Urban Justice (2007)

Fantastic!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Another week, another Seagal flick on telly – at least that's what it feels like, given the prolific nature of the star's direct-to-DVD output in the past few years. The good news is that RENEGADE JUSTICE manages to be more purely entertaining than at least three recent Seagal films I can name (ATTACK FORCE, FLIGHT OF FURY, OUT OF REACH) although I still think it's pipped to the post by PISTOL WHIPPED, a film I like for some reason. The reason this film works is that it offers the sort of pure, pared-down entertainment Seagal films want to see: namely mucho ass-kicking and violence throughout.Things kick off with an innocent man gunned down on the streets and soon Seagal's in town, whupping backside wherever he goes. There's some kind of drugs war going on between rival gangs, but Seagal's not interested in any of that – he just wants to kill the man responsible for his son's death. His quest follows the likes of TAKEN as he single-mindedly works his way through anybody who might remotely be connected to the crime, and he also takes time out to give a gang of skinheads a beat down along the way, too.This film works because it's action packed. There are lots of fight scenes, and the good news is that Seagal's present for all of them (he's occasionally doubled in long shots, but at least it's his own voice here, too). They're exceptionally violent, brief and vivid, and usually involve our hero kicking the criminals in the groin, breaking their wrists, noses and sometimes their necks, too. Along with the hand-to-hand combat, there are some shoot-outs here too, which seem to have taken inspiration from Robert Rodriguez's PLANET TERROR in terms of the amount of blood that sprays from somebody's body when shot. These are some of the most gruesome blood sprays seen outside of Japanese cinema, and I admit I wasn't expecting that.The story is kept simple and the dialogue is a detraction; this is the most profane film I've seen, even more so than a Tarantino movie, and not in a good way. It just shows a lack of creativity. Still, Seagal is on good film, making an effort to act for a change, and there's a nice one-scene cameo from Danny Trejo thrown into the mix too. Add in some attractive ladies and a cheesily hilarious car chase and you have RENEGADE JUSTICE.

Review: I was expecting this movie to be really bad but it's actually watchable with some good action scenes. The storyline is about Seagal looking to revenge the death of his son after he gets mysteriously shot down on the streets of L.A. The cops try to make it look like a straight forward gang shooting, but Seagal isn't buying there story. He moves near to were the shooting took place and he delves into the underworld to try and work out why his son, who was also a police officer, was killed in cold blood. The storyline is basic and the movie did look quite cheap but it isn't that bad. There isn't any amazing twists but it's great watching Seagal kick butt without any damage to himself. Basically, it's what it says on the tin so it worth a watch if your into your mindless action movies. OK!Round-Up: This was made when Seagal was coming out with some decent movies but his career was on a downhill spiral. His coolness throughout the movie is classic Seagal, which we have all before and he seemed to actually move in his action scenes, which he is having problems with doing nowadays. I'm yet to see Seagal come up against a decent opponent who would give him a good fight but I still like watching him take down his enemies. Although the film went straight to DVD, it is better than his later work which are quite terrible. I recommend this movie to people who are into their action movies about Seagal seeking revenge after his son gets shot down in L.A. 3/10

A good cop is gunned down in the middle of a street and his father returns to find the one responsible. Steven Seagal is that father and he will mow through dirty cops and two LA street gangs in order to find the person who pulled the trigger. It's a simple, straight-forward plot.. Seagal is gonna pulverize anyone who stands in his way of seeking the identity of the man who killed his boy, Max(Cory Hart) and if someone is holding out on him, regarding information important to this, they will suffer the consequences. Eddie Griffin is the leader of the East Siders, Armand Tucker, while the Latino gang is headed by El Chivo(Danny Trejo, in a glorified cameo). Tucker is in league with dirty cops over drug-trafficking and Seagal's Simon Ballister gets in the middle of this because Detective Frank Shaw(Kirk BR Woller)might just be the one who shot down his son in cold blood due to his police work uncovering corruption on the force. Jade Yorker is Gary, the teenage brother of a low-time gangster working for Tucker, assigned to eliminate Simon..Gary, who was an informant for Max, will help Simon in his efforts to get his revenge(although, Gary's information doesn't exactly help Simon at first, due to his desire to keep brother Isaiah safe from harm). The conundrum for Gary is that Isaiah is sent to specifically kill Simon, by Tucker's direct orders, so it creates a problem with no positive result. Carmen Serano is Alice, a kind young woman who rents a ratty apartment to Simon and shoots the breeze with him, unfortunately getting pulled into a violent shootout with Tucker and his hoods. This is actually one of the better Seagal films I have seen lately, while not a ringing endorsement, it has him engaging in plenty of fights with street thugs always waving guns at his direction and paying the price accordingly. As you would expect in a film such as this, where the setting is in the midst of on-going street crime, there's constant bloodshed when gunfire is exchanged, often between Seagal and those who want him out of the picture. I will say that if you are one of those irritated with constant profanity, the answer would be to skip URBAN JUSTICE. Mr. Personality is all dogged determination in URBAN JUSTICE, handing out an ass whipping to anyone who warrants it. Unlike a film such as KILLSWITCH, we actually see Seagal in combat which is nice, even punt kicking scumbags through tables, or tossing gangstas across(..or through) furniture. Many a man is battered and beaten before the ultimate target gets his just desserts. While used a source of amusement, Eddie Griffin, known for his comic performances, is a real piece of work in this movie, a danger to anyone who threatens his operations on the streets. The ending is rather intriguing, considering the exchange that takes place between Simon and Tucker, and the result even more interesting.

Steven Seagal is back as a dad who seeks revenge for his killed son. He wants justice to be done. It sounds like a new Death Wish movie supplied with some kung fu, and that is what it probably was supposed to be.It could have been a decent movie, but it really fails in almost every aspect. The acting is as you could expect in a Steven Seagal movie, but the fight scenes are way below the quality in movies like the two Under Siege movies. It seems like that Steven Seagal is either too old or too unfit to perform action like in the old days. Instead he is always standing and just lifting a leg or punching. Therefore the fight scenes are also very short and cut in a quick way, so we do not see how old and slow the action star is today. We also have a car chase in the movie, but it is really not worth mentioning. The pursuit is slow, and at times you can see that the picture has been accelerated so it looks faster than it really is.The story is also pretty simple and straight forward, but the script is not what you would consider Oscar material. It is of course not what you expect from a Seagal movie, but it could at least have been a bit better. Well, it is not.There was a time where you could find something good in a Steven Seagal movie, but those days are over. Today his movies are just as bad as the worst from Van Damme and Chuck Norris. It is a shame, but maybe Lord Steven should consider retiring and instead focus on his music.