Editing Out for Justice

{{Short description|1991 film directed by John Flynn}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Out for Justice
| image          = OutforJustice91.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Flynn (director)|John Flynn]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
*[[Steven Seagal]] 
*[[Arnold Kopelson]]
}}
| writer         = [[R. Lance Hill]]<br>{{small|(as David Lee Henry)}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
*Steven Seagal
*[[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]]
*[[Jerry Orbach]]
*[[Jo Champa]]
}}
| music          = [[David Michael Frank]]
| cinematography = [[Ric Waite]]
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
*[[Don Brochu]]
*Robert A. Ferretti
*Michael Eliot (addtl.)
}}
| studio         = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| distributor    = Warner Bros.
| released       = {{Film date|1991|04|12|US}}
| runtime        = 91 minutes<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 22, 1991|title=''Out For Justice'' (18)|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/out-for-justice-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtm2nde|access-date=May 11, 2025|website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $14 million<ref>{{cite web|title=Out for Justice (1991) - Box Office Mojo|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102614//|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|publisher=[[IMDb]]|access-date=September 2, 2021}}</ref>
| gross          = $39,673,161 (USA)<ref name=numbers>{{cite web|title=Out for Justice (1991) - Financial Information|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Out-for-Justice#tab=summary|website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|accessdate=July 27, 2021}}</ref>
}}

'''''Out for Justice''''' is a 1991 American [[action thriller film]] directed by [[John Flynn (director)|John Flynn]], starring and co-produced by [[Steven Seagal]]. Seagal plays Gino Felino, a veteran [[New York Police Department|New York City police]] detective who sets out to avenge his partner Bobby's murder by killing the trigger-happy, drug-addicted [[American Mafia|mafioso]] culprit (played by [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]]). The film also features [[Jerry Orbach]], [[Jo Champa]] and [[Gina Gershon]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Out for Justice (1991) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58974 |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]}}</ref>

The film was released theatrically by [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] on April 12, 1991.<ref name=":0" /> It received mixed-to-negative reviews, but was a commercial success.<ref name=":0" />

==Plot==
Gino Felino is an [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] detective from [[Dyker Heights, Brooklyn]], who has strong ties within his neighborhood. Gino and his partner Bobby Lupo wait to bust up a multimillion-dollar drug deal, but Gino sees a pimp violently assaulting one of his girls and intervenes. Shortly afterward, Richie Madano murders Bobby, shooting him multiple times in broad daylight in front of his wife, Laurie, and his two children.

Richie is a [[crack cocaine|crack]] addict who grew up with Gino and Bobby. He has become psychotic and homicidal due to rage and drug use, and seems not to care about the consequences of his actions. Richie then kills a woman at random, shooting her in the head at a traffic stop when she abruptly tells him to move his car. He heads off into Brooklyn alongside his goons, who are horrified by what he does, but continue to work alongside him.

Gino knows that Richie is not going to leave the neighborhood. Ronnie Donziger, his captain, gives him the clearance for a manhunt and provides him with a shotgun and an unmarked car. Gino visits his mob connection Frankie and his boss Don Vittorio, and he tells them he will not get out of the way of their own plans to take out Richie, whom they view as a loose cannon. While driving, Gino sees a fellow driver discard something moving from his car. Upon investigating, Gino rescues an abandoned German Shepherd puppy.

Gino starts the hunt for Richie at a bar run by Richie's brother Vinnie Madano. Vinnie and his friends all refuse to provide information, so Gino beats up a number of them. He still does not find out where Richie is, but his concern about getting an attitude problem has been taken care of. Gino attempts to get Richie out of hiding by arresting his sister Pattie and by talking to his estranged, elderly father.

Afterwards, Gino and his wife, Vicky, who are in the middle of a divorce, decide not to get one and reconcile, but they, along with their son, Tony, are attacked by Richie's men when they storm into their apartment. Gino kills them all and saves his wife and son. Richie later comes back to the bar and beats up Vinnie for not killing Gino when the situation was one cop against a bar full of armed men. He also has information leaked to the mob that he is at the bar, then emerges from hiding and ambushes the mob's hitmen in a shoot-out.

After visiting a number of local hangouts and establishments trying to find information, Gino discovers Richie killed Bobby because Bobby was having an affair with two women – Richie's girlfriend, Roxanne Ford, and a waitress named Terry Malloy. When Gino goes to Roxanne's home, he finds she is dead. Gino believes that Richie killed Roxanne before he killed Bobby. Gino goes to Laurie's house and tells the widow what is going on. In Laurie's purse, Gino finds the picture that Richie dropped on Bobby's body after killing him.  Bobby turns out to have been a corrupt cop who had wanted a money-making lifestyle like Richie's, and Laurie knew Bobby was corrupt. Laurie had found a picture of Bobby and Roxanne having sex. She had given Richie the picture out of jealousy, never expecting Richie to kill Bobby for sleeping with Roxanne. Laurie took the picture away from where Richie dropped it on Bobby because she wanted to protect her husband's reputation.

Following a tip from his local snitch Picolino, Gino eventually finds Richie in a house in the old neighborhood having a party. Gino kills or wounds all of Richie's men. Gino then finds Richie and fights him hand-to-hand. After beating Richie senseless, Gino finally kills him by stabbing him in the forehead with a corkscrew. The mobsters arrive soon after, also intent on killing Richie. Gino uses the lead mobster's gun to shoot the already-dead Richie several times, then tells him to return to his boss and take credit for Richie's death.

Gino and his wife adopt the puppy as a family pet, naming him Coraggio (Italian for courage or bravery). Whilst visiting [[Coney Island]], they encounter the same man who abandoned the puppy earlier, and Gino confronts him.  When the man attacks him, Gino defends himself, knocking the man down.  Gino and his wife laugh as the puppy urinates on the man's head.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Steven Seagal]] as Detective Gino Felino
* [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]] as Richie Madano
* [[Jerry Orbach]] as Captain Ronnie Donziger
* [[Jo Champa]] as Vicky Felino
* Shareen Mitchell as Laurie Lupo
* Sal Richards as Frankie
* [[Gina Gershon]] as Pattie Madano
* [[Jay Acovone]] as Bobby "Arms"
* Nick Corello as Joey "Dogs"
* [[Kent McCord]] as Jack
* [[Robert LaSardo]] as Bochi
* John Toles-Bey as King
* Joe Spataro as Detective Bobby Lupo
* Ed Deacy as Detective Deacy
* [[Thomas F. Duffy]] as Detective O'Kelly
* Ronald Maccone as Don Vittorio
* [[Gianni Russo]] as Sammy
* [[Anthony DeSando]] as Vinnie Madano
* [[Dominic Chianese]] as Mr. Madano
* Vera Lockwood as Mrs. Madano
* [[Julianna Margulies]] as Rica
* George Vallejo as Picolino
* Jerry Clauri as Bennie "The Book"
* [[Joe Lala]] as Vermeer
* [[Raymond Cruz]] as Hector
* [[John Leguizamo]] as Boy In Alley
* [[Carl Ciarfalio]] as Paulie
* [[Kane Hodder]] as Gang Member
* Jorge Gil as Chas "The Chair"
* [[Shannon Whirry]] as Terry Malloy
* [[Julie Strain]] as Roxanne Ford
* [[Dan Inosanto]] as "Sticks"
{{div col end}}

This was the film debut of Julianna Margulies.<ref name=":0" />

==Production==
John Flynn later claimed the original title was ''The Price of Our Blood'',<ref name=":0" /> "meaning Mafia blood. That was the title that Steven and I wanted, but Warner Bros. said no. It had to be a three-word title like the other Steven Seagal films (''Above the Law'', ''Hard to Kill'', and ''Marked for Death'')."<ref name=john>{{cite web|url=http://www.focorevistadecinema.com.br/FOCO2/chartrand-johneng.htm|author=Harvey F. Chartrand|title=Interview with John Flynn|work=Shock Cinema|year=2005|number=29|pages=26–29+46}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marx|first=Andy|title=Two-word title twice as nice for Steven Seagal|url=https://variety.com/1992/film/news/two-word-title-twice-as-nice-for-steven-seagal-101248/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 9, 1992}}</ref> During filming, the working title was ''The Night''.<ref name=":0" /> Seagal claimed to have completely rewritten the original script, though only [[R. Lance Hill]] (under his pen name David Lee Henry) was credited on the final film.<ref name=":0" />

The character Richie Madano was inspired by [[Costabile Farace|Costabile “Gus” Farace]], a [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno family]] associate who was the subject of a manhunt by both law enforcement and his former mob associates after killing an undercover DEA agent. Farace was eventually caught and killed by a mob hitman.

Filming took place on-location in the [[Brooklyn]] borough [[New York City]], and in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="john" />

=== Re-editing ===
The movie was originally much longer and included more plot and characters. Seagal reportedly cut some of [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]]'s scenes because he felt that Forsythe was upstaging him. Also, Warner Bros. brought in editor Michael Eliot to re-edit the original cut of the movie so that it would be shorter and more profitable at the box office. Eliot did the same job on a few other Warner Bros. movies - [[Wes Craven]]'s sci-fi horror ''[[Deadly Friend]]'' (1986) and [[Mark L. Lester]]'s action movie ''[[Showdown in Little Tokyo]]'' (1991). Some scenes were deleted, and some others were cut for pacing, so two montage scenes with no dialogue are in the movie. Re-editing also caused some minor continuity mistakes. The theatrical trailer shows two deleted scenes: Richie shooting inside a clothing store from which he took a new shirt (in his first few scenes, he is wearing one shirt, then all of a sudden, he is wearing another shirt for the rest of the movie), and a scene where the police captain tells Gino that body count is going up. Some TV versions of the movie included two deleted scenes: Richie stealing the new shirt from store because he got blood on it (also seen in trailer), and Richie and his guys breaking into the house where Gino's wife is and trying to find her, but leaving when some neighbors show up.

Flynn later recalled:

<blockquote>I really liked working with Bill Forsythe and Jerry Orbach and all those guys in the car who played the killers. But I didn't get along with Steven. He was always about an hour late for work and caused a lot of delays. We shot until October 31, 1990, because an IATSE strike was threatened. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts - Ed.) Warner Bros. told us we had to be on a plane by November 1. So we shot for about a month in Brooklyn. The rest of ''Out for Justice'' was shot in and around south Los Angeles. We filmed those scenes on Lacy Street, in a slummy area of old wooden buildings that could pass for Brooklyn.<ref name=john/></blockquote>Further cuts were made after the film received an [[NC-17]] rating for violence.<ref name="storynotes">{{cite web |title=Story Notes for Out for Justice |url=http://www.amc.com/talk/2013/11/story-notes-for-out-for-justice |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165841/http://www.amc.com/talk/2013/11/story-notes-for-out-for-justice |archivedate=February 4, 2017 |access-date=February 3, 2017 |website=AMC}}</ref>

=== Gene LeBell incident ===
During filming, there was an alleged physical altercation between Seagal and stunt coordinator [[Gene LeBell]]. While on the production set, Seagal allegedly claimed that due to his aikido training, he was "immune" to being choked unconscious. At some point, LeBell, a 10th degree red belt in [[judo]] and experienced [[catch wrestler]], heard about the claim and gave Seagal the opportunity to prove it. He supposedly placed his arms around Seagal's neck, and once Seagal said "go", choked him into unconsciousness, urination and defecation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Palmquist|first=Chris|date=March 12, 2012|url=https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/gene-lebell-talks-steven-seagal-s-ing-himself/|title=Gene LeBell talks Steven Seagal s—-ing himself|accessdate=July 27, 2021}}</ref> The popularity of this incident led LeBell to be counted in 1992 as a potential additional member of Robert Wall's controversial "Dirty Dozen," a group of martial artists willing to answer to a public challenge made by Seagal 

Seagal has denied the incident ever took place, calling LeBell a "sick, pathological scumbag liar" and offered the name of a witness who could discredit the other account. After refusing to comment for many years, LeBell circumspectly referred to the story in 2012 in an [[Ariel Helwani]] when questioned on the matter in an interview; some outlets chose to consider this confirmation of the story, despite LeBell refusing to directly comment.<ref>Mancini, Vince. [https://uproxx.com/filmdrunk/jude-gene-lebell-confirms-choking-steven-seagal-until-seagal-pooped-himself/ "Judo Gene Lebell confirms choking Steven Seagal until Seagal pooped himself"], ''uproxx.com'' March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2021.</ref> He was quoted as saying: "When we had a little altercation or difference of opinion, there were thirty stuntmen and cameramen that were watching. Sometimes Steven has a tendency to cheese off the wrong people, and you can get hurt doing that." After being asked whether he was not going to directly confirm it, LeBell said: "Well, if thirty people are watching, let them talk about it."

Stuntman Steven Lambert, who was also Seagal’s part-time bodyguard, stated he was present and said that a confrontation did happen. According to Lambert, Seagal explained to LeBell that he did not believe his choke hold was effective, and that he could escape from it. LeBell demonstrated the choke hold by putting it on Seagal. Without locking the hold, Seagal side stepped and swung his forearm backwards into his crotch. LeBell came off the floor by a few feet. As soon as he landed, LeBell used a foot sweep to sweep Seagal off the floor, with Seagal landing on his back. LeBell helped Seagal up.<ref>Mancini, Vince. [https://uproxx.com/filmdrunk/jude-gene-lebell-confirms-choking-steven-seagal-until-seagal-pooped-himself/ "Judo Gene Lebell confirms choking Steven Seagal until Seagal pooped himself"], ''uproxx.com'' March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2021.</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Out for Justice'' debuted at number one for the U.S. box office,<ref>{{cite news|title=Weekend Box Office: Steven Seagal Scores Another Hit|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=April 16, 1991|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-16-ca-266-story.html|access-date=July 27, 2021|first=David J.|last=Fox}}</ref> the third straight Seagal movie to do so. It eventually grossed $40 million, about a third less than his prior movie, ''[[Marked for Death]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Review/Film; Out of a Coma, Still Dapper and Disarming|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 28, 1991|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/10/movies/review-film-out-of-a-coma-still-dapper-and-disarming.html|access-date=July 27, 2021|first=Janet|last=Maslin|authorlink=Janet Maslin}}</ref>

===Critical response===
The movie received generally negative reviews.<ref name=metacritic/><ref>{{cite news|title=Review/Film; Spotlight on Lowlife, Then ZAP!|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1991-04-13|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/13/movies/review-film-spotlight-on-lowlife-then-zap.html|access-date=July 27, 2021|first=Janet|last=Maslin}}</ref> On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 23% based on reviews from 22 critics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Out for Justice (1991)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/out_for_justice/|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=July 27, 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 38 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics.<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|title=Out for Justice|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/out-for-justice|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 27, 2021}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|title=Cinemascore|url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 }}</ref>

=== Censorship ===
Additional cuts for violence were made for the film's release overseas. In the United Kingdom in particular, several of the gruesome action scenes were trimmed for the video release, cutting the duration by 54 seconds. It was later released uncut for DVD.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0102614}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071115215321/http://www.thegoddessandthegenius.com/?p=10 Movie Review at The Goddess and the Genius]

{{John Flynn}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Out For Justice}}
[[Category:1991 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1991 martial arts films]]
[[Category:1990s police films]]
[[Category:1990s vigilante films]]
[[Category:American films about revenge]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American martial arts films]]
[[Category:American neo-noir films]]
[[Category:American police detective films]]
[[Category:American vigilante films]]
[[Category:Films about the American Mafia]]
[[Category:Films about the New York City Police Department]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Flynn]]
[[Category:Films produced by Arnold Kopelson]]
[[Category:Films scored by David Michael Frank]]
[[Category:Films set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s Italian-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:Films about Italian-American culture]]