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Ah, Steven Seagal: The now fat, past-his-prime Aikido expert/invincible movie star, who critics loved to endlessly pick gripe with, and fans at the very most could just about tolerate.

Seagal never actually looked anything like the trend of the typical '80s/'90s action star, which was set by the Schwarzeneggers and Stallones of the generation -- what, with his greasy pony tail, bloated figure and extravagant dress sense. Out For Justice, however, was a by-the-numbers action flick with Seagal playing Gino Felino, a tough, incorruptible Brooklyn cop, who was out to avenge the death of his partner Bobby Lupo.

It's actually a solid little action movie in itself, which never tries to be anything more than what it is. The introduction, particularly, is memorable for being one of the most badass openings to an action film I've ever seen: Seagal spots a black PIMP beating up on a young girl and steps up to him saying "Try beating up on me, motherfucker." Needless to say, the black dude ends up completely owned for all his shit talk, and the scene freezes to display in bold, red lettering: "STEVEN SEAGAL: OUT FOR JUSTICE," then ends. Genius.

The fight choreography, in general, is also easily the best I've seen from a Steven Seagal film. The pool hall scene, especially, is an absolute classic, which sees Seagal taunt, tease and beat down a whole host of goons -- a majority of the time on his knees -- with the aid of pool ball wrapped in a hanky. Truly awesome.

It would be rude to talk about Out For Justice and not mention William Forsythe -- Seagal's enemy here -- also. He plays the greasy-moustached psychopath, Richie, who goes around smoking crack and mindlessly killing anyone who crosses his path, including a helpless guy in a wheelchair and a gobby female driver. Forsythe manages to be despicable but entertaining at the same time, making for a pretty likeable villain.

Possibly the worst thing about this film, though, is Seagal's attempt at an Italian accent. While his beatdowns are easily the most entertaining thing here, there are long periods where it seems like this is a bad remake of The Godfather, with some of the dialogue being absolutely awful.

If you're a Steven Seagal fan, you'll unfortunately have to sit through the dull moments before the majority of the violence in the final third of the film to eventually kicks in.
Thankfully, though, there is an '80s montage thrown in the middle of it all -- backed by the Beastie Boys hit 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' -- which will leave you anticipating a brutal, final showdown between Seagal and Forsyth, that ends up being far from disappointing.

Just peaking Under Siege, this gets my vote as the best Seagal flick out there; and, as far as action movies go, this is actually rather enjoyable, believe it or not. If you're expecting anything of great depth, you're best off staying away: Out For Justice is unapologetically generic, and will appeal to most action fans.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2008.