, on a Brooklyn street in front of his wife and little boy. During the run of the movie Gino breaks every code of justice conduct and police department regulation on the books by busting up some two dozen hoods. Who for the most part tried to avoid the unstable and dangerous out of control policemen. Steven Seagal's Gino Felino even made the cop in the movie "Maniac Cop" look normal.

You wondered why Gino's boss Capt Donziger, Jerry Orbach, never as much as complained, much less suspended, the obviously crazed and homicidal detective and where was the citizens police review board in the movie, where they out to lunch or asleep? Even women weren't safe from the off-the-wall Gino with his brutalizing and humiliating Richie's sister Patti, Gina Gershon, and a bar girl who worked in her nightclub Terry, Shannon Whirry, who were totally innocent and had nothing to do with Bobby Lupo's murder. Even Richie's elderly parents were terrorized by the uncouth Gino even though later Gino apologized to them after the damage was already done, nice man that Gino. Like thats what it would take to make him a good guy in the movie.As for the coke-sniffing and crazy Richie he seemed to want to get caught and never made any attempt to get out of the city and just waited for the end to come partying in a hooker's apartment with his drugged out gang.

Watching Gino in action you wondered if even the Mafia would want him to work for them as a muscle man or enforcer? The Mob was far more civil professional and kinder when they dealt with the same hoods that Gino worked over in the movie.

It turned out that Gino's partner Bobby Lupo was killed by Richie for cheating on his wife by having an affair with Richie's woman Roxanne Ford, Julie Strain, and also, surprise, Bobby was a dirty cop on the take to, thats right, Richie's drug gang.

The final shoot out at Richie's "pad" was as ridicules as the rest of the movie with Gino taking on the entire Madano gang who were dangerous and armed to the teeth single handily and getting a bullet in his gut for the effort. Gino was either too crazy or stupid, or both, to bother to call the police to come to his aid. In fact it was the Mafia who came to the "rescue" after almost everyone of Richie's gang were killed.

Having it out with Richie Gino beats him to a pulp and then instead of trying to arrest the almost dead Richie drives what looks like a sharp screwdriver through his brain killing him. So much for Gino being "Out for Justice" like the movie title says.

For all his viciousness Gino did have his good points but they were at the very beginning and end of the movie. At the start of the movie "Out for Justice" Gino slams a vicious pimp against a brick wall and then throws him head-first into a car windshield. After the pimp brutalized one of his streetwalker for getting pregnant by one of her customers. At the end of the movie Gino let a guy have it who threw a puppy, that Gino later adopted, out of his moving car window by kicking him in his family jewels. As Gino and his wife walked away the puppy showed the creep who tried to kill him just what he thought of him.

I don't like all Seagal movies. I like this one. The script is good, the action is good. The music is above average. The only big problem I have is Seagal can't do accents. Why he tried I don't know. Could have been better. Also, why is he wearing a beret? Also, he talks to wife about his dad like he was someone else. Another thing it seems his dad went around sharpening tools on a wheel. My grandparents came from Europe. Each got a good paying job except for my mom's mom. She had 5 kids to care for.

IMO, this is at once the best AND the most formulaic of Seagal's endless string of beat-'em-ups. If you like Seagal, you will love this film; if you don't, OFJ probably will not convince you.

The fight scenes have a nice, bone-crunching kinetic energy to them, the plot has something of an urgent feel to it, and the soundtrack contributes greatly to the atmosphere and mood of the proceedings. I especially liked the placement and timing of 'No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn'. This played during the montage driving scene where 'Gino' (Seagal) drives through various ethnic neighborhoods and reacts to various sights and extras - to me this was the actual highlight of the film, giving the viewer a sense of place and humanity missing from most films of this type.

There are, of course, a couple of major problems with the film that keep it from being anything more than a typical Seagal action vehicle. The first one is that 'Gino' is such an unstoppable fighting machine that you never really worry about him or whether he will be a match for the villain once he finds him. And indeed, once Gino catches up with 'Ritchie' (William Forsythe, dreadfully miscast and not especially convincing), the denouement is a completely one-sided *ss-kicking that lacks any suspense whatsoever. Gino just mows Ritchie down like winter wheat and the scene comes to an end. At least Seagal had some trouble with Tommy Lee Jones and the terrorists in 'Under Siege' and with the voodoo gangster guy in 'Marked For Death' - you got the sense that he really was in danger. Not so here.

2ndly, and probably worse, Seagal seems to have decided that he wanted to stretch himself as an actor in this movie. So the script gives the movie way too many scenes where he delivers endless monologues - no, actually they are more like oratories - in a static talking head shot filmed over the shoulder of another actor (or extra). These scenes go on for literally minutes, and bring the film to a screeching halt, because Seagal just can't pull them off. Hell I'm not sure Deniro filmed by Scorcese could pull them off, because these speeches just go on and on until even the biggest Seagal fan is saying 'OK, Steven, we GET IT, you're ACTING, now can we PLEASE MOVE ALONG?!?!?"

Still this film, and the following film 'Under Siege', probably represent the peak of Seagal's career as an action star. After this he started going downhill, getting greasier and flabbier with each new release, and each new release was more and more unconvincing and badly made than the last, until finally he seems to have bottomed out with "Exit Wounds" and direct-to-video crap like "Out For A Kill".

So if you want to watch a GOOD Seagal film, consider this one. It holds up well over repeated viewings and over the decade since it was made.

Sometimes, you're just in the mood for a good ass-kicking action movie. That is the definition of Out for Justice.

The movie is not very big on plot, although it does offer some in-sight on different back-stories, characters' pasts and several other things. We do get to know some characters pretty well, but others not so much.

Steven Seagal stars as the protagonist Gino Felino, the tough, ass-kicking cop who does things his own violent way but still has a soft side evident.

William Forsythe stars as the antagonist Richie Madano, the drug using, dirty, evil, sniveling, careless wise-guy who's violent night-long/citywide rampage has Gino chasing him all over town.

There are a lot of great action scenes, and plenty of ass-kicking by Steven Seagal for those who are into pure action. I usually like movies with a good story, but once in a while I like to kick back with a good, senseless action movie. So if you're into movies that favor action over plot: This is definitely one for you.

8/10.

Steven Seagal stars as Gino a Brooklyn cop who is hunting the killer of his partner in this blood thirsty yet suspenseful actioner that features Seagal in top form. Seagal may need to work on his acting skills but those in search of a high bodycount with tons of carnage will not be disappointed. Out For Justice is also much better then Seagal's previous efforts. (Above The Law,Hard To Kill and Marked For Death.)