Outrage (1998 TV Movie) User Reviews

If you Want Something Done Right . . .

[gatebanger · 7/10 · 23 October 2002]

This is ostensibly the story of a man's fight to defend himself and his family against three punks who have decided to make a target of him. What the story is really about is one of the problems with our legal system -- specifically the manner in which the police and the courts deal with juvenile criminals.

An independent insurance salesman named Tom Casey (Rob Lowe) is targeted by three well-to-do preppies that like to boost car stereos and trash other peoples' property for kicks. Casey observed the kids about to break into a car and reported their activities to the police. The cops arrive just in time to see the three breaking into Casey's car, with the head kid fondling a loaded revolver Casey kept under the front seat.

The cops arrest the trio of Yuppie larva for breaking into Casey's car and we learn that the head slime's mommy is a lawyer. A Rich Lawyer.

Casey, whose car has been completely trashed by the time the cops arrive, is arrested and charged with felony possession of a loaded handgun, for which he draws fifteen days in the lockup thanks to the truly lame defense offered by his brother-in-law.

Meanwhile, Mommy goes to Family Court and gets the charges against her Little Darling reduced to a wrist slap. Money fixes all, the kids walk away laughing and singing `I Love New York,' and get on with the serious business of harassing Casey's pregnant wife.

The remainder of the story unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, with so-so performances from the kids and a very good performance from Lowe.

The moral of this story seems to be, if you want something done right, do it yourself. If you want excuses, call the police.

Decent made for TV movie with a fine performance by Rob Lowe.

[Brad K. · 7/10 · 22 June 1999]

Outrage is a decent made for TV-movie. The story centers around Rob Lowe (St. Elmo's Fire, Wayne's World) a working man who one day thwarts a few teenagers attempt at robbery and becomes a victim of theirs in an attempt at terrorizing him and his wife. The film's weak elements are the non-frightening bad guys (almost laughable actually), the average at best script, and some poor supporting performances (the main bad guy especially). The film is well-directed though and makes you feel for the couple, but the film's main asset is Rob Lowe. Lowe gives a fairly strong lead performance and has several scenes where he especially shines. If Lowe keeps giving solid performances in small movies like this, maybe he can get himself some decent roles in big movies again.

Tired of long winded reviews?

[nomalarkey · 6/10 · 9 January 2020]

This is worth spending the time to watch. I was entertained.

Outrage was an outrage.

[aiteh · 23 March 2003]

Though the movie was well made, it left me with an outrage of how the justice sometimes works. I believe that this movie has mainly one purpose, to show that an innocent and concerned citizen can actually become victimized by the judiciary system with its many loopholes that will actually protect the guilty and punish the true victim. It was best demonstrated when the judge sent a man who had a loaded gun in his car and no previous conviction to prison and ignored the true crime of braking into cars to steal radios by someone whose mother was a lawyer. I recommend this movie for everyone to see the outrage of a man who hasn't done anything wrong and suffered from the criminal actions against him. Well, the title is most fitting.

Tense Movie about rage in a man's life

[reblit · 6/10 · 26 March 2005]

Rob Lowe plays a man that is angry about things in his life - justifiably in the case of three teen boys who he reports to the police and then who harass him and his wife (Jennifer Grey)to the point of breaking! Rob Lowe's character is a person who can not let things go, and for every harassment against him and his wife he feels he must retaliate.

Rob Lowe does not convincingly portray rage, but otherwise his acting is good. Jennifer Grey does well as the pregnant wife opposite to Lowe's rage. It would have been difficult for Grey to portray more confusion and desperation since the husband's rage did not seem to warrant it.

Even though the film was made in 1998, the topic is current and it does accurately display how rage will escalate into something very bad if left unchecked.

The three young men - especially the ring leader - were excellent as spoiled prep school hoodlums!

Kids today got no respect

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 21 June 2002]

Exciting drama about a talented and gifted sociopath and his 2 excitement loving buddies who, after noticing a man, begin a crusade to not just annoy the man but to really mess up his life. These plans go from crank calls to low grade terror tactics and finally to life altering problems for him and his family. Good picture from start to pulse pounding finale.

I'd be outraged too!

[OllieSuave-007 · 5/10 · 5 February 2015]

This is a made-for-TV thriller in which Rob Lowe stars as Tom Casey, who witnesses three teenage punks stealing from cars and reports their crimes to the police. As a result, the teenagers begin to terrorize him and his wife in retaliation.

This movie has its few suspenseful moments at times, making you eager to know what Tom Casey plans to do in dealing with those teenage boys and to stop them from their constant terror. Lowe wasn't bad in portraying Casey, doing the best as he can in this movie that lacks a lot of satisfying moments. You really want to root for him in giving those punks a taste of their own medicine, but, of course, with the lax judicial system, justice isn't swift.

You also really want to hate on the teenagers after all the pain they've cost; the actors who portrayed them did an OK job, with actor Eric Michael Cole's role being the most sinister and evil. Jennifer Grey, who portrays Casey's wife, though, was quite mediocre. She doesn't appear to be very believable in her emotions at times, although she tries. You do end up generating sympathy for her and Rob Lowe's characters.

Overall, it's a movie with some decent thrills, but you'll be left craving for more good guy vs. bad guy action.

Grade C-

Mrs. Bateman You've Raised A Lovely Sociopath

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 March 2012]

Rob Lowe and Jennifer Grey star in Outrage and play a thirty something married couple who arouse the ire of a trio of punk preppies. And it all starts with Rob Lowe being a good citizen and the system victimizing him.

It all starts with Lowe seeing these kids breaking into his car and reporting same. They even catch the leader Eric Michael Cole with a licensed handgun Lowe was keeping in his glove compartment. So what happens the kids who are nicely connected, especially Cole with lawyer Kathryn Harrold for a mother get a slap on the wrist. Lowe gets arrested rather speciously in my opinion on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon and gets 15 days and a criminal record to boot.

But the kids especially Cole think they have to get even and Lowe ups the ante quite a bit with his attitude. After that these children of privilege sadistically torment Lowe and his wife and Lowe gets deeper and deeper in what could be some real trouble.

A talented cast puts over this film which does have a tendency toward the melodramatic. Cole is some piece of work, you can see a future Gordon Gekko in him if he can control himself just a tad.

Lowe and Grey who were Brat Pack charter members in the Eighties fill out their roles well as you can see some of their characters from the last decade grown up a bit. The film is definitely for fans of their's.

Both shockingly bad and watchable

[dmitchell-61078 · 2/10 · 22 May 2020]

Well, what can I say. This is fierce rubbish. But strangely I didn't feel like I wanted the time back either. At least the little prick gets done in the end for harassing Lowe's character and his wife, although he needed a proper bloody beating for being such a POS. Would have been way more satisfying to see him get pummeled to near death. Basically, if this just happens to be on TV and nothing else is on or you're too lazy to channel surf, you can do worse then watch this. It's muck but still not the worst either.

Worth a look if you run across it

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 27 April 2009]

Rob Lowe stars in the story of a decent guy who gets mixed up with some spoiled rich kids who decide to mess with him because they can (They are rich with parents who are connected to keep them out of trouble and too young to have serious consequences.) As Lowe's life spirals out of control and things fall apart he decides to take things in to his own hands.

Good but unremarkable thriller is still worth a look because the villain is deliciously evil and because the rest of the cast manages to sell a plot that stays a little too close to the well worn path. I wouldn't pay any more than a rental for it (This was a TV movie and not a big screen production so its not big and spectacular), but if you do run across it you could do worse

This movie is awesome !!!!

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 5 December 2012]

This movie is realistic and awesome. I don't care what people says about this movie it is great because this movie show's us what teenagers who are rich can do. They can broke the law and there parents are protecting them.With there lawyers taking the law with them instead stopping them.I have watch this movie in 2003 haven't seen it in a while now and the reason i am commenting and writing this review is because similar situation i have here by my house.Every minute on a day i am been terrorized by teenagers boys while there parents are protecting them and speaking for them. That there children did not do anything.So now i reported them to the cops. Last night i was siting in my leaving room on my computer when a young juvenile throw a snow ball in my window and later he make jokes about it. "Telling me what are you going to do about it?" That was his answer to me. So i reported the incident and i call the police. 3.months ago they broke my door and hide somewhere so that i couldn't find them. I was on the police station that time and is now the third time i had to call them. So i don't care about you people who say's bad things about this movie. Actor Rob Lowe and director Robert Allan Ackerman are showing us what can happen when parents ignore us victims and let the crimes happen to us. His father of that criminal juvenile hit my father's car in June caused an car accident and than got away form the accident and dined he did it and got clean away with it. After my dad confront him he dined everything and now his adopted son thinks he can broke the law and get away with it. Not with me. Tom Casey played by Rob Lowe did the right thing by reporting those young teenage criminals and fight for his live and his family. You never see a violence closer, your wrong. There are not vandalism just in America there are worse crimes and vandalism in Slovenia than in America are. Tom Casey did the right thing by fighting for his family and i am going to do the same as the character did. We are done been a victims and these juvenile villains made to be heroes. I am giving this movie the higher star than anyone else did.

It's Alright

[JoelChamp85 · 6/10 · 30 March 2021]

A decent TV thriller, but nothing special. It explores how far a wealthy teenager will go when constantly getting away with crime. I did feel bad for the protagonist, who was a victim of the teenager, and wanted him to start thinking clearly in order to get his own revenge.

Good film!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 26 January 2005]

Outrage is a very good film that has a good cast which includes Rob Lowe, Jennifer Grey, Kathryn Harrold, Eric Michael Cole, Shane Meier, Cyrus Thiedeke, Jerry Wasserman, and Nathaniel DeVeaux. The acting by all of these actors is very good. Lowe is really excellent in this film. I thought that he performed good. The thrills is really good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed very good. The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Rob Lowe, Jennifer Greyand, Nathaniel DeVeaux, the rest of the cast in the film, Thrillers, Dramas, and interesting Action films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!

Juvenile Justice System Tied In knots.

[jehaccess6 · 9/10 · 8 January 2008]

This TV movie was a very good effort considering how limited was its budget. The lead performers, Rob Lowe and Jennifer Grey, give good efforts and mostly conceal plot deficiencies. Jennifer is about 4 years older than Rob, but that did not interfere with her performance.

I noted several Canadian actors in supporting roles in this film. Although the credits do not mention where the project was filmed, the producers probably filmed in Canada to lower their production costs.

Rob Lowe, 'Tom Casey', was fairly effective here. He only fell short when trying to portray an enraged victim turning on his tormentors. His attempt to intimidate one of the juvenile pack fell flat. His character was supposed to be fairly intelligent, but never learned to stop reacting to the manipulative behavior of chief tormentor 'Jeffrey'. He fell into one disastrous situation after another. A cooler head would have seen the pattern and started to try to turn the tables by anticipating the trap and setting one of his own.

Jennifer Grey, 'Sally Casey' did all she could with her limited material. The plot never allowed her to give any good advice to her husband when one disaster followed another. A smart woman would have been able to see the pattern and stop being such an easy victim.

I am a major fan of Jennifer Grey and saddened at how little exposure she has had after 'Dirty Dancing'. TV movies and bit parts in major films are mostly all she has been able to land since then. Perhaps she acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with in 'Dirty Dancing' and it has limited her roles since then. Perhaps she could still patch things up with Patrick Swayze and he could help her get roles in some of his new productions.

The portrayal of the juvenile pack that tormented our hero seemed mostly credible. The members of the pack of rich preppies seemed to have never had fathers to channel their energies in productive directions. The pack leader, 'Jeffrey', especially seemed to have a boiling rage against his mother and society. His doting lawyer mother had the money and contacts to prevent her little darling from ever suffering for his outrages on society.

The ending scenes fell off in believability. 'Tom' breaks free from police custody and holds 'Jeffrey' hostage at gunpoint. When incriminating evidence against 'Jeffrey' surfaces at the hostage scene, 'Tom' is magically absolved of all offense and allowed to walk over to the hospital where his wife is being treated. He would have still faced charges for his acts in the real world.

An Excellent Social Commentary

[JimmyL5555 · 10/10 · 9 January 2007]

In addition to everyone else's comments and reviews, I'd like to mention that this movie portrays two excellent social commentaries: one, the sad injustices of the justice system and two, the true, full scope of the very nature and character of violence on a universal level. Violence, in all its forms, have stages, and OUTRAGE presents most of them from the mildest to the most severe. And like drugs, after the kicks of a mild level of violence loses its appeal and purpose, a stronger dose is needed to get the initial feeling again. And then even a stronger dose than that, and so on, until lines are overstepped, things gets serious and lives are ruined. The parallels between drugs and violence are so uncannily exact, OUTRAGE is almost a sociology study. Especially that juvenile crime is not exclusively a problem among the poor. That the rich, who are bored, with everything handed to them, and with social prestige in the community feels is above the law. So, if you want to see fine writing, fine acting, believable characters you care about and can recognize in people you've met, a good suspenseful thriller -- and the most extraordinary social commentaries that will pull some heartstrings, DON'T MISS "OUTRAGE!"

Great Movie

[mbg411 · 8/10 · 20 June 2007]

This is one of my favorite movies! Rob Lowe plays a man named Tom Casey who has a pregnant wife(Jennifer Grey). He sees three punks breaking into a car. He reports them to the police but guess what? The punks found a gun in his car so while they get a slap on the wrist, he has to get a lawyer. Tom spends fifteen days in jail and hates the world when he gets out. If those punks push him any further.......

I have never been a fan of Rob Lowe, but I really liked him in this movie. He has a lot of chemistry with Jennifer Grey, who does the best she can with her character. The actors playing the punks were great, they made their characters entertaining. Fulvio Cevere is solid as Rob Lowe's friend.

A spectacular movie for the light-hearted

[lxs_ · 23 June 2000]

Outrage is a funny light hearted film about a group of rebelious teenagers who decide to take a joke a bit too far. The lead actor, Eric michael Cole, harasses Rob lowe in various ways making him eventually Snap.

I advise you to see this if your a fan of Eric michael Cole. If anyone has a copy of this movie please e-mail me as i would love to buy it.

Could have been better

[guilfisher-1 · 4 March 2007]

When you put a good looking actor with not too much talent (Rob Lowe) opposite a not so good looking actress with no talent (Jennifer Grey) you have no sparks and no drama. I was constantly aware of the bad acting by these two and the cold chemistry between them. I have always found Grey boring on screen and no charisma. Even that DIRTY DANCING movie which was clearly Patrick Swayzie's movie. So, don't waste your time with this loser due to the two leads and not the story or supporting cast. Eric Michael Cole was wonderfully evil in this with an innocent look to his prep school image. He was delightful to watch as he maneuvered Lowe. His mother, played by the delightful Kathryn Harrold was also exciting to watch. She carried a small but vivid role beautifully. And then there was Shane Meier as one of Cole's cohorts. He did what he could in a small role. But who can forget his incredible performance as Matthew Shepard in THE MATTHEW SHEPARD STORY. A haunting and beautiful performance. He's wasted in this.

Rob Lowe is capable of good work. In this, he's not given much support from his leading lady. Too bad. In better hands, this movie could have been better.

DVD of older TV movie, kids terrorize a family.

[TxMike · 26 May 2008]

Our friends Evelyn and Ron loaned us this DVD. Nothing much ground-breaking here, but it does gives us a chance to root for the good guys.

Rob Lowe is Tom Casey, hard-working insurance salesman with a pregnant wife. Jennifer Grey, post-nose-job, is his wife Sally Casey. His car had been vandalized, and one evening he observes what looks like 3 high school boys, dressed in uniforms with neckties that suggest they are from wealthy families, getting ready to vandalize another neighborhood car. So he calls the police and asks them to check it out, and catch the boys in the act. They don't need to, but burglarize cars just for the thrill of it.

Eric Michael Cole, in his early 20s, plays the leader of the brats, Jeffrey Bateman. He is the smart, talented one whose mother happens to be a very good lawyer. He has two friends who cruise with him, but they just go along with Jerrey's mischief.

The rest of the 90-minute movie is about Jeffrey taking revenge for Tom having been responsible for their arrest. They terrorize him and his wife in very drastic ways, stopping short of physical harm.

SPOILERS FOLLOW: Tom even has to spend 15 days in jail for a felony firearm possession rap, because the boys find a loaded gun in his car when they are vandalizing it. When he gets out, they apparently abduct his pregnant wife. They lead him, via coded messages, on a chase all over town. Finally Jeffrey is caught in his lie, and arrested. My only regret, in the movie, was that Tom never had a just cause to shoot the kid through the temple.