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One Man's Justice

Original title: One Tough Bastard
  • 1996
  • R
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Brian Bosworth in One Man's Justice (1996)
B-ActionConspiracy ThrillerOne-Person Army ActionPsychological DramaTragedyActionThriller

When a man's wife and family are murdered, he plots revenge only to find out that the killer is under Federal protection and he must exact his own form of justice.When a man's wife and family are murdered, he plots revenge only to find out that the killer is under Federal protection and he must exact his own form of justice.When a man's wife and family are murdered, he plots revenge only to find out that the killer is under Federal protection and he must exact his own form of justice.

  • Directors
    • Kurt Wimmer
    • Kurt Anderson
  • Writer
    • Steven Selling
  • Stars
    • Brian Bosworth
    • Bruce Payne
    • Jeff Kober
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Kurt Wimmer
      • Kurt Anderson
    • Writer
      • Steven Selling
    • Stars
      • Brian Bosworth
      • Bruce Payne
      • Jeff Kober
    • 22User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos46

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    Top cast35

    Edit
    Brian Bosworth
    Brian Bosworth
    • Sgt. John North
    Bruce Payne
    Bruce Payne
    • Agent Karl Savak
    Jeff Kober
    Jeff Kober
    • Marcus
    DeJuan Guy
    • Mikey Adams
    M.C. Hammer
    M.C. Hammer
    • Dexter Kane
    • (as Hammer)
    Neal McDonough
    Neal McDonough
    • Agent Ward
    Robert Kotecki
    Robert Kotecki
    • Agent Klark
    Deborah Worthing
    • Darlene North
    Rachel Duncan
    • Marianne North
    Cyrus Farmer
    Cyrus Farmer
    • Chocolate
    M.C. Gainey
    M.C. Gainey
    • Hank
    Robert LaSardo
    Robert LaSardo
    • Tattoist
    • (as Robert La Sardo)
    Leo Lee
    Leo Lee
    • Agent Tan
    Christopher M. Brown
    Christopher M. Brown
    • Jake
    • (as Christopher Brown)
    Justice Bowens
    • Mustapha
    • (as R.B. Bowens)
    Angelle Brooks
    Angelle Brooks
    • India Adams
    Nick Richert
    • Dred #1
    Lawrence Lowe
    Lawrence Lowe
    • Luther Kane
    • Directors
      • Kurt Wimmer
      • Kurt Anderson
    • Writer
      • Steven Selling
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    5.31.3K
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    10john-4264

    Bruce Payne is the main man

    I love this film. Yes its crap but its brilliant at the same time. This is due to an excellent, camp and totally over the top performance by Bruce Payne. He takes the character of Savak to a totally new level by being ruthless, daring and funny at the same time. The bit where he throws his burger meal over marcus and screams 'horse-sh*t' at him is pure class. So is the bit in the drug dealers den 'tsk tsk' and 'ive got the guns'. It seems that Bruce Payne has the knack of taking psycho characters and turning them into something complicated (such as he did with Charles Raine in Passenger 57). I thought the long blond hair and the nose rings really added some presence to the character of Savak in this film, although how plausible it would be to have a CIA / FBI agent looking as he does, I really don't know. Great escapism - 10/10.
    8PeterMitchell-506-564364

    One tough actioner rides solid all the way

    Bosworth shows us now, that he can act. He's very good here, putting a lot of heart into his performance. He plays Seargeant North who runs an army corp. Unfortunately for his little daughter and ex wife, they were in the wrong place in the wrong when they're witnesses to a shootout involving some bad guys, one being the ever villainous Kober of course. Bosworth comes a little too late, him taking a bullet too, but surviving. Only there's more dangerous people higher, corrupt DEA agents, led by the versatile Payne as Drew Savaak. Payne creates a real piece of work here, where killer Kober, a real piece of s..t here, is kept under his protection. Bosworth who finally has to pull the plug on his daughter's life support, where the wife'e was executed, starts asking questions and getting involved, as smelling the rats, where he exacts his own investigation and revenge. He forms a friendship with a black kid, Mikey, who helps him, while Bosworth may of found a new love, as he develops a soft spot for Mikey's mother, a social worker if memory serves me correct. Mikey has his own vendetta too, wanting to go after the guys who shot his friend. I loved the scene in the restaurant between the two, exchanging their resolutions on the killers, when they find 'em. Bosworth, a great role figure here, telling Mikey it's wrong to kill, warning him on the consequences. Mikey then asks Bosworth, "What are you gonna do, when you find em". Bosworth of course not stating the obvious, comes out with a safer answer "This is different". OTB is a solid actioner with heart too, you wouldn't expect the movie to be this good. Bosworth is a force to be reckoned with. I loved it when he was kicking a..e as you so much wanted him too. His acting, particularly at the start, really impressed. There's no denying, Payne's evil presence here is fantastic. He even brought some of his mob from Passenger 57 on board, a film I loved him in.
    The Beer Kids

    One of the best B-movie action flicks ever made.

    I saw this movie on HBO about a year and a half ago, and I absolutely loved it. I've never heard of Brian Bosworth, who seems to be the typical American action movie star (he's better than Jeff Speakman by far, though). The throwaway plot in this film deals with the not-so-accidental death of North's wife and child at the hands of a couple of street hoods working for a Disney Dollars counterfeiter or an herbal tea smuggler or something. Johnny sets off in pursuit of the dudes and is led to Karl Savak (Bruce Payne from Passenger 57), the aforementioned bad guy.

    There are some very well-done fight scenes here, and the story actually develops (somewhat) as North tries to lure his nemesis out of the woodwork by posing as another criminal, and is eventually offered a chance by Savak to avenge his family's death. The dialogue is laughable at points, mainly Bosworth's lines, but for the most part this movie is well-paced. Payne is right at home as the villain, and the showdown at the end is incredible. The supporting cast did well with what they had, also.

    If you find this one at the bottom of a sales bin, you would do well to pick it up. Hell, I'll buy it from you. No rental store around Chicago has this film.
    3mdross1

    Not Exactly Equilibrium. Heck, It's Not Even Ultraviolet.

    Being a fan of Kurt Wimmer, I decided that this movie was a must-see for me. Equilibrium is a genuinely great movie and Ultraviolet, though heavily flawed, had enough good action and heart to separate from similar movies. One Tough Bastard, however, is a bad 80's revenge movie made in the middle of the 90's. It would be a typical revenge flick, except it pretty much forgets this fact with some silly subplot involving experimental guns (actually Mini 14's with slight cosmetic modifications). These superguns are a letdown too, since they're only fired once during a test run.

    The fight scenes aren't very good, but they have their moments, where Wimmer shows his distinctive innovations.

    There aren't many interesting characters, except for corrupt agent Karl Savak. He is distinctively cheesy and entertaining, even though his quips are rather lame (as is most the dialogue). Aside from (don't laugh) MC Hammer's appearance as a villain, the movie does not have many interesting characters. An inner city black child whom Bosworth takes under his wing is particularly clichéd and uninteresting.

    It's almost hard to believe that Wimmer went on to make Equilibrium and Ultraviolet.
    8whpratt1

    Man with Ring in Nose Beware!

    The film started out with a boot camp situation with a drill instructor breaking in his new company of Army enlistments. All of a sudden there is a horror show going on in a local convenient store, where things start being turned into Swiss Cheese and lots of tomato juice. The Army instructor is Brian Bosworth,(John North),"Mach 2",'01,who winds up in a hospital for a few weeks and when he gets outside the door, all hell breaks loose. In this picture there is a very young boy who deals with drugs and is very street smart, which in today's society is being used all the time. These kids are under age and cannot be given hard sentences, so they do the dirty work of the Older Boys. Bruce Payne,(Karl Savak),"Hellborn",'03 gives an outstanding performance as an FBI agent who seems to like evil more than good. This is an entertaining film, but there is nothing you will remember about this film after an hour goes bye~! This film was called two names: "One Man's Justice" and "One Tough Bastard", whatever you prefer

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    Related interests

    Mathew Karedas in Samurai Cop (1991)
    B-Action
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Conspiracy Thriller
    Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
    One-Person Army Action
    Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Psychological Drama
    Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea (2016)
    Tragedy
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Though credited as director, Kurt Wimmer was removed early during filming and producer Kurt Anderson took over as director.
    • Goofs
      In the cemetery scene Sgt. John North is wearing a field grade officers cap (embellishments on visor) instead of an enlisted type (plain black visor).
    • Quotes

      Karl Savak: Don't you know it's illegal to drive while dead?

    • Alternate versions
      German VHS release, rated "Not under 18", is cut by a little over five minutes to secure such rating. There is another release with "SPIO/JK" approval, which is completely uncut. Only in October of 2024 the uncut version was given a "Not under 18" rating after a successful FSK rating re-examination.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Hot Fuzz (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      I Left it Wet for You
      Written by Bun B and Pimp C

      Performed by Underground Kingz

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 26, 1996 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • One Tough Bastard
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Live Entertainment
      • OTB Productions
      • Westwind Productions Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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