Brooklyn. 1991. The concrete is gray, the sweaters are itchy, and Richie Madano just lost his mind in the middle of the street. If you grew up on 90s action, you know exactly what I'm talking about. While most people remember Out for Justice as "that movie where Steven Seagal beats everyone up with a pool ball in a sock," the reality is that the cast of Out for Justice is what actually keeps this thing alive on cable TV thirty-five years later. It wasn't just another aikido showcase. It felt like a neighborhood nightmare.
Honestly, the movie works because it doesn't feel like a Hollywood set. It feels like a bunch of guys from the outer boroughs who were told to just act natural while a ponytail-wearing whirlwind wrecked their bars. Most action flicks of that era relied on nameless goons. This one? It gave us William Forsythe.
The Absolute Menace of William Forsythe as Richie Madano
Let’s be real: Steven Seagal is Steven Seagal. In this movie, he plays Gino Felino, a cop who is basically a superhero in a leather jacket. But a hero is only as good as the guy making his life miserable. Enter William Forsythe.
Forsythe didn't just play a villain. He played a drug-addled, sweaty, unpredictable ticking time bomb named Richie Madano. There is a specific kind of energy Forsythe brings to the cast of Out for Justice that separates it from Seagal's other hits like Under Siege or Hard to Kill. Usually, the villain is a calculated businessman or a corrupt politician. Richie? Richie is a guy who shoots a woman in broad daylight because she’s blocking traffic.
It’s a terrifying performance. Forsythe reportedly stayed in character throughout the shoot, keeping himself in a state of agitation and filth to match Richie’s spiraling mental state. He’s the dark heart of the film. When he’s on screen, you aren't looking at the choreography; you’re looking at a man who has completely abandoned his humanity. That contrast—Gino’s cool, calculated violence versus Richie’s chaotic, senseless cruelty—is why the movie remains a cult classic.
Jerry Orbach and the New York Authenticity
If you only know Jerry Orbach from Law & Order, seeing him in the cast of Out for Justice feels like a weird multiversal crossover. He plays Captain Ronnie Donziger.
He’s the soul of the precinct. Orbach brings that weary, "I’ve seen too many murders today" gravitas that he eventually perfected as Lennie Briscoe. His presence grounds the movie. Without him, the film might have devolved into a cartoon. He provides the necessary friction for Seagal's character, acting as the authority figure who actually understands the neighborhood's unwritten rules.
👉 See also: When Was Kai Cenat Born? What You Didn't Know About His Early Life
It’s also worth noting how many "that guy" actors fill out the ranks. You’ve got Gina Gershon as Patti Madano. Before she was a household name in Showgirls or Bound, she was here, playing Richie’s sister with a mix of toughness and desperation. She doesn't have a massive amount of screen time, but she makes the Madano family feel like a real, messed-up unit.
The Supporting Players Who Built Brooklyn
You can’t talk about the cast of Out for Justice without mentioning the guys in the background. John Leguizamo pops up in an early, uncredited role as a kid in the street. Think about that for a second. A future Emmy winner and Hollywood staple was just part of the scenery in a Seagal flick.
Then there’s Julianna Margulies.
Before ER or The Good Wife, she made her film debut here as Rica. She’s Gino’s wife, and while the "suffering cop wife" is a total trope, Margulies actually tries to give the role some interior life. It’s a thankless job in an ultra-masculine action movie, yet she stands out because, well, she’s Julianna Margulies.
The bar scene—the legendary one with the pool ball—is a masterclass in casting character actors. You have guys like Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior from The Sopranos!) and Anthony DeSando. These aren't just extras. They are the texture of the film. When Gino walks into that social club and starts asking about Richie, the silence from the old-timers feels authentic. It feels like the Omertà of the old neighborhood.
Beyond the Lead: A Breakdown of Key Performances
- Jo Champa as Vicky Felino: She brings a certain elegance to the chaos, acting as a bridge between Gino's violent work life and his personal roots.
- Jay Acovone as Bobby Arms: Every unhinged villain needs a loyal, slightly terrified right-hand man. Acovone plays the part with the perfect amount of "I know I should leave, but I'm too deep in this" energy.
- Dan Inosanto as Sticks: If you’re a martial arts nerd, this is the big one. Inosanto is a legend—a student of Bruce Lee. His fight with Seagal is brief but technically fascinating because you’re watching two people who actually know what they’re doing.
Why the Casting Director Deserves a Raise
John Flynn directed this movie, but the casting department (specifically Jakki Fink) understood the assignment perfectly. They didn't just hire actors; they hired faces. They hired people with broken noses and thick accents.
✨ Don't miss: Anjelica Huston in The Addams Family: What You Didn't Know About Morticia
Most 1991 action movies were trying to be Terminator 2. They wanted scale and robots and explosions. Out for Justice went the other way. It wanted to be The French Connection but with more broken bones. The cast of Out for Justice reflects a very specific era of New York filmmaking where the city was still dangerous, or at least felt like it on celluloid.
The dialogue is snappy, often improvised-sounding, and deeply rooted in Italian-American slang. When the guys in the bar chirp at Gino, it doesn't sound like a script. It sounds like a Tuesday afternoon in Bensonhurst.
The Weird Legacy of the "Pool Ball" Scene
We have to talk about it because the cast makes it work. If the guys in the bar were bad actors, Seagal taking them all out would look silly. But because they play it with such genuine menace—and then such genuine fear—the scene carries weight.
You see the shift in the room. First, it's bravado. Then, it's realization. Finally, it's pain. The cast of Out for Justice sells the "tough guy" image so well that when the hero finally breaks them, it actually means something to the audience. You aren't just watching a stuntman fall over a chair; you're watching a "tough guy's" world crumble.
The Production Context
There were a lot of rumors during filming. Some said Seagal was difficult. Others said the script was being rewritten on the fly to add more grit. Whatever happened behind the scenes, the result was a movie that feels far more lived-in than Above the Law or Marked for Death.
Forsythe, in particular, was said to have pushed for more and more depravity for his character. He didn't want Richie to be "cool." He wanted him to be a loser. A high-stakes, dangerous loser, but a loser nonetheless. That nuance is why Richie Madano is often cited as the best villain in the entire Seagal filmography. He isn't a mastermind. He's just a guy with a gun who doesn't care if he lives or dies.
🔗 Read more: Isaiah Washington Movies and Shows: Why the Star Still Matters
What Most People Get Wrong About the Film
People think this is just a "bad" movie that's fun to laugh at. It's not.
If you look at the technical skill of the cast of Out for Justice, you see a group of professionals treating a B-movie like it's Shakespeare. Jerry Orbach doesn't phone it in. William Forsythe goes for the throat. Even the smaller roles, like the guys playing the Madano brothers' associates, are giving it 100%.
It’s a gritty urban Western. Gino is the sheriff, Richie is the outlaw, and Brooklyn is the frontier. The casting choices reinforce this at every turn. You have the "townspeople" who are scared, the "deputies" who are weary, and the "outlaws" who have nothing left to lose.
How to Appreciate the Film Today
If you’re going to revisit this classic, don't just watch it for the fights. Watch the background. Look at the faces in the butcher shop. Listen to the cadence of the arguments in the precinct.
Actionable Insights for Movie Buffs:
- Spot the Cameos: Keep your eyes peeled for a young John Leguizamo. It’s a "blink and you’ll miss it" moment that serves as a fun piece of trivia.
- Compare the Villains: Watch William Forsythe in this, and then watch him as Al Capone in The Untouchables TV series. The range is incredible. He is a chameleon of the "scary guy" genre.
- The Orbach Connection: Watch an episode of Law & Order right after this. It’s fascinating to see Jerry Orbach play essentially the same archetype but with a completely different tonal lean.
- Martial Arts Context: Research Dan Inosanto. Knowing his history with Bruce Lee makes his small role in the cast of Out for Justice much more significant for fight choreography fans.
The movie isn't just a relic of 1991. It's a snapshot of a specific kind of New York grit that doesn't really exist in cinema anymore. The cast is the reason that grit feels real. Without Forsythe's sweat and Orbach's tired eyes, it’s just another karate movie. With them, it’s a legend.