Beyond Justice (1991) User Reviews

There Certainly Is a Lot of Sand

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 8 December 2006]

Other than the enjoyment of looking at Carol Alt in her business suits, this is a pretty good cast wasted. To start with, I couldn't care less about her rich girl persona and her snot son. The kid looks like a refugee from Leave It to Beaver. He is so happy all the time. Even when he punches out the big kid in the principals office. Rutger Hauer is hired to go retrieve the boy from his Arab father who is an aspiring Emir in a desert colony. Boy, it's hard to watch what the likes of Omar Sharif became. Anyway, they blast their way in and attempt the rescue. She comes along, of course, because she is an Alpha female, rich, corporate executive, which qualifies her to fight against Arabs with machine guns. Mostly she hides; but she is there. I'm sure a fair amount of money was spent on this. There is some nice desert cinematography. It's just too many deaths, done easily, to get back that little jerk kid, who, in actuality, couldn't fight his way out of a grocery sack. Too much shooting and not enough plot.

Okay time killer

[Woodyanders · 5/10 · 15 March 2016]

Heiress Christine Sanders (stiffly played by the striking Carol Alt) hires former CIA agent turned mercenary Tom Burton (Rutger Hauer coasting along on automatic pilot) to go to Morocco and rescue her bratty kidnapped son Robert (an obnoxious portrayal by David Flossi).

Sound tense and exciting? Well, it just ain't. Although competently directed by Duccio Tessari, the talky script, sluggish pace, and infrequent blandly staged action set pieces all ensure that this movie fizzles when it ought to sizzle. Worse yet, Alt's cardboard acting and plastic personality make it impossible to care about her character while the annoying abducted kid just isn't worth all the effort everyone exerts to save him. Fortunately, the solid supporting cast keep this picture watchable: Omar Sharif as hearty sheik Emir Beni-Zair, Kabir Bedi as Christine's dashing husband Moulet, Brett Halsey as the two-fisted Sal Coumo, Peter Sands as Burton's rugged partner James Ross, and Elliott Gould as smitten lawyer Red Merchantson. In addition, the insights into Arabic culture are pretty interesting and insightful, the exotic desert locations are stunning, Giorgio Di Battista's glossy cinematography supplies a pleasing polished look, and Ennio Morricone comes through with a typically lush and sweeping score. A strictly passable diversion.

"Sounds like my kind of job."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 2 September 2012]

Think about all the lives lost in this movie. For what? The kid who's kidnapped by his own father winds up back with his Mom after the father has a change of heart. Really? And the grandfather Emir who engineered the whole thing just shrugs it all off and let's the kid make his own decision at the end of the story.

Obviously someone must have thought all of this was a good idea because Omar Sharif and Elliott Gould signed on to back up Rutger Hauer and Carol Alt in this desert adventure. Hauer portrays mercenary Tom Burton, hired by business executive Christine Sanders (Alt) to rescue her son after he's whisked off to Morocco by her ex (Kabir Bedi). As an actress, Alt is one fantastic model, and virtually every scene with her in it is constructed basically to show off her fine legs. The kid playing her son must have been some kind of studio political appointment because he can't act and his demeanor never matches the situation he's in.

There are a couple of interesting bits here. That huge poster of Bogart in "Casablanca" simply overwhelmed that early scene at the Moroccan airport, and this has got to be the latest I've ever seen a horse brought down by a trip wire (even though it looks like someone bashed it with a machine gun) during late battle action. If made in the U.S., the PETA folks would have been all over this one. But you know when I became convinced this was a clunker? At one point, Rutger Hauer's character actually comes out with the line - "Go ahead, make my day".

Beyond Justice should be seen !

[olddiscs · 5 January 2002]

I never heard of this Italian made film...I caught on Long Islands ch.55 late night movie.. I was amazed.. its a fascinating adventure, beautifully photographed and well acted.. Sustained my interest even at this 2am viewing! It is somewhat cliched, and stereotypic, but an exciting tale well told.. In view of our present world conflict, it gives some insight into the tribal nomadic existences of the various cults that still exist !!, and the mores and values which still persist. Worth seeing...

Beyond justice was not that bad. I think Rutger & the always stunningly beautiful Carol Alt and cast did a good job with what they were given

[adoberep · 5/10 · 10 July 2005]

Late night at the drug store picking up ice & vodka,i notice a rack of discount DVDs. Rite in front i find a Collector's edition, 4 hrs. Rutger Hauer action pack for $3.99. My evening is looking up! First up, Beyond Justice, A fantastic story of international intrigue, moral responsibility, as a hansom mercenary (Rutger Hauer) is hired by a beautiful and rich divorce (Carrol Alt) to rescue her kidnapped son from his father who has taken him back to his homeland of Morraco. The X husband is clearly in a dilemma that would test the limits of any well intending man. His father is a Emir of a nomadic tribe in Morraco and has threatened to kill his X wife if he dose not deliver the boy to him to claim his prince hood.

Needles to say as i was drinking my vodka and cleaning my guns, i enjoyed this movie very much. hope you like it to!

Most pathetic excuse for a desert action/drama ever!

[Vomitron_G · 1/10 · 28 December 2005]

I must admit I haven't seen all movies starring Rutger Hauer yet, so I'm not sure, but my guess is that BEYOND JUSTICE (aka THE LAW OF THE DESERT) has got to be the worst Hauer-movie out there. It excels in being bad. Now I know that, for instance, PRECIOUS FIND was a poor attempt at sci-fi/action, but at least it had Brion James in it and it wasn't an ambitious international co-production. And, yes, I know that TURBULENCE 3: HEAVY METAL was a trashy crapfest, but that one was at least so 'over the top' it was hilarious. So nobody can convince me that those movies were worse or, at least, less fun than this one.

I'm gonna be brief about the plot. There's a divorced couple, an American wife and an Arabian husband, living in America. The Arabian dude kidnaps their son and transports him to Arabia to live with his grandfather (Omar Sharif). The son is supposedly to inherit his legacy, and thus living the Arabian way of life for the rest of his days. He doesn't seem to mind, by the way. Maybe it's because those Arabians don't do anything throughout this movie except sitting in a castle and riding horses (yes, indeed: Boring!). The ex-wife (Carol Alt) and her legal adviser (Elliot Gould) bring in Tom Burton (Rutger Hauer) to go and save the kid.

The acting: Rutger Hauer, though undoubtedly the best actor of the cast, seems hopelessly lost in this movie. At the time of shooting this movie he clearly hadn't developed his method-acting-skills yet. So with the absence of any guidance from the director, you could consider him a loose cannon throughout this film. I love the way his character is introduced. He is on this mission to save some political prisoner, so you see him running around randomly shooting and throwing grenades. Quite pointless, if you ask me, while stealth moves would've been more appropriate. Carol Alt has not much to do except looking beautiful. Omar Sharif, well, the only good thing the man did - in my book - was his role in TOP SECRET. And after seeing him in that one you just cannot take his whole 'respect my Arabian authority'-thing in DESERT LAW serious. As for Elliot Gould (TV's FRIENDS), the man's acting range is limited to two aspects: whining and looking sad. I must also mention the young (non)actor who plays the kid's Arabian slave/friend. Not only he just can't act, he also looks like a moron with his tongue cut out who smiles all the time (in fact, his tongue was cut out, if I remember correctly... Oooh, those savage Arabians!)

The cinematography: This movie was shot in 1989, re-released in 1992, but looks like something from the late 70's. It seems like the camera-operator just discovered the zoom-button and is very enthusiastic about it. He just can't stop touching the damn thing.

The editing: Atrocious. Sometimes the editor cuts too soon to the other over-shoulder-view in a conversation, making you here the last word of one person's line without seeing his jaw move. At one time, after a dialogue is finished, the camera stays focused extreeeeemely long on a guy's face instead of cutting away to the next scene.

The plot: Now, the premise is OK. The clash between traditional Arabian and modern day American lifestyle could have invoked interesting moral discussions resulting in a violent confrontation during a climactic ending. Because you feel like it builds up to that (it takes almost two hours to get there), but in the end it just does not deliver. The conversations in the drama department are boring blahblahblah's, the trip through the desert is boring with just one lame and badly choreographed shoot-out scene. The rescue near the end is rushed followed by one of the most stupid happy-endings I've ever seen: Omar Sharif handing over the kid, admitting he was wrong and HUGGING Hauer! And what's worse: after that, in some sort of epilogue, we find out that sissy-boy Elliot Gould was a traitor. Normally you discover something like that just before the climax, so you could have some kind of showdown between Hauer and Gould, or heck, Hauer just shooting the bastard. No, instead this goes on and on and then we get to see Gould make a confession while a fly is walking around on his face.

The directing: I think there was no director present at the time of shooting.

The music: I just can't believe they got Ennio Morricone to do the soundtrack. Even he f#@ks it up. One time he cooks up this really dumb funky porn-movie tune. And most of the time he mixes his score with so much cheesy sweetness that by the time this movie ends, you'll have to be taken to a hospital suffering from a sugar-overdose.

I think you all get my point, no? This movie was abominable. Rutger Hauer, what the hell were you thinking? I guess you thought it was fun to come back to Europe and do a picture while being here, no? Well, at least I hope you got paid alright, 'cause this movie turns BLIND FURY into Oscar-material. Normally I would recommend this kind of movie to make fun of, but it's actually a torment to sit through and you'll feel insulted in the end. Therefore I will add that Rutger Hauer even gets the girl in the end! So, there you have it. Now you have absolutely no reason to watch this tripe. And now, please excuse me, I'm gonna go watch TACTICAL ASSAULT (starring Hauer and Robert"T2"Patrick). I heard it's so bad, it's fun.

For fanatics only.

[ollio · 3/10 · 26 June 2000]

If you are a big fan of Rutger Hauer you might even *enjoy* this movie, otherwise, don't spend your time on this one. The music is awful and so are the action scenes, if you want to see Rutger's action film i recommend seeing rather split second or arctic blue.

Spoiled brat kid and his "my child can do no wrong" rich mom

[Brcanson · 1/10 · 14 July 2008]

How you can make a movie about such totally unsympathetic and insufferable people is beyond me. Beyond that, the movie makes no sense and the plot has no credibility. Father kidnaps son from mother and then helps mother re-kidnap him from primitive Arab tribe who have managed to place elaborate warning boxes into the, one assumes, well guarded mansions of the two parents in America. Two hired mercenaries somehow manage to obtain crates-full of sophisticated weapons and a caravan of other Arabs to transport them. Mother in business suit insists on joining commandos when her presence at any point could betray and undermine the entire mission. OK, that's enough, I got my ten lines in but will mention that I am a big fan of Rutgar Hauer.

How could anyone rate this movie other than awful?

[canadian-bear · 1/10 · 16 June 2013]

This movie is about a boy who is kidnapped by this father and returned to his Arab kingdom where his father claims the boy will be the new heir to the tribe. I have watched a lot of "B" movies before, and can usually find some redeeming value in them, but this movie, I had to stop after 45 minutes or so. The performances were so awful, and yet some reviewers said it was the best performance of each actor's career. I don't understand that at all. I am sad that Eliott Gould would have given such a terrible performance. I expect it from Rutger Hauer. He's done some stinkers over the years, and some good films. I thought Gould was better than that. Actually, it is like each actor is reading their lines from a teleprompter as if each were told at the outset, "read your lines in the most monotone voice possible". Rutger Hauer is kidnapped at gunpoint, beaten, taken before the child's mother, and immediately agrees to find the kid. I really feel like I wasted part of my life on this movie and I deeply regret it. It sucks!!!!!

Adventure Returns to Casablanca

[vertigo_14 · 6/10 · 12 March 2004]

The synopsis on the video box hardly do any sort of justice to this movie, depicting it as more of a regular kidnapping story where a mother hires a rather unorthodox agent to trail her strange husband. But this movie has none of that. Filmed in Morroco, it is more like a modern tale of adventure in the deserts of Morroco complete with sword fights and camel rides.

A rich woman's husband, son of a Morrocan Prince, takes their son to Morroco with plans to live in grandfather's palace. While the grandfather declares the grandson heir to the throne and prepares him for living in the Holy Land and ridding himself of the life he once knew, the woman hires a few men (including Rutger Hauer) to get her grandson back. And it turns out to be a very dangerous mission.

This is a fantastic adventure film, though a pretty violent one, since it's a deadly mission and one that, although the main premise involves a kidnapping, continues on to involve all sorts of wild intrigue including that of a feuding Morrocan tribe. It seems so unusual because it is an ancient tale told in a modern setting when the family is taken away from their modern conveniences into a highly hostile desert scenery with completely different customs and culture.

These Italian filmmakers have given us something that I would less consider an action movie and more of an adventure tale. I would definitely recommend this movie if you're in the mood for something really different.

Chopped to pieces

[dopefishie · 5/10 · 20 February 2023]

This film is a lazy studio money grab. They took a five hour mini-series called Law of the Desert (AKA: Maktub) and chopped it down to around 90 minutes and released it as an action movie. The trouble is that the original mini-series was a whole lot more than an action movie. Hours of material were left on the cutting room floor including assassination attempts and the entire subplot involving Elliott Gould.

The editing is so sloppily done that some of the cuts will jar you. People disappear and reappear in inexplicable ways. And quite egregiously, Omar Sharif's character arc was largely removed from the ending.

On a positive note, many of the action sequences were largely left intact.

One of the best movies I've seen

[cbabbot · 10/10 · 11 March 2005]

The first time I saw this movie I was on a bus in Mexico. It was a sweltering 110 degrees, the air conditioner was broken, and I was battling amoebic dysentery. When this movie came on, my world changed. Elliot Gould, Omar Sharif, and others give breathtaking performances as the kidnapped American child is reclaimed by an unorthodox hero. 15,000 dead Morroccans later, the child is rescued and brought swiftly back to his mother. For those two hours, I forgot about my perils in a foreign land and simply enjoyed the show. This film take you to the edge of your seat, doing the wave with your friends, and sharing the beauty of one of the most wondrous creations to grace the silver screen. Bravo.

Interesting Film

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 10 November 2008]

If you like to see camels grunting and crying in the desert and plenty of Arabs with swords clashing in the bright sun along with Omar Sharif, (Emir Beni-Zair), you will enjoy this film. The film deals with a very pretty and sexy gal with beautiful eyes named Christine Sanders, (Carol Alt) whose son has been taken away from her by her ex-husband who is the son of an Arab Chieftain back to Morocco. Christine is a very successful business woman in New York City and is also very wealthy and she hires a man named Tom Burton,(Rutger Hauer) to hunt down her son and bring him back home. However, Christine wants to go along with Tom and she eventually convinces him to let her go along and I think she bit off more than she can chew on this dangerous adventure in the desert. During some very action scenes, Christine and Tom do find time to passionately embrace each other and their kisses were very very long. Omar Sharif, Elliott Gould gave great supporting roles to this film which is very entertaining and different. Enjoy.

This movie is about as exciting as watching sand shift

[agent_squirrel · 1/10 · 2 April 2010]

I recently had the pleasure of watching this movie at a friend's house and let me tell you, it sucks major cock. Rutger Hauer's filmography is like an avalanche. Start out with something decent like "BladeRunner" and then roughly ten years later star in a cut and paste mess known as "Beyond Justice". Of course the movie should be called "Beyond Saving" because let's face it, if you sit through this crap you're brain dead. Me and my buddy managed to get through about 57 minutes, and then once we realized we didn't have the damnedest idea what was going on, we fast-forwarded to the last 11 minutes where in the aftermath of a huge shootout the previous hunter/hunted characters had come together in an effort to fight a larger enemy. I was able to extrapolate the entire plot from the last hour without having watched it. And just a quick aside on the box art for the DVD: Putting the heads of all the characters and adding swirlies all around them makes it look like a collection of Twilight Zone episodes.

Anyhow, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say anyone who picks up the box and looks at the DVD case is probably going to leave with about as much understanding of the film as I did, and I actually watched most of it. So do yourself and track down every copy and burn it in a pyre that we can all dance around like magic wood nymphs.

Beyond redemption. Even Rutger Hauer fans may be frustrated.

[jamil-5 · 19 September 2001]

A rich, bossy executive's son is kidnapped by her ex-husband, an arab who has been warned to return to his people or face the consequences, which could include her death. When he and the boy arrive at the settlement of his father, the Emir (Omar Sharif), he is informed that, because he has been a bad boy who transgressed against his society's precepts, he will be bypassed and his son, now thirteen, will eventually rule the Emir's people. Meanwhile, the frantic mother (Carol Alt, looking quite elegant) has been put in touch with a specialist in "dirty" operations (Rutger Hauer), who agrees, for a price, to rescue the boy from the Emir's clutches. At this point, the movie begins to slow down as Hauer and his associates penetrate the Emir's lair. There's a lack of imagination and flair to the filming. They just crunch it out. One gets tired of seeing people diving off camels or rolling down sand dunes after they get shot. The film score sounds as if it were written for some other, equally pedestrian movie. And just when you think everything is about to be tied up in a neat package, there's a twenty-minute coda of more gunplay. When you run out of dialogue or plot twists, get out those AK-47s. Does the father pay for his "crime"? Does the kid get saved? Does the Emir say "It is written....?" Does Hauer end up with Alt? Have you ever seen a movie?

Oh my God...

[vincentga · 1/10 · 13 January 2005]

Man ! I give 1/10 for this movie. And I would prefer give 0. Can't believe kind of so bad "movie" exist. It's not "B series" but "Z series".

Produce in 1992 ! Have no sense. Even the music of Ennio Morricone(Once Upon a Time in the West)is ridiculous for this "movie".

It's evident after to watch this movie, that we can conclude actor/actress don't make movie just for fun but to win money to pay their "Kingdom", their Mercedes, their swimming pool, etc.

Personally to be a good actor and make this kind of movie I would feel a lot depress. Oh my God !

Even in my better bad nightmare I can't imagine a so bad movie. It's Fantastic that they are guys to find money to create this kind of "thing".

Not only the movie is "null" but actor/actress are bad too. But can we be good in this kind of "movie".

God give pardon to the producer of this "thing" cause he/they really don't know what they do !

I must admit this "movie" is a very good soporific and if you have some trouble to sleep well I suggest you buy it. Be sure at 100% you will sleep before the end.

Not the best Rutger Hauer movie but watchable

[Rautus · 8/10 · 9 March 2008]

I'm a fan of Rutger Hauer, The Hitcher was one of his best action thrillers and Blind Fury is a fun 80's action flick. I found Beyond Justice under the title of Desert Law, this film isn't one of Rutger Hauer's best action movies but it is entertaining in parts. The film does have some nice shots of the desert, Beyond Justice (Desert Law) has some great mindless action. The main characters just keep shooting these characters and hardly get shot themselves, the acting in Beyond Justice is okay Rutger Hauer does a great performance. One problem with Beyond Justice is that the film does tend to drag at parts, the film did have some annoying characters like the son. He seems to be overly happy in parts, the wife can sometimes be irritating since she goes with them on the mission and doesn't really help them.

Beyond Justice (Desert Law) isn't the greatest action movie but it is entertaining in some parts and watchable, fans of Rutger Hauer and mindless action flicks may want to check this one out.

A step by step guide:- "How to make a diabolically bad film"

[riv-2 · 8 March 2002]

Someone lent me the DVD of this astonishingly bad film. I would normally have simply put it back in the pile and forgotten about it but I couldn't sleep well at night if I didn't warn people about this grade Z bomb, that makes "Robot Monster" or "Plan 9 from Outer Space" seem superb in comparison. From pathetic story line, through mesmerizingly bad screenplay to abysmal direction and - ultimately - acting that would be laughable, , this film has it all. How in God's name this abomination ever was allowed past the producer's desk is beyond me. I have poor writing skills and even worse cinematographic skills, yet I could have made a better job of this "film" whilst under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. I wouldn't know where to start explaining about the bad points because - like a time warp map of the universe, where all points are both the beginning, middle and end, so this film's bad points actually conglomerate into one hideous melee of garbage.

Well, unless I see the next millennium out, I won't be able to come across a film as bad as this. So I can honestly and fairly give this dog of a film the title "Worst film ever made". Ed Wood - eat your heart out.

Beyond Justice!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 6 June 2005]

Beyond Justice is a very good and action packed film that has a good cast including Rutger Hauer, Carol Alt, Omar Sharif, Elliott Gould, Kabir Bedi, Stewart Jan Bick, David Flosi, Brett Halsey, Peter Sands, Christopher Ahrens, Larry Dolgin, and D.R. Nanayakkara. The acting by all of these actors is very good. The action and thrills is really good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed very good. The music is great by Ennio Morricone. Great direction by Duccio Tessari. The film is really good and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very thrilling film. If you like Rutger Hauer, Carol Alt, Omar Sharif, Elliott Gould, Kabir Bedi, Stewart Jan Bick, David Flosi, Brett Halsey, Peter Sands, the rest of the cast in the film, Action, Thrillers, War, Dramas, and interesting movies then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!