Out of the spate of Van Damme wannabes that emerged in the late 80s/early 90s, you have to go a long way to find one who outshines the great Jeff Wincott. Sure, he may not have the sweeping flexibility of a Loren Avedon or Gary Daniels, but for pure aggression that makes you truly believe he'd kick your ass as soon as look at you, Jeffs your man! Plus, there's no question he's the best actor amongst them all too - instead of a martial-artist who has turned to acting, he is an actor who just also happens to be a martial-artist. This adds a realism and depth to his films that many others lack. Anyway, enough of the tribute - on to the actual film!<br /><br />Made by much the same crew as the excellent Mission of Justice (also starring Wincott) and also sharing that films great fight-choreographer Jeff Pruitt, Martial Outlaw tells the story of two brothers, both cops. Kevin White (wincott) works for the Drug Enforcement Agency in San Fransisco, while his brother Jack (Gary Hudson) is a tough street-cop in L.A. Kevin is as straight as they come while Jack has become as dirty as the villains he's supposed to be putting away. However, a big drugs bust is going down and its happening in L.A. so naturally, the two brothers very different worlds are about to collide. Of course, thats only the start of the story, but to say more would ruin the many twists and surprises this film has to offer!<br /><br />There are 2 things that make a good martial arts film - good fight scenes and a good storyline. Thanks to the excellent choreography and Jeff Wincotts 'brutal' style, the fights in this film really deliver. Most notable is an amazing scene where the two brothers take on a bar-full of Russian villains. Its a great, lengthy fight where Wincott and Hudson break limbs, send men flying through walls and, of course, Wincott demonstrates his trademark stick-fighting prowess! <br /><br />On the storyline front, the film also delivers. Wincott has a knack for choosing roles where his characters have an added dimension to them - in No Exit, Street Law and here, he seems to like playing characters who are 'torn' in some way. And here he plays a man torn between his loyalty to his brother and his growing realisation that his brother is corrupt. Gary Hudson, while not too impressive in the fight scenes (at least where kicking was involved) also impressed me in his role as a man whose greed has led him down a dark path but who, deep in his heart, is still a good person. There's actually a lot of pathos in some of the scenes between the two brothers, and both actors are totally convincing as two guys who don't like each other and are complete opposites in every way but who, in the end, are still brothers.<br /><br />All in all, a great film. Well choreographed, exciting fight scenes, a good storyline and deep characters played by good actors (not just Wincott and Hudson, but the co-stars too - most notably Richard Jaeckel as their father) In my opinion, this is Jeff Wincotts second best film after the amazingly good Mission of Justice.