Extreme Justice

In a plot strikingly similar to that of Eastwood's "Magnum Force", "Extreme Justice" deals with cops that take the law into their own hands and execute criminals in cold blood. The blurring of the line between law and justice, and between vigilantism and paranoia, is done here more efficiently than it was in "Magnum Force", so the movie holds your interest, despite the routine on all other accounts script and Mark Lester's unimaginative direction. The entire male cast is solid, but Chelsea Field is unconvincing as the hotshot reporter. (**)

I love it when films about these low profile organizations (like the SIS in this film or secret societies in The Skulls). Because I never heard of these organizations and I watch a film that when watching, I have the mentality of it just being a movie. Turns out these organizations exist. Well, in 1993, a little TV movie called Extreme Justice was made and it is about the SIS. Now before I go any further, research does say that this is a TV film (at least in the US) and the only lead I got was that this premiered on LifeTime which is something I highly doubt seeing that LifeTime (at least now) is geared towards women. Extreme Justice was directed by Mark L. Lester (The Base and The Base 2: Guilty as Charged). The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips (Stand and Deliver, and made appearances in 24), Scott Glenn (Apocalypse Now and The Silence of the Lambs), Yaphet Kotto (Alien and The Running Man), and Ed Lauter (Golden Years and I found out recently had an uncredited role in Talladega Nights).

Jeff Powers (Lou Diamond Phillips) is reassigned and put into the SIS. The SIS is a group of police officers who take down the worst of criminals by following them and catching them in the act. But Jeff is starting to realize that things may be going too far.

For those who do not know, Mark L. Lester would later go on and direct two films. The Base and The Base 2: Guilty as Charged. But it is the latter that I keep finding similarities between the two films. But it is this film that I like better. First off, I came in expecting some sort of buddy cop film that was violent enough that it would be allowed on television. But, it went a more serious route for the most part but still retained enough violence to satisfy my tastes (and hopefully it will satisfy the biggest of gore hounds when it comes to action movies). The whole story is a pretty generic and does nothing to stand out. It plays it safe. The whole moral conflict about killing and whatnot or just any sort of moral conflict has been done before and I cannot say I was a bit surprised by the overall outcome when it came to the end of the film. But, with that being said, it still is pretty entertaining for the most part. As mentioned before, the violence is enough for most people to easily handle and take in. The shootouts/action is pretty standard yet do not take it all as a negative. This is a TV movie (I think, unless this was a late night movie where you did not have to have anything censored) and you won't be seeing anything on a grand scale. Plus, it is the early 90's so good luck trying to get any big action on TV. The performances are actually fairly good and I usually find the best acting coming from the scenes filled with arguing. I know it sounds weird, but having tense scenes like that truly show how good these actors can be. Lou Diamond Phillips plays the long haired, young and cocky cop (and looks like he could be some bass player for some 90's rock band). A role that has been done before but I still had some fun watching him. The film flows fairly nice and does not slow down. If the film had any signs of slowing down, I would probably think that this film would have worked better as a TV show. Now, coming to think about it, it should have at some point!

Extreme Justice is nothing extraordinary but it does the job in being a TV movie. Something you turn on and be entertained by. It has some violence and good acting on top of the entertainment value.

Mark L. Lester has directed some of the most enjoyably trashy movies ever ("Roller Boogie," "Class of 1984," "Gold of the Amazon Women" etc.), mostly working in the low-budget direct- to-video or TV movie realm though he briefly entered the mainstream with the Stephen King adaptation "Firestarter" and Stallone vehicle "Commando." I haven't seen much of his more recent work, but always perk up when I see his name on a DVD or old VHS tape--his movies are sometimes ridiculous but they're almost always energetic and entertaining.

This is actually one of his more respectable efforts, as it's a fairly effective indictment of police corruption that was made at a time when LAPD was under close scrutiny for just that. Lou Diamond Phillips plays a conscientious (but incongruously long-haired) young police officer recruited to a special unit, teamed with his mentor Scott Glenn. They're assigned to track down serial murderers, rapists and robbers, but somehow every time they apprehend the bad guys, all the perps and usually a few innocent bystanders end up dead--the whole squad is way too trigger-happy, esp. Glenn. Phillips gets increasingly uncomfortable with this, leading to the inevitable tension (a la the later "Training Day") between cop veteran and newbie partner.

Both leads are good, the violent action is solidly handled, and the movie is less campy but no less fun than many of Lester's other films. It's nothing great, but it's a solid "B" flick.

Fans of good action films will find "Extreme Justice" to their liking. What elevates this police special squad film above the competition, is the interesting and effective cast. You rarely see Scott Glenn, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ed Lauter, and Yaphet Kotto all together in one exciting movie. Ethical questions aside, "Extreme Justice" delivers the death squad justice in massive doses. If you are a fan of any of the above actors, then seek this one out, because you will not be disappointed. My only objection is that the female lead, Chelsea Field, playing a snoopy reporter, is rather bland, cold, and ultimately forgettable. - MERK

(the following review/comment is my own personal opinion)i found this movie entertaining.it is pretty fast paced and never really lets up.it's basically about an elite group of cops whose sole purpose is to tail the bad guys and learn their routine.then the nab them in the act.this sometimes results in people being victimized so they can have an air tight case against the bad guys.but the squad becomes more of a vigilante group,taking on the role of judge,jury and executioner.the movie is apparently based on a real squad that still exists today.but the events and the characters in the movie are fictional.there is fair amount of violence in this movie and a some pretty crude language.it's a pretty standard paint by numbers action/crime drama,but i think the acting performances elevated it quite a bit.Lou Diamond Phillips and Scott Glenn are the two main actors,but there are some great supporting performances.for me,Extreme Justice is a 7/10.