Out on Bail

My review was written in August 1989 after watching the movie on TWE video cassette.

"Out on Bail" tells a standard tale of corrupt Southern rednecks, made unbelievable by lensing this Tennessee-set picture in South Africa with fake local supporting roles. Direct-to-video release faces bleak prospects.

Robert Ginty is comfortably cast as the stranger in town, thrown in Fairfield, Tennessee jail for brawling with thugs involved in a drug deal. Corrupt sheriff (Tm Badal, who also co-scripted) and lawyer (Sydney Lassick) offer him a deal to escape while out on bail if he does a dirty job for them: assassinate the reform candidate for mayor.

Ginty predictably outwits the baddies, cuing some fun chasing around in a stolen hearse with girlfriend Kathy Shower in tow. Gordon Hessler-helmed project, which reportedly went through many changes including a U. S.[-lensed false start called "Johnny Blade" sporting a different cast and filmmakers, plays all right except for the poor attempts at Southern accents by South African supporting players. They all look like ringers and destroy credibility.

For his part, Ginty is solid in a role familiar from his "The Exterminator" pics. Kathy Shower is far too beautiful to be convincing as a lonely, smalltown hotel operator. The sentimental "Shane" subplot involving her little son (Donald Stemmit) is ultra-cornball. Topnotch stunts highlight the tech credits.

Of all the films Robert Ginty made following The Exterminator, this is probably the best. The writing is tight, the direction even tighter, (Hessler was a quality director), and Robert Ginty was surprisingly good as the mysterious drifter who turns up in a one horse town and falls foul of the local fascist cops. Best of all, the love interest is played by Kathy Shower. (The producers certainly make the most of her assets, TWO shower scenes). Controversially filmed in South Africa, as was Red Scorpion, the desert landscape could certainly pass for Arizona or Texas, but the accents of some of the supporting players grates. An undemanding, but well made action thriller.

Robert Ginty doing a fair imitation of Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name", drifts into a small corrupt town. Think "A Fistful of Dollars". Immediately in trouble with the law his pocket watch with a history is taken by Tom Badal, the evil sheriff. Checking into a hotel, Ginty scares off the rightful guest to free up the room. Think "For a Few Dollars More". Towards the end, Ginty fashions himself an armored vehicle. Think "The Gauntlet". This easily could have substituted horses for cars and been a western. Kathy Shower lusts after Ginty for the entire film, which makes the movie feel like nothing more than a vanity project. If you like mindless mayhem, with zero logic, then by all means seek out "Out on Bail", but be prepared for a real "brain drain". - MERK