Out for Blood (1992) User Reviews

Karate Man's vengeance...

[fmarkland32 · 4/10 · 15 June 2006]

Don Wilson stars as John Decker, a lawyer turned vigilante who uses his impressive karate skills to get revenge on thugs and look to solve the mystery of the murder of his family. The plot description tells you all you need to know. Plug in a few fight sequences, a love interest and assembly line villains and you have the movie. I guess on a technical stand point this is one of Don's better features(I can't say best because the only others I saw was Bloodfist 1, Blackbelt and Cyber Tracker) however the story is written entirely to cliché and the film is rather cheaply made (Though better than usual for Wilson) the action sequences are well staged but the ending feels rushed and the movie comes to an unsatisfying conclusion. Still fans of Don Wilson will find something of interest here.

* * out of 4-(Fair)

Chasing "The Dragon"

[tarbosh22000 · 6/10 · 29 September 2010]

Out For Blood (1992)-**1\2 Directed by: Richard W. Munchkin Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Robert Miano, Shari Shattuck, Aki Aleong, and Robert Delano John Decker (Don) is a troubled lawyer with a tragedy in his past. He's trying to sort out his troubles with his friend and psychologist Dr. McConnell (Ron Steelman), or Mack as Decker calls him. Mack takes him to an art opening where he meets the beauty Joanna Montaigne (Shattuck) and wise old man Hiroshi (Aleong), who both influence his life in different ways - but at night, figuring he has nothing left to lose, Decker puts on his purple and black Nike running jacket and becomes...Karate Man! He goes around the city beating up and shooting bad guys and drug dealers. The media, based on the drunken ramblings of a homeless woman, runs with the "Karate Man" moniker and soon the whole city wants to know who he is, including Decker's friend on the police force, Lt. Croft (Delano). With both the cops and the baddies on his trail, will Decker/Karate Man win the day? We love Don "The Dragon" Wilson and anything he's in, we'll watch. Here, he's as delightfully wooden as ever. It's great when Don wears glasses, and here he has some funny ones during his lawyer persona. This is a funny plot point - he's not a cop, he's not in Intelligence, CIA, FBI, etc...he's a LAWYER! Action Lawyer away! He even says at one point "I feel naked without my beeper!" Interestingly, Don gets the credit "Based on a Concept By Don The Dragon Wilson" - so he was involved in the creation as well. Director Munchkin strikes again and his movies are usually better than average. Here he goes for something a little less linear, with some weird scenes and flashbacks.

Speaking of which, the main influences here seem to be Batman (1989) and Robocop (1987), but without all the fantastical elements - it's just a man in a jogging suit. Oddly enough, Out For Blood prefigures Kick-Ass (2010), in the sense that it is about a self-made 'superhero', with no actual super powers, that becomes more and more popular as he is swept along by a wave of media interest.

Robert Miano stops by as Geisler, the evil mastermind. He has plenty of goons, not the least of which is a "Cowboy of the modern day" who doesn't seem to have a name. But he does have two of the biggest, stupidest meatheads ever. These two dunderheads are so ridiculously dumb they make the Barbarian Brothers look downright sophisticated. I guess they give the film some humor, which is always welcome.

For some rock-solid Don, with a cool vigilante/revenge theme, look no further than Out for Blood!

Standard PM Hogwash

[saint_brett · 6/10 · 4 November 2022]

I've just been sifting through all my DVDs looking for karate movies and have come up short. Thought I had more than what's in my collection. There's more porn and horror than anything else.

I've settled on this 'Out For Justice' budget entertainment DVD tonight.

I know how these movies go - bad guys in business suits hit your family which gives one cause to demonstrate martial arts skills and seek revenge. Light on substance, heavy on action. (This would be 98% of Gary Daniels movies.)

So, you kick some guys silly and eliminate drug lords but how's that going to bring your dead loved ones back? Rigg's went through this same torment, didn't he?

Movie starts out with some shadow warrior from Hawaii warming up on Cobretti's beach strip. The Hawaiian guy then runs down Hollywood Blvd and has flashbacks of saving a kid from an electric fence. He interrupts some business men who are trading in illegal talcum powder. The Hawaiian fella makes a scene about brand names and has all these former karate twits hot on his trail. Wasn't this guy in 'Cyborg?' Uh-oh! Boom mic in frame at the 6:19-minute mark. Oh dear.

The Hawaiian guy's name in this is "Karate Man."

You can tell it's the 90's in LA with all this thick smog still lingering around from the set of 'Karate Kid 3.' A British woman in this has straw hair that's been bundled up then blower vacced to nowhere.

A Miyagi wannabe talks about drinking urine.

The quality of this DVD is just a VHS rip that's as bad as B&W 60's movies converted to color.

The psychiatrist in this is the BTK killer. I can guarantee he's involved with the baddies somehow and will double cross Seagal. I've seen too many of these sorts of movies and can read 'em like a book.

These karate movies were notorious for using former fighters in their movies. This big ABBA guy is from 'LA Street Fighters.' Think his name's Big Foot, or something? Thunder Foot, who knows? He's got that whole 70's ABBA haircut.

So, by day "Karate Man" is a lawyer with amnesia - who's never at work - and by night he's like Ken Wahl in 'Gladiator' and does the work of the police. Similar to TMNT in a way, too. And of course, the police detest the vigilante doing their work and go after him instead of the criminals.

"Karate Man" gets into a brawl with a 70's disco gang. Beats up a boxer.

Recycled footage from 'Ring of Fire' sees "Karate Man" eating in the same restaurant from the same movie. A baddy busts in but is disarmed then tossed up like mixed vegetables.

Is that The Undertaker?

"Karate Man" takes on David Coverdale and Michael Bolton in a lavish restaurant toilet and it only lasts for about 10 seconds. There's a rematch later on and it only goes for 20 seconds this time.

"Karate Man" hasn't went shopping, paid a bill, or worked once in this movie. He eventually tracks down the talcum powder factory in the end and it's run by laboratory men in the fashion of 'New Jack City.' He takes down all the henchmen, who are armed to the teeth, then sets two undercover ET baddies on fire and they burn longer than fire logs. It's well filmed.

"Karate Man's" shot in the arm and healed by having sex with the British informant. I guess that Marvin Gaye song has some insurance about it as this wounded arm has no problem for the rest of the movie.

See, I knew the BTK was in on it.

What triggered the plane to blow up at the end?

You can clearly see that's a stunt double flying through the air at the end and not Steven Seagal.

The last minute of the movie ends with their voices and lips out of sync.

Infinitely better than the average martial arts film.

[ChoiBaby · 28 January 1999]

Don "The Dragon" Wilson shows considerable rage as the elusive "Karateman," a martial artist who eradicates the adulteration of society. Lawyer by day...vigilante by night, Karateman, known to most people as John Decker lived the American dream as a once proud family man. Until one night...Decker's life was shattered as his wife and son were sadistically murdered in front of his white eyes by a gang of iniquitous drug dealers...

Only one problem...for Decker suffers from a partial case of amnesia. Lapses of the murders appear in flashback only so sporadically in Decker's mind. Decker must find a way to chastise these drug dealers who are gradually taking over the city with their endless supply of merchandise. If Decker can't punish the dealers through legal means in the courtroom...then he will teach them a life long lesson in the streets by beating the sense out of these crooks...

John Decker/Karateman is spending time cleaning up the filthy streets just for the good of the community. This unexpected sweeping of the city streets by a one man force does not create adequate business for the criminal masterminds behind the distribution of drugs and cocaine throughout the city. They are not contended as this single arm of the law is nailing individual drug dealers one by one. Working in collusion with corrupt cops, the dealers gang together and concoct a formula for revenge which will maul Karateman's reputation...

Decker shows no fear against a myriad of martial arts experts! However, can he overcome his battles against his personal demons of guilt and remorse? With aid from a wise elder (Aki Aleong) whose philosophies are quite shrewd, Decker is given tutelage as to choosing the right path towards inner clarity and peace. Decker also finds refuge with a love interest, Joanna (Shari Shattuck).

Out for Blood is a rather fine action flick. The martial arts choreography is a feast for the eyes as Wilson displays an array of awesome high kicks, blocks, and fast reflexes to trick the human mind. The rapid fire photography, cinematography, and editing are top notch and the battle sequences between Wilson and the villains are well captured on camera. The plot about murder and retribution has been played a million times before on screen, but Out for Blood adds plenty of credence to its main character as he shows mental vulnerability, demonstrated to the audience that nobody can always be "invincible" in both physical strength and mind. The acting tends to be annoyingly over-dramatic and the same elements of a typical, formulaic revenge film are reiterated throughout Out for Blood again. Everything in Out for Blood is a compendium of clichés from previous entries belonging in the category of "the weak oppressed turns into potent avenger" type theme.

Even if Out for Blood has a dearth of novelty AND ingeunity in the film, the breathless action more than compensates for this shortcoming. Out for Blood is a slick, supercharged adventure with enough surprises and hits to make this movie a must see for martial arts aficionados.

Director Richard W. Munchkin has executed a slam-bang, intensive thriller. With handsome production values and a charismatic leading star, Out for Blood is set as a fun filled motion picture.

Infinitely better than your average, mayhem-packed adventure, Out for Blood delivers a corpulence of power and tricks in the book to buoy this film above mediocrity. This film may be unremarkable, but it is a worthwhile experience. Entertaining, to say the least.

RATING: **1/2 out of ****.

Credit due for one aspect

[lotekguy-1 · 5/10 · 14 June 2022]

For the most part, this is a paint-by-numbers crime/revenge/martial arts product, just about average for the genre and for The Dragon, though a bit short on the fight choreography.

But they tried a bit harder than usual on the script (apart from the pseudo-Zen drivel flowing from one character), adding a suspense factor about who our hero can really trust, and what's the role of the behind-the-scene weasel(s). That element raised my 4 to a 5.

A good old fashion Martial art movie

[tardigrade81 · 7/10 · 19 February 2009]

I watched this movie quite a few years ago and again watched it last night as it was on TV. It is one of Don's best. The above comment explains the plot pretty well haha. If you are the type of person that likes a straight up action movie where you can turn your brain off and just enjoy some good old fashion butt kicking then this movie is for you.

Lately I have been watching a lot of Seagal movies, and except for Pistol Whipped, Urban Justice, and Mercenary For Justice (those were all good) the rest have been horrible. This movie Out For Blood has been a breath of Fresh Air. The thing i like about Don is he does all his own stunts or most anyway, and the action sequences are shot nice so you can actually see him and the bad guy go at it, unlike most of Seagals movies where you see a face and some hands being thrown haha.

Anyway for a simple action martial art movie this is a really good one to see. Go check it out, although it might be hard to find as its not that popular.

Don "The Dragon"'s best?

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 13 October 2017]

OUT FOR BLOOD is one of the darkest of the thrillers that PM Entertainment were making in the early 1990s. It's clearly inspired by Seagal's OUT FOR JUSTICE, featuring Don "The Dragon" Wilson as a fighter whose family were massacred by criminal goons, leading him to start a new career as a fearsome vigilante called the 'Karate Man' (no, I'm not making this up). What follows is a dark, dark thriller with little story and endless action sequences depicting Wilson using his considerable skills to beat up on a whole range of goons. I thought the action scenes were well staged on the obviously low budget and that the film as a whole was entertaining throughout, with no slow spots and a really driven narrative style.

A lesser PM movie

[Wizard-8 · 15 November 2010]

"Out For Blood" is a PM Entertainment movie made when the company really started to get serious. The photography (by PM Entertainment honcho Richard Pepin) is excellent, and the rest of the production values are good as well. However, in most other aspects, the movie is lacking. The screenplay (which somehow took three people to write, from a "concept" by star Wilson) is seriously padded out; while the movie may never really get BORING, it will seriously test your patience at times. The fight sequences, the real selling point of the movie, are disappointing, with unspectacular moves and rapid editing combining to drain any energy the fights might have provided. About the only bright spot is unintentional, with a villain who strongly resembles Z movie star David Heavener. The best way to watch this movie is when you are doing something else at the same time, like your taxes or cleaning your living room. That way, your attention can be fixed on something productive when the movie turns uneventful. One additional word of warning if you decide to rent this movie: The Madacy DVD uses the edited-for-television print, meaning all the foul language and other R-rated goodies are edited out.