I seldom mention Steven Seagal these days, barring the ongoing legal processes of the latest kerfuffle regarding Order Of The Dragon and its director, of course. To this, the 1988 action movie, Above The Law, still remains relevant to the discourse, particularly given its latest push from Toy Robot Video.
I grew up with this film, having only seen censored versions of it on commercial television in the years since being introduced to Seagal via Hard To Kill. At this moment, stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger were shaping my formative years of fandom, so to see another star perform sequences beyond flashy kicks and big guns was a feat worth admiring, nevermind that I didn’t know what aikido even really was.
Seagal himself coordinated the sequences in this being his first film and debuting out of a major Hollywood studio at that, and joined by the likes of the lovely Pam Grier, as well as Ron Dean, Chelcie Ross, Sharon Stone, and the phenomenal Henry Silva who plays Seagal’s formidable villain. The action and drama are fantastic, and I especially love that director Andrew Davis and his team were able to use some of Seagal’s own photos to help create and build his protagonist as the indefatigable Nico Toscani.
The story itself resonates pretty well with anyone who is also addicted to history, geopolitics and other matters pertinent to current events. It chronicles Toscani’s background as a martial arts instructor whose career as a CIA operative opens his eyes to the horrors of war and the underhanded dealings of our own government, specifically when he crosses paths with a ruthless and brutal CIA interrorgator named Zagon (Silva).
Fast forward years later and Toscani has long since embraced his new life as a family man and member of the Chicago vice squad. Still tough as nails when the going gets tough, he stumbles upon intel regarding what he believes to be a major drug deal involving a gangster named Salvano (Daniel Faraldo). The subsequent raid reveals the product to be C4 explosives, triggering a reaction from the FBI that threatens to hinder the CPD’s investigation.
What unravels is a tale of intrigue and espionage revealing the ghosts of Toscani’s CIA past, and an assassination plot targeting a U.S. Senator that involves hunting down a Central American priest living under the radar in the confines of the local church. Making matters worse is when old CIA buddy Neslon Fox (Ross) ominously surfaces to warn Toscani of the danger he’s in, followed by a rising body count that explodes on the streets of Chicago that forces him to put his family in hiding as he and partners Jax (Grier) and Lukich (Dean) work to bring Zagon down.
Above The Law touts some major stakes in its unfolding, as we watch the story of a cop try to set the wrong things right, against all odds on both sides of the law. Davis, who also produced the pic, delivers an even-handed eighties actioner with a perfect blend of crime fighting procedural and thrills, with Seagal in top form for his debut.
The camaraderie Nico shares with his colleagues, especially Jax, sets an excellent pace in the film’s progression with a level of chemistry that explores genuine love and friendship, which only reaffirms when they’re both caught in the crossfire and their lives are at stake. You can certainly see the extent of their family aesthetic which originates from Nico’s own, including wife Sara played by the alluring Sharon Stone in minimal frequency for the film’s duration.
Silva’s Zagon isn’t equally imbued in physicality, but his menacing presence and intent, backed by his cabal of goons and swarms of gunmen who pop up throughout the film targeting our hero make up for it in spades. The action doles out some pretty cool gems, notably in Seagal’s area of martial expertise with aikido being given the main floor showing that aficionados can easily take a liking to, from its kinetic grace to blunt force brutality as executed by its star.
I tend to think about Above The Law a lot when my mind wanders about favorite film fight scenes. As it stands, this film sits in a particular space of action cinema where there isn’t necessarily a favorite fight scene I can point to, but there are moments throughout the film that I can point to which do incredible in capturing the martial aesthetics of modern action. My favorite moment is in the convenience store where Toscani corrales four armed assailants to detain them, only to end up going toe-to-toe when he tells them to get down on the floor and one of the suspects responds with “You wanna get down?”. Honestly, it’s one of the cooler bits I’ve seen in any of Seagal’s action sequences.
To this extent, it’s also why Above The Law continues to be a highlight for me, so much so that I’ve co-categorized my write up here in “The Movies That Moved Me” in which you’ll find another recent write-up of a Seagal flick. There are other moments as well that make the film such a fundamental reference in Seagal’s filmography, like when the actor just approaches random strangers on the streets as Davis is filming. They’re not extras, and Davis says as much during the commentary he shares with Grier for the film’s runtime.
The two don’t take up much talking space, but they do share a few laughs while regaling listeners about the fun they had while making Above The Law, and Grier even shares some details about her own projects that are in the works. I also like how completely aware and transparent Davis and Grier are about the film’s major footchase between Seagal and co-star Juan Ramirez, as has been referenced in online memes in recent memory. It’s a fun point of reference in the film’s memorable place in history as an action classic, even if it is a little goofy in a sense.
The extras also extend to about a half hour of goods between a brand new interview with the film’s composer, David Michael Frank, and an archival interview with Seagal, in addition to theatrical and home video trailer assets. As you can see above, the cover also gets a reversible print with the art for the film’s alternative title.
Above The Law sits right alongside films featuring the pantheon of Hollywood’s action stars of that period, with style-specific relevance to films like The Perfect Weapon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Karate Kid films, all which follow suit from the proliferation of Asian martial arts films incumbent into Western markets of the seventies and eighties.
I still joke from time to time with a mutual of mine who can never get enough about whether or not anyone has “seen Richie,” and if you know, you know. He and I also chat sometimes about whether or not popularizing Aikido in the way Seagal did from the top of his career would be possible. It’s a beautiful style to look at, one that would make for a thrilling centerpiece in modern action cinema today.
There’s also the question of whether or not Above The Law will ever follow up with a sequel, as its been ten years since an announcement was made. It seems increasingly less likely the more time passes so it’s fair to say I’m not holding my breath, while Seagal’s debut spotlight in martial arts movie stardom, backed by a formidable cast, a resonant score, signature action and significant deference to documented world history, remains one of the freshest grounded action thrillers martial arts film fans can now enjoy on home media.
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