6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.4 |
Out for action? You found it! Steven Seagal hits the target like nobody else in this pounding police thriller. Brooklyn-born cop Gino has seen many changes in "the neighborhood." One sad one is that boyhood adversary-turned-criminal scum Richie has turned local streets into war zones. He’s a mad dog unleashed and Gino and his world-weary partner must hunt him down before the body count multiplies.
Starring: Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, Shareen MitchellCrime | 100% |
Thriller | 93% |
Action | 64% |
Martial arts | 57% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 1.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
How can I keep you from killing my son?
A reliable, violent, but slightly uneven early entry into martial arts superstar Steven Seagal's (Under Siege)
filmography, Out For Justice earns merit points for style that are nevertheless negated by a
somewhat overly complex plot that tries to embrace a hardcore street-level grit and tone
and weave together a far more intricate series of events and interconnected characters that are
meant to give more weight to the picture and its action scenes but only serve to devour the
experience with an abundance of excessive plot arcs and characters that ultimately do little to move
the picture along through to the violent but otherwise standard action scenes and satisfying if not
completely predictable finale. It's a nice change of pace to see an action film take the time to try
and make the story more than a one-dimmensional shooter, but Out For Justice just feels a
bit
too heavy for what it ultimately is, a tale of revenge set against the backdrop the grimy city
landscape where everyone's got a gun and there's no justice but what the street doles out.
Steven Seagal: Man of Action.
Out For Justice lumbers onto Blu-ray with a passable but not at all visually impressive 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. Though a distinctly gritty film in tone, the disc features some unattractive noise and an occasionally overly sharpened, processed look to some of the brighter exterior scenes. Fine detail and clarity are serviceable in such scenes -- and even above average in a few -- with a decent depth of field and average detail and texturing on the city's many rough concrete and brick surfaces that define the urban jungle. Unfortunately, facial detail is often flat, smooth, and unconvincing. Color reproduction is decent in the brighter scenes, though mono-colored garments featuring excessively bright hues look over-pumped and phony next to lesser, more neutral shades. Interior scenes don't fare as well, many appearing far darker and with poor lighting. Fine detail almost vanishes, depth is reduced to almost zero, and a general haze permeates the image. Additionally, blacks can devour the screen, and flesh tones can range from ghastly to overly red. Even with a remaster, it's doubtful that Out For Justice will ever look all that good, but this sloppy, unattractive image certainly isn't befitting the film.
Out For Justice offers a whimpering Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that would've proven a disappointment some years ago on DVD. There's a total lack of clarity and limited range, making for an altogether puny presentation. The film's score -- particularly its various 80s and early 90s beats -- comes across as cramped and terribly low in general volume even at reference level, not to mention a distinct absence in the aforementioned clarity and range. Sounds effects are consistently mushy and phony; gunfire can't even match the sonic signature of a child's cap gun, lacking even that distinctive crack. Instead each shot comes across as a dull, lifeless thump that completely takes the listener out of every action scene. Other ambient effects -- the sounds of the bustling Brooklyn streets or distant thunder and light rain showers -- are unconvincing at best and muffled at worst. Additionally, dialogue is sometimes garbled and borderline unintelligible. In a nutshell, Out For Justice's lossy soundtrack is one of the least impressive to be found on the Blu-ray format.
Only the Out For Justice theatrical trailer (480p, 1:39) is included.
All told, Out For Justice is quintessential and classic Seagal, the film a dirty, no-holds-barred sort that's entertaining if not a bit excessive in its attempt to cobble together a more elaborate story and character and thematic interconnections than need be. Still, Director John Flynn's picture satisfies the basics of Action movie criteria, delivering a strong hero, a memorable villain, plenty of gunplay, and excessive violence, even amidst some horrendous pacing issues and a flat, no-nonsense visual style that's nevertheless reflective of the gritty Brooklyn world that itself seems a central character in the film. In the end, Out For Justice is a worthwhile if not somewhat flawed throwback Action picture that eschews any hint of glamour in favor of a relentlessly -- and here highly appropriate -- grim tone. Speaking of flawed, Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Out For Justice barely fares better than its standard definition DVD counterpart. Featuring a transfer that's only a notch or two better than a decent unconverted DVD, a lossy soundtrack that would have proved terribly mediocre 10 years ago, and next to no extras, this disc, unfortunately, is one to avoid, and fans would be best served to hang onto the DVD until a better and more feature-packed disc is one day, hopefully, released.
1988
1990
Ruslan
2009
20th Anniversary Edition
2000
1990
2015
2009
Tokarev
2014
The Dirty Harry Collection
1983
1991
1988
2008
2004
2003
2001
2014
1989
Rogue Assassin
2007
Director's Cut
2009
Combo Pack
2012