This was a vehicle for Linda Kozlowski, and sadly, there's really no other reason to see it. Ms. Kozlowski was talented and beautiful, and I wish she had a much more extensive career, as I would have liked to have seen more of her. In this film, she was as good as the material allowed. I thought that the plot was not developed very well, and the police procedures didn't make much sense.
7 Reviews
Cheap-as-chips thriller
Leofwine_draca16 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
BACKSTREET JUSTICE is a cheap-as-chips thriller from the 1990s with a starring role for CROCODILE DUNDEE actress Linda Kozlowski. She's pretty decent in the protagonist role, willing to fight and partake in the action sequences and also happy to strip down for a rather explicit sex scene at one point. The mildly interesting mystery storyline sees her investigating her own cop father's mysterious death; his name was blackened by corruption, but she believes there to be more to the story. What follows is fairly well paced, with lots of character twists and dramatic moments, even if it does seem to be set in just one location at times.
THE ROCKS!
BandSAboutMovies12 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is so close to being a Yinzer giallo. So, so close.
The rules:
* The movie must be true to its Pittsburgh roots, meaning that the movie must be filmed here while speaking directly to the experience of growing up in the city. Well, there's a scene where they discuss the many serial killers in town (tahn) in neighborhoods like Mount Washington and Homestead.
* If it's filmed here, it must reference Pittsburgh and not have the city stand-in for another town. That's true, as there's even a fight scene inside the Incline.
* It must feel authentic, which helps several films on this list as they are movies with moments that only make sense when you're a lifelong Pittsburgher. Honestly, the movie could be filmed anywhere and they'd adjust some neighborhoods and be fine, but it's still nice to see that it's made here.
* Bonus points for featuring Pittsburgh landmarks, Steelers jerseys and local brands. Trust me, seeing a can or bottle of Iron City in a yinzer giallo is like a J&B bottle in a traditional example. Well, there's a scene shot at the LeMont up in Mount Washington (a fancy place that working class types use as a reference toward eating something fancy; using it in a sentence: "What yinz millionaires and gonna eat at LeMont?"), Steeler Rocky Bleier playing himself and, just when I was wondering, "Will Bingo O'Malley show up in this?" he ends up playing a bad guy at a construction site.
* Unfortunately, while it is a murder mystery that plays on family dynamics and past crimes, it lacks a black gloved killer - not to say that numerous people aren't killed but mostly with a gun - and any psychosexual or fashion-centric moments. So, neither a giallo or Yinzer giallo.
But how is it as a movie?
It stars Linda Kozlowski from the Crocodile Dundee movies as Keri Finnegan, a tough Yinzer PI whose father was a bad cop, a fact that Captain Giarusso (Paul Sorvino) never lets her forget. Or any of the other cops, as the only one who seems to like her is her ex-boyfriend Nick Donovan (John Shea), who she still sleeps with (this is Kozlowski's first nude scene; she was also naked in Zorn, made the same year, then retired after 1995's Village of the Damned and the 1996 TV movie Shaughnessy until making 2001's Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles). She also has a father and daughter relationship with Nick's stepfather, District Attorney Steve Donovan (Hector Elizondo).
Kozlowski proves herself a formidable action heroine in this, giving her all in some rough and tumble fight scenes. And hey, maybe this is a giallo as the real killer ends up being the person least likely to be the murderer.
If I were the Pittsburgh Police, I'd start looking into all the dirty cops, though. Between this movie, Striking Distance, Street Corner Justice and Alone in the Neon Jungle, the boys in blue, black and yellow are not faring well on film. If you want to see some actual cops working on the streets of the Steel City, check out season 3, episode 23 of cops where someone tries to jump off a bridge, just like Jimmy Detillo.
I really love that this film's heroine is based in McKees Rocks, which if you're looking for a rough neighborhood for a hardscrabble lead in Pittsburgh, well, you can't really do better. Tammy Grimes shows up as Keri's mother and Vivica Lindfors (Creepshow) plays an older woman who has evidence important to Finnegan's case and her father's supposed crimes.
You can tell this was made in 1994 because of this dialogue, said by the heroine, no less, to her black friend: ""Where the hell were you anyway? What did you do, pass a watermelon stand you couldn't resist?" He answers, "Colonel Sanders." Come on, beyond how racist this is, if he was a real Yinzer, he would have replying, "I was at George Aiken."
Director and writer Chris McIntyre (Gang Warz, Hell to Pay) was at least smart enough to hire Tom Savini to do the special makeup effects. Also, I am sure that former Mayor Sophie Masloff is in that dinner scene, which would make a lot of sense as she held the office from 1988 until the year this was made.
The rules:
* The movie must be true to its Pittsburgh roots, meaning that the movie must be filmed here while speaking directly to the experience of growing up in the city. Well, there's a scene where they discuss the many serial killers in town (tahn) in neighborhoods like Mount Washington and Homestead.
* If it's filmed here, it must reference Pittsburgh and not have the city stand-in for another town. That's true, as there's even a fight scene inside the Incline.
* It must feel authentic, which helps several films on this list as they are movies with moments that only make sense when you're a lifelong Pittsburgher. Honestly, the movie could be filmed anywhere and they'd adjust some neighborhoods and be fine, but it's still nice to see that it's made here.
* Bonus points for featuring Pittsburgh landmarks, Steelers jerseys and local brands. Trust me, seeing a can or bottle of Iron City in a yinzer giallo is like a J&B bottle in a traditional example. Well, there's a scene shot at the LeMont up in Mount Washington (a fancy place that working class types use as a reference toward eating something fancy; using it in a sentence: "What yinz millionaires and gonna eat at LeMont?"), Steeler Rocky Bleier playing himself and, just when I was wondering, "Will Bingo O'Malley show up in this?" he ends up playing a bad guy at a construction site.
* Unfortunately, while it is a murder mystery that plays on family dynamics and past crimes, it lacks a black gloved killer - not to say that numerous people aren't killed but mostly with a gun - and any psychosexual or fashion-centric moments. So, neither a giallo or Yinzer giallo.
But how is it as a movie?
It stars Linda Kozlowski from the Crocodile Dundee movies as Keri Finnegan, a tough Yinzer PI whose father was a bad cop, a fact that Captain Giarusso (Paul Sorvino) never lets her forget. Or any of the other cops, as the only one who seems to like her is her ex-boyfriend Nick Donovan (John Shea), who she still sleeps with (this is Kozlowski's first nude scene; she was also naked in Zorn, made the same year, then retired after 1995's Village of the Damned and the 1996 TV movie Shaughnessy until making 2001's Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles). She also has a father and daughter relationship with Nick's stepfather, District Attorney Steve Donovan (Hector Elizondo).
Kozlowski proves herself a formidable action heroine in this, giving her all in some rough and tumble fight scenes. And hey, maybe this is a giallo as the real killer ends up being the person least likely to be the murderer.
If I were the Pittsburgh Police, I'd start looking into all the dirty cops, though. Between this movie, Striking Distance, Street Corner Justice and Alone in the Neon Jungle, the boys in blue, black and yellow are not faring well on film. If you want to see some actual cops working on the streets of the Steel City, check out season 3, episode 23 of cops where someone tries to jump off a bridge, just like Jimmy Detillo.
I really love that this film's heroine is based in McKees Rocks, which if you're looking for a rough neighborhood for a hardscrabble lead in Pittsburgh, well, you can't really do better. Tammy Grimes shows up as Keri's mother and Vivica Lindfors (Creepshow) plays an older woman who has evidence important to Finnegan's case and her father's supposed crimes.
You can tell this was made in 1994 because of this dialogue, said by the heroine, no less, to her black friend: ""Where the hell were you anyway? What did you do, pass a watermelon stand you couldn't resist?" He answers, "Colonel Sanders." Come on, beyond how racist this is, if he was a real Yinzer, he would have replying, "I was at George Aiken."
Director and writer Chris McIntyre (Gang Warz, Hell to Pay) was at least smart enough to hire Tom Savini to do the special makeup effects. Also, I am sure that former Mayor Sophie Masloff is in that dinner scene, which would make a lot of sense as she held the office from 1988 until the year this was made.
Worth watching
heedarmy22 March 2001
Nothing particularly original but this is a well-made little thriller with a tough performance by Linda Kozlowski in the lead role. Refreshingly, her character handles most of the action herself without needing to be rescued by the male lead.
"She's tougher than she looks"!
gridoon25 September 2006
Linda Kozlowski is pretty much the whole show here. As a female P.I., she strikes a believable balance between toughness and vulnerability: she is not superhuman but she is fearless (even reckless), she is not an expert fighter but she can and will fight anyone when the need arises. It is quite refreshing to see a woman portrayed like this in the movies, and Linda's performance is excellent (even if it's easy to spot the 2 or 3 scenes where she was stunt-doubled). As for "Backstreet Justice" as a whole, apart from a fairly explicit - and sensual - sex scene, it plays more or less like a TV-movie-of-the-week, and just isn't very interesting. I give it a 6 out of 10, but if the exact same movie had been made with a male lead, I'd probably give it a 3.
A good evening movie with some twists and acouple boo-boo's
Brewski-27 December 2001
First of all, Linda K. looks so-o-o-o-o-o different with red tresses versus her straight blonde Croc Dundee hair. You forget the other characters she has played. Bruce Willis and Dennis Farina did another movie about police corruption in Pittsburgh so their film council must feature that in their brochure. This film takes excellent advantage of the river, hills, downtown, older homes and tram of Pittsburgh. Though their is the Ever-Present crusty Captain that wants to have the license of the P.I. and the helpful insider (Rockford Files, Simon & Simon, etc. etc.) the movie has sometension and you don't find out the final twist until the end. A few boo-boo's to look for: When Linda is getting shot at in the alley she starts with the silver long-barrelled revolver from her boyfriend but it transmutes into a short-barrelled blued handgun. In her second appearance at the Union Hall she is braless and then has one on as she comes upon the crime scene where the Big Mouth's wife is killed. I am told that 20 year old film that has sat undeveloped in a camera in an attic would probably not be able to be developed, but no one was willing to say "Absolutely Not." I applaud her for doing her own extended nude scene and not ripping us off with a body double. Most of the badges are authentic round Pittsburgh badges but at least one is a generic eagle-on-top badge. All that being said, rent it or buy it - it will be worth the price.
Backstreet Justice
Coxer9915 March 1999
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