Justice sauvage

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.)

This is Steven Seagal's best movie. In it, he actually wrestles with the character he plays, and comes up with a dramatic performance that, while no Brando, is still quite believable.

This is a very violent film. It is also a very troubling film. William Forsythe - who also turns in a better than average performance - plays a lower-rung mob boss who, strung out on crack and finding his girl-friend cheating on him, turns psychotic and suicidal. Not a good mix - he starts blowing people away just because they irritate him a little.

The film is also an attempt to deal with the continuing fragmentation of neighborhood communities that were once the heart and soul of larger cities. The community is preserved, but only tentatively - the seeds of its eventual collapse have clearly been planted. The extreme violence of the film thus becomes the manifestation of a unresolvable frustration with the tensions of a community falling apart.

All this adds up to a surprisingly complex Steven Seagal action film that will haunt you long after the closing credits.

Now this is action! Out for justice is more like out for revenge on home turf. Bloody, gritty, relentless, pulpy and whispering Steven Seagal (…at his concise best). Nice, but making it work is that action maestro John Flynn is at the helm where he makes great use of the authentic Brooklyn backdrop and implements some cracking in-your-face set-pieces of Seagal harassing, causing a mess (that's property damage) and then effortlessly busting body parts. Oh it's a great sound! He even manages a few amusing wisecracks or so, although I could have heard less of his character's moving childhood stories with some sort of philosophical message, but we're just seeing the sincere reflective side of the man. Even taking time out to look after a dumped puppy, while after an elusive criminal (that he knew through childhood) that's roaming Brooklyn and who brutally killed his partner / friend in cold-blood. I guess this is to counter balance the violence… and there's a lot of it. However Seagal is overshadowed by William Forsythe's dominating, hot-headed and vicious drug fuelled gangster. Definitely one of the most insane villains put on screen and Forsythe milks out every opportunity to display it. When these two characters finally come to blows, it doesn't disappoint. Director John Flynn keeps it lean, mean and quite explosive in a familiar but well done manner, as he knows when to up the ante and to let it settle. The music soundtrack was the only thing I found to get in the way at times, trying to be hip in its flavour. The rest of the cast is reasonably good with the likes of Jerry Orbach, Gina Gershon and Julianna Margulies showing up. An entertainingly unapologetic action joint

This violent cop thriller begins when a Brooklyn police named Gino(Steven Seagal) is alerted when his best friend Bobby has been murdered by Richie(William Forsythe), a childhood ex-friend from old Brooklyn neighborhood. Gino tells his chief(Jerry Orbach) which he can encounter Richie and he set off in pursuit . Meanwhile,the Gino's spouse(Jo Champa) ask him the divorce . A doped Richie doesn't mind if he lives or dies and kills everybody around. The Italian mobsters are upset with him and they are looking for him, too. Richie is accompanied by his band(Jay Acanove, Robert Lasardo) taking the law on their own hands.

The film packs thrills, excessive violence, gory killing, profanity and bad language. N.Y. cop doesn't hesitate to utilize his martial arts skills as he fights violent drug dealing and battles corrupts killers and using his usual snapping wrists. This Seagal movie reveals the real-life Aikido master to be more of the Van Damme, Stallone style than the Stanislawski school of acting. Appear as secondary Jerry Orbach, recently deceased, and Shannon Whirry, a soft core star, who holds an alike countenance to Kelly Lebrock, Seagal's former wife. Furthermore, an uncredited, almost extras, John Leguizano, Raymond Cruz and Julie Strain. The Karate expert Seagal co-wrote the script, and co-produced along with Arnold Konpelson . Noisy musical score by means of synthesize, is in charge of David Marshall Frank. Director John Flynn who gave excellent performances to Tommy Lee Jones(Rolling Thunder), Robert Duval(Outfit), Jan Michael Vincent(Defiance), James Woods(Best seller), here gave credibility to Steven Seagal. The result is a strong outing for action enthusiastic.

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.