#43 — Out For Justice
This is part of an illustrated countdown of my 49 1/2 (weird number) most essential action movies. Last week I talked about Die Hard With A Vengeance.
We need to talk about Steven Seagal. Not because he’s been at it again, but because there was a time as fleeting as youth itself when his movies were being seen in theaters. For me, it was always on cable, which feels right at home for him. He’s sort of the ultimate anti-prestige action hero, and when I see his name, I hear it voiced by the Movie Trailer Guy. His appearance is usually some weird mashup of the Dread Pirate Roberts and the The Dalai Lama and his special move is twisting your arm into a pretzel, which I think is pretty nasty for an Action Cop. Bone breaking was not the cool kind of cinematic violence I craved when watching something like a Van Damme flick. It’s ugly and unsettling, something you’d most frequently see in a horror movie. It’s something more suited for an Action Bully, and I think that’s what Seagal and his many characters embody.
I know Seagal’s Aikido has been demystified over the years and there’s lots of jokes and stories shared about how someone named “Judo” Gene LeBell made him poop his pants (The ultimate karma for a life of bullying). I don’t really care how legit the martial art is as a practical form of self defense. I think it contains a great deal of cinematic value, and was a sharp departure from what was popular at the time. And for what it’s worth, many modern imitators (Quantum of Solace, Taken) failed to present CQC forms as satisfyingly as what Out For Justice, or even Marked For Death have to offer. So there must be something to Seagal’s mastery of joint manipulation and counter throws.
Kids, if you’re reading this, I just want you to know two things before we go any further. 1) the violent and reckless actions of Gino Felino do not reflect the core values of us here at The Church Of Latter-Day Action Saints, where we practice love, while understanding that onscreen depictions of violence help us safely process the cruel realities of a world that does not present us with immediate or clear answers to the injustice and hate we frequently encounter, and 2) If you like Out For Justice, you should check out On Deadly Ground, where Seagal obliterates the knee of an old racist man, throws another racist head-first into a juke box, and then beats the racism out of another man by slapping his hands. It’s pretty neat.
When your hero is a bully, it helps to have someone extra scummy as his punching bag. Richie Madano (William Forsythe) has been called to the flagpole. His murder of Gino’s partner (a moment of silence for all the partners out there) kicks off a series of random acts of violence that will not stop until he’s been wedgied (to death). You just never know when this guy is gonna blow smoke out of his ears and you can’t even honk your horn at him without getting shot in the face. Lots of chaotic, Wario energy emanating from this guy. Even his own crew is scared of him, but they’re trapped in his ecosphere of money and influence.
Gino asks to be let off the leash with “an unmarked and a shotgun”, insisting he be the one to bring down Richie. His wish is granted. Gino starts chasing bullies all over Brooklyn around the clock, storming into a butcher shop like he wants to speak to the manager. Every assailant’s attack is immediately twisted into painful regret. He buries a butcher knife in a guys leg, then yanks it out so he can stick it in another guys hand. He slugs wannabe bullies over head with sausages and taunts them with lectures on being a nice guy, only stopping short of asking them why they’re hitting themselves. He also lightly slaps a lot of people on the cheek, which is actually more insulting than a full-power smack. Pro level bully moves on display here.
In between the brawling, he’ll occasionally stop for a more tender moment — like spending time with his neglected son, or rescuing a puppy from an animal abuser who will be bullied at a later time when the schedule allows it.
It probably peaks at the bar scene, a magnum opus of action bullying. A crowd of Richie’s lowlife associates, including his brother, dismiss Gino’s attempts to investigate his whereabouts, calling him “nothing without his badge and gun”. I imagine this hurts Gino’s ego, so he ratchets up the routine even more. He literally starts shoving guys into lockers (it’s an old fashioned telephone booth, but same deal), pushing the bartender around, pulling chairs out from under people, and baiting them into swinging at him. It’s a sight to behold, perhaps unbecoming behavior for an Action Cop, but for an Action Bully — this is the way. It escalates into pool cue stick fights, and Seagal wrapping a pool ball in a towel. When I was a kid, I would ball up one sock and stick it into the other to make nun-chucks (Kids, long tube socks are perfect for this, and they’ll insure you stop getting them for Christmas). I never did it with an 8-ball though, I would have destroyed the whole house. Only a low-down dirty action dog would do that.
Another thing I really love about this part is the constant banter, with guys cursing Gino out and calling him a “mamaluke” among other things. Characters aren’t just voiceless goons waiting to be pummeled, they go by names like “Benny the Book” and “Sticks”. More of this in action movies, please. I’m glad modern Hollywood filmmakers have rediscovered the ancient art of having on-screen action visible to the viewer, congrats on that one guys, major milestone. But if I may add one tiny request, have your bad guys mouth off a little. Let them speak, like humans tend to do before and after (and DURING) getting bullied. When a biker named “Tattoo” complains about his teeth getting knocked out, it’s just as satisfying as an expertly choreographed kick, and it’s an easy way to liven up a scene. Try it!
Richie’s eventual comeuppance is one of the most one-sided smackdowns in the history of foregone conclusions, and perhaps an example of what the final fight in John Wick should have looked like. When you present the audience with an unstoppable force, sometimes the best thing to do is simply revel in it. Out For Justice is that movie, a perfect vehicle for an action star that loves to punish. If there’s one Seagal movie I gotta have (and there’s not many) it’s this one.
