OUT FOR JUSTICE

(The Movie) Starring Steven Seagal

Reviewed by Robert Thompson 4/14/91

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In case you are unfamiliar with Steven Seagal, He is a big guy with a pony tail and some of the smoothest moves that I have ever seen. Up until a few years ago he ran a martial arts studio in Los Angeles, then somehow got the backing to produce his own movies. His background is kind of hazy, and perhaps purposely so. Allegedly there are ties to the CIA, service in an elite military unit etc. He has a very interesting style, or I should say mixture of styles that make it very difficult to judge where he learned most of his skills. (An article on him in a recent issue of GQ goes into this and suggests that perhaps some Seagal's history is bogus.)

OUT FOR JUSTICE is his fourth movie and probably the worst so far. The plot is just about identical to the ones of his previous movies. Seagal plays Gino, An honest Brooklyn Italian cop. His partner is gunned down in broad daylight while shopping with his wife and kids, by a rogue Mafia "scumbag".

Then ensues a three way race between Gino, the rest of the police force, and the Mafia. See, the Mafia is upset because this guy killed a policeman without permission from the Don, and to top it off had the bad taste to do it in front of his wife, kids and a few other witnesses. This of course caused "La Famiglia" a bit of embarrassment.

The entire movie is filled with contrived situations of gratuitous violence, occasional gratuitous sex and even gratuitous violent sex. This is not to say that I have anything against gratuitous sex or even gratuitous violence, but I do prefer them to be done with style, which this film lacks.

OK, I didn't go to this film expecting great acting or even a real good plot. I went to see Seagal in action. His previous movies were hallmarked by some of the smoothest, most realistic martial artistry that I have ever seen on film. They were usually well choreographed, and even when they weren't Seagal's skill overcame any little glitches. I was doomed to disappointment this time. Seagal is getting a little chubby, and spends most of the time merely shooting people.

When he does get into a fight without firearms, Seagal does not demonstrate the skill and grace that I have come to expect from him. Some of the stuff works, but nothing really impressive.

As an aside, In one early scene, Sagal wears a green beret with a 5th Special Forces Group flash (insignia), and as someone who used to wear a beret, It looked to me as if Sagal just got his by mail order from Kauffman's Surplus or Brigade Quartermaster. I don't think that he ever wore a green beret in real life, because he doesn't wear this one with the panache of someone who ever "wore one for a living".

If you are a fan of martial arts, you should see Seagal in action, but see any one of his previous movies, rather than this one. They all have better fight scenes. The only thing in this movie that are particularly interesting is rather novel use of a cue ball in a handkerchief and a short bout of escrima. (escrima is Phillipine stick fighting which is considered by many to be one of the most effective of the martial arts).

So, how good is Steven Seagal? Based on what I have seen in his movies and making allowances for choreography and film editing, I would say that he was one of the best martial artists in recent history. Among the martial artists that made movies too, I'd rate him well above Chuck Norris in his prime, and in a match with the late, great Bruce Lee I'd give a slight edge to Seagal. Bruce Lee was about 15% faster, but they would be about equal on skill level and grace. Assuming Seagal can take punishment as well as dish it out ( we know that Lee had a high capacity for pain), Seagal' superior size and strength would win out. Real Life? Hard to say. There are a few guys that I'd give an edge to in terms of technique, but they don't have Seagal's

size or strength, and the big guys that I know of may be a little short on skill or speed.

The way he handles firearms in his films looks like he is quite familiar with them. His weapon of choice for social occasions is a .45 auto, which is also my preference. He knows how to manipulate it well. There is no way to judge his marksmanship based on what I see on film, but I'd have to guess that he was trained by someone very good.

Sagal's ability to mix styles or fight with any sort of weapon or makeshift weapon reminds me most of the late Mike Echanis, a real life martial artist who trained members of various elite U.S. military units and later became "a mercenary", training foreign troops and as a bodyguard to a certain Central American dictator. Although I didn't approve of some of his choices in his later days, There was no doubting his skills. He was an excellent teacher, and was so good, the only way "THEY" could get him was to blow up the aircraft that he was on. Mike...we miss you.

NEWS FLASH: The day after this review was written, I received a copy of the April 1991 MOVIELINE magazine containing an interview with Sagal. In it, he says that he never was in the military, so no wonder he looks like a "cherry" (Military slang for a rookie) in the movie scene with him wearing the green beret.

Also, his proclaimed martial arts style is Aikido, although it seems very eclectic to me, as I see lots of moves and blows from a wide variety of styles. Also in the article, he says that he will have a "talk" with anyone who writes any negative stuff about him, so I may be in "deep doo-doo".

Steven, if you read this, do all of your fans a favor: get a good writer, a good director, lose a few pounds and try it again. I'll give you another chance. And please don't come looking for me; I've gotten old, slow, put on some extra weight myself and I know that even on my best day I couldn't beat you hand to hand on your worst day, and the neighbors would complain about the sound of gunfire...:-)