Out for Justice (1991)

Director:

John Flynn

Writer (WGA):

David Lee Henry (written by)

Release Date:

12 April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

He's a cop. It's a dirty job... but somebody's got to take out the garbage.

Plot:

Brooklyn cop Gino Felino is about to go outside and play catch with his son Tony when he receives a...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Murder | Crack Cocaine | Dog | Paraplegic

Cast

Steven Seagal	...	Det. Gino Felino
William Forsythe	...	Richie Madano
Jerry Orbach	...	Capt. Ronnie Donziger
Jo Champa	...	Vicky Felino
Shareen Mitchell	...	Laurie Lupo
Sal Richards	...	Frankie
Gina Gershon	...	Patti Madano
Jay Acovone	...	Bobby Arms
Nick Corello	...	Joey Dogs (as Nicky Corello)
Robert LaSardo	...	Bochi (as Robert Lasardo)
John Toles-Bey	...	King
Joe Spataro	...	Det. Bobby Lupo
Ron Brumbelow	...	Cop
Jack Cipolla	...	Cop
Chic Daniel	...	Cop (as Charles Daniel)

Also Known As:

The Price of Our Blood (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min | Germany:82 min (heavily cut) | Germany:88 min | Sweden:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (video rating) (cut) | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (uncut) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 (cut) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | France:-16 | Canada:18A (re-rating) | Finland:K-15 (uncut DVD version) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Film debut of Shannon Whirry.

Goofs:

Continuity: The wife of the cop dead on the pavement has wet knees while standing in the shop doorway before she as knelt on the wet floor beside her husband

Quotes:

Detective Gino Felino NYPD: [while questioning Patti in the club] Who's this one over here?
Patti Madano: Which one?
Detective Gino Felino NYPD: The one with nipples you could dial a phone with.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Angels' Revenge (#7.22)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Long Way Home

Justice in 90 minutes or your Pizza's free

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.