Out For Justice - Plot

Plot

Gino Felino (Steven Seagal) is an NYPD detective from Brooklyn who has strong ties within his neighborhood.

In the opening scene of the movie, Gino and his partner Bobby are waiting to bust up a multi-million dollar drug deal. However, Gino sees a pimp beating up a woman and intervenes. Shortly afterward, film's main antagonist, Richie Madano (William Forsythe), murders Gino's partner, Bobby Lupo, in broad daylight in front of his wife, Laurie, and his two kids.

Richie is a crack addict who grew up with Gino and Bobby and has determined to leave this world via death by cop. Richie then murders a woman at a traffic stop and steals her car, and then begins heading off into Brooklyn alongside his goons, who are horrified by what he does but continue to work alongside him.

Gino knows Richie is not going to leave the neighborhood and he tells his captain (Jerry Orbach) to give him the clearance for a manhunt. His Captain gives him the clearance, and provides him with an Ithaca 37 pump action 12 gauge shotgun, and an unmarked 1988 Chevrolet Caprice tactical unit. Gino visits his mob connection Frankie and his boss Don Vittorio to tell them that he is going to find Richie, 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. As a subplot, Gino is driving when the driver of a station wagon throws a black garbage bag out the window in front of Gino's car. Seeing that the bag is moving, Gino stops and gathers the bag, and is surprised to find a very scared puppy inside of it.

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 all of them. He still does not know where Richie is, but his concern about getting an attitude problem has been taken care of. Richie later comes back to the bar and beats up Vinnie for not killing Gino when it was one cop against a bar full of armed men. He also has info 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 (Julie Strain), and a waitress named Terry Malloy (Shannon Whirry). 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 Bobby. It turns out that Bobby was 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 naked. 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 Bobby.

Gino attempts to get Richie out of hiding by arresting his sister Pattie (Gina Gershon) and by talking to his elderly father, a hard-working and honest man who knows his son is worthless. Following a tip from his local snitch Picolino, Gino eventually finds Richie in a house in the old neighborhood having a party. Gino kills all of Richie's men. Gino beats Richie senseless and then finally kills him. 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 the credit for Richie's death.

Shortly after, Gino, his wife, and the puppy are walking along the pier when they encounter the "tough guy" who threw the bag into traffic. Gino accosts him, and the man attacks him in response. Gino kicks him in the groin, causing him to collapse on the ground in agony.