Bullet Points: Street Corner Justice

One of the perks of writing for the head honchos at BulletproofAction.com is the swag. They have been known to give away shirts, posters and movies ranging from the latest box office blockbuster to the lowly ribald beginnings of Vince Murdocco. One such offering that came across my desk unexpectedly was the 1996 film Street Corner Justice. With that title and the fact that BPA knows what I like, I assumed it was either about a hooker getting revenge or a cop cleaning up a gang infested neighborhood. Then I realized that Street Corner Justice was bestowed upon me because it stars personal favorite Marc Singer… a cop cleaning up a gang infested neighborhood it is! In the spirit of giving I just so happen to have some Bullet Points for Marc Singer cleaning up a gang infested neighborhood in Street Corner Justice.

• Yinz Know How to Start a Film – Street Corner Justice starts with some night scenes and aerial shots of Pittsburgh, PA. The camera eventually finds its way to a back alley dumpster where we see a lady getting raped by Clint Howard (Body Armor)… truly the art of cinema at its highest form. Clint Howard is only credited as rapist, but that would be selling him short because not only is he interested in rape, but he also cuts the poor victim’s chest and licks up her blood. A peeper in a window ruins the dumpster party and calls the cops to stop the crime.
• Yinz Know How to Name a Character – Mike Justus is the number one Pittsburgh cop who isn’t afraid to play a little dirty to get things done and is played by the one and only Marc Singer (Sweet Justice.) What a name for a character in a justice movie, there is no doubt who the hero in the movie is going to be. Justus is also one of the most Pittsburghery characters on film. He wears a Pittsburgh Steelers hat, when we first see him he is outside a store with an Iron City Beer sign, and he rips the filters off his cigarettes before he smokes, which he does all the time but it looks especially badass when reading criminals their rights. Justus chases Clint Howard’s rapist and we are treated to a solid fight considering one of the combatants is Clint Howard. After having his life saved by Justus when nearly falling off a building, Clint Howard’s rapist tricks Justus and we get another chase until Justus beats the living snot out of Clint Howard’s rapist. Some more peepers get this beating on video forcing the Pittsburgh PD to fire Justus, but luckily for our hero is aunt left him a house in North Hollywood.

• A Stereotypical Mini-Mall – A more accurate, a mini-mall with stereotypes happens to right by Justus’ new house. The mini-mall has entrepreneurs of every race, including the donut shop owner Kwong Chuck Lee (Soon Tek Oh, The Final Countdown) video store owner Jenny Connor (Kim Lankford,) jeweler Lou Wisceman, generic Asian store owner Li Chen (Raymond Ma, White Ghost) an Irish Catholic priest Father Brophy (Bryan Cranston) and an African American businessman. Every color is represented in a positive light… except for brown, because the Mexican gangs are the bad guys, led by Mano and Federico.
• A Stereotypical Burnt-Out Cop – Justus doesn’t really want to get involved with the problems of the mini-mall although he keeps helping the owners when they are in trouble. The local police really don’t want to help either, especially Sergeant Freeborn (Steve Railsback, Turkey Shoot) which if you have seen any action movie should send up a big red flag.  Justus refuses to join the neighborhood watch group TNB, or Take Norwood Back, that is until the epic beatdown the group takes on a playground set. What a great setting for a fight, especially when it involves old people getting beat up and Jenny taking a bludgeon right to the face.

• Posse Comitatus – With his friends taking a beating, especially Jenny who has become very infatuated with Justus, the former cop decides he must take action. In order to stop the gang, Justus calls in a couple of friends while invoking posse comitatus, which he thinks just by saying it allows anyone to legally form a posse. Justus first calls on tough chick prostitute Willie Gee, another lady that is pretty infatuated with him. Next he gets reformed gang member Angel Aikens (Tiny Lister, No Holds Barred) to join his posse. The trio began cleaning up the area, but not without some resistance from the gangs, which is bad for the mini-mall but excellent for the audience who is watching.
• Movie Completatus – The ending to Street Corner Justice is pretty special for a few reasons. First, there are some surprises regarding the outcome of both good and bad characters. Second, it provides some action after some long periods of non-action. And third, the shoot-out is an all around entertaining action scene and is double exciting if you like watching cholos getting shot.

Street Corner Justice stars Marc Singer. That is pretty much all I needed to watch and he doesn’t disappoint. The rest of the cast is game, but with the large number of characters none of them really get to be anything more than stereotypes. However, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason and it allows the audience to know what these characters are all about with wasting time on minor characters. The action in Street Corner Justice is good… when it is there. The one downside of Street Corner Justice is the action fluctuates from 1 to 10 without much in between. Hopefully everyone works at a place where their employers give out entertaining action films like BPA does with Street Corner Justice. If not, I have a rare treat for everyone… some Street Corner Justice Bonus Bullet Points.

• ‘I Get It!’ Quote – “There is no justice, just us.”
• If You Ever… wanted to see Marc Singer get spray painted in the face then kicked in the balls, Street Corner Justice is for you.
• Titular Quote – “Mr. Street Corner Justice”
• Love Theme from Street Corner Justice – Star Kim Lankford wrote and sings some of the songs including the unofficial love theme “Every Now and Then.” Make sure to stick around for the credits to hear it again.
• That’s Pretty Damn Happy Quote – “Happy as a hooker with a sack full of dicks.”
• If You Ever… wanted to see someone piss all over Soon-Tek Oh’s cupcakes than Street Corner Justice is for you.
• Good for the Gander Quote – “I’m looped as a goose already.”
• …And Justice for All – If justice for the street corner is not your cup of tea, maybe you will enjoy Ultimate Justice, Raw Justice, Steele Justice, Brotherhood of Justice, Sworn to Justice, American Justice, Sweet Justice, Señorita Justice, Hard Justice, Mission of Justice, or Extreme Justice.