Rating: 
Summary: The birth of Seagal-mania
Review: The movie that kicked off another action star phenomenon, and rightly so. Despite action movie over-the-top-ness and inevitable drawn out gun fights, ABOVE THE LAW and Seagal were welcome newcomers to the genre.Mentioned in the same breath with Eastwood and Norris, Seagal stood out with a mystery surrounding him with no ties to other stars; Norris had Bruce Lee... Eastwood had...who didn't Eastwood have, but Seagal seemingly came from nowhere and no-one and this man from nowhere electrified audiences with a "new" brand of martial arts and a fresh, moody, whisper breathed persona. Director Andrew Davis, his apparently fave location Chicago, and a familiar stable of his actors add character and value to this film. The story is certainly adequate and the theme noble, action sequences very well done, good music and a more than acceptable performance from the unexperienced lead actor. It's certainly easy to armchair quarterback this fellow but throw ourselves in front of a movie camera for the first time and I doubt we'd fare any better. I believe this film and Under Siege are Seagal's best. As for his other films I suspect his growing power in the industry intimidated his peers who lost the guts the speak up when his performances floundered and his physique expanded beyond the point of acceptability for an action star. I feel outside of these two films (and maybe MAKED FOR DEATH which did have a [cool] department store battle)Seagal has fallen short of his potential. Some performances, most obviously THE PATRIOT, was basically "phoned in". I would love to see him take 5 years off, re-create himself and make the comeback of the decade. My own armchair quarterbacking aside, Above the Law remains a very good first time film and worth a fresh look now and then.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling, best in it's genre...
Review: This movie is among the the best and most thrilling of the post Harry Callihan, 1980's genre of cop movies. As Nico Toscani, a naturally macho yet morally upright and skilled cop (who is also ex-CIA and former Aikido instructor), Seagal is impressive and yet so refreshingly believable. The short martial arts action sequences are first rate - no drawn out Hong Kong formula stuff. The cafe jazz music score is memorable and rightly paced for the exciting car tailing sequences through downtown Chicago. Nico Toscani's Sicilian background adds to the color of the drama. There are even hints of his family background being not too far removed from the wiseguys. I mentioned Nico being macho. I'd like to qualify this by saying that he's not devoid of charm and his role is less one-dimentional than one would expect. The tough-guy persona is just a facade for an individual with strong convictions and a democratic political outlook. Equally competent is Nico's partner, Delores Jackson, played candidly by the veteran Pam Grier. The main villain, the pure evil CIA doctor Zagon, is played by the veteran villain actor Henry Silva. Don't expect any critics' choice awards for this movie, because the script does have its share of cliches. Seagal plays a cop who is on to something very big, defies higher authority and, as expected, is taken off the case - like in so many other cop movies of the genre. The outcome is predictable. You know that good is going to triumph over evil in this movie. Despite it's predictability, the plot is fresh and to a great extent realistic. Most importantly it's entertaining. There are surprisingly bold political statements made in this movie about the dubious role played by the CIA in the affairs of many a third world country. These statements are not too far fetched and must never be underplayed when you consider the "blowback" - CIA jargon for repercussions - being felt to this day. There are far too few movies being made these days that hold the government accountable. Unfortunately it's usually the ordinary citizen who becomes the indirect victim to the follies of an agency whose modus operandii includes criminal conduct and whose agents operate "Above the Law". The impressive and ship-shape Seagal in this movie inspires you to ditch your six-pack of beer for a six-pack of Gatorade. He inspires you to reach into your closet for your old karate uniform or gym gear and to whip yourself back into physical and mental shape. Too bad Seagal has physically floundered since then. He does have the potential to stay there. One would hope that he would take his cues from Eastwood and Bronson, both of whose careers have had them stay in shape and play lead roles well into their sixties and seventies.
Rating:
Summary: Seagals explodes into cinema!!!
Review: Great score, great story, great action. This is Seagals best film next to Under Seige. Too bad he fizzeled out after a coupla good ones. Charles Bronson remains King of the genre. Check out The Mechanic and Death Wish 2 and 4....
Rating:
Summary: Better than most cheesey action movies
Review: It seems like half the cast of Code Of Silence reunites for this little action flick. Steven Seagal plays a believable charactor unlike most action flicks. Basically he's a cop with an attitude like it says on the cover. He's trying to track down a crime lord (well played by the always bad-guy Henry Silva) that he had a small clash with in Vietnam. Yes the plot is predictable. There are no godawful cheesey one-liners like the ones you would find in movies like Action Jackson or The Running Man. Some people say Steven Seagal can't act but he's a hell of a lot better than Chuck Norris or Jean Claude Van Damme. For fans of these type of cheesey action movies, I highly recommend this one. It's definitely one of the better ones. By the way, whatever happened to Henry Silva?
Rating: 
Summary: But Not Above Criticism
Review: If you enjoy the conspiracy theory at the heart of this Steven Seagal action film, you'll find this film quite good. If you do not, well the action scenes are a bit more brutal and in a fashion more realistic (martial arts fights don't last very long etc), and there's nice support from Pam Grier. Sharon Stone is here too. That might be enough for you to enjoy it. The story is about a tough no-nonsense cop that's about to make an important drug base but is told to back off. Why? What's going on? This was Seagal's first film and his acting is much stiffer than it is in later films (really). It's his second best film (behind Under Siege). It was also directed by Andrew (Under Siege, The Fugitive)Davis who knows how to direct action sequences and went proved it to a wide audience in The Fugitive.
Rating:
Summary: SEAGAL'S FIRST MOVIE IS NOT TO BE MISSED!
Review: A COP [STEVEN SEAGAL] BATTLES POLICE CORRUPTION AND DRUG DEALING. THIS WAS SEAGAL'S FIRST MOVIE. IT HAS SOME VERY GOOD ACTION SCENES. THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL MOVIE FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES TO COLLECT SEAGAL MOVIES OR ACTION MOVIES IN GENERAL. THIS MOVIE IS ALSO GOOD FOR ANOTHER THING, IT SHOWS US THE OLD STEVEN SEAGAL WHO LOOKED TOUGHER AND WAS IN BETTER SHAPE, UNLIKE TODAY.
I ADVISE ALL ACTION FANS TO ADD THIS TO THEIR COLLECTION NOW!
Rating:
Summary: typical but decent
Review: It's always fun to watch Steven Seagal beat [up] 10 people at once, then start running like a 5 year old girl. Yes this is a cheesey action movie with all the usual formulas, but Seagal seems to be a better actor than people like Chuck Norris, Vann Damme, Arnold, and Sly. His wisecracking remarks are definitely better than all the stupid one-liners in those other guys' movies. This was Seagal's first movie. If you've never seen one of his movies, this would probably be the best one to star with. Also a great supporting cast like Henry Silva (what a suprise, he's the lead villian!) Chelcie Ross (Harris from Major League) Pam Grier, Sharon Stone (she can't act, but she's okay here), and those same 2 cops that are in all the other movies filmed in Chicago. (The Fugitive, Code Of Silence, etc)
Rating:
Summary: good martial art's movie
Review: steven seagal's entry into the movie world as a young 35 yr old martial arts man and chicago cop.
this movie , not to be taken seriously is packed full of guns and broken bones.
the actors who played chicago cop's....no checkerboard hats,
seemed more outta place,, like security guards.
if your 15 yrs old and in need of a hero, this action movie will fill that need.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad...
Review: I enjoyed this one. I remember being in awe during the fight scenes, and wondering how a character could be macho and sensitive at the same time, but Nico Tuscani (Segal) is, and he does it so well that one has to wonder if this character is close to his real personality. His acting of the part did not seem as forced. You will like this one if you like action films about good cops trying to bring down bad govenment/police. It is not as predictable as it sounds, but it isn't as original as one would hope.
Rating: 
Summary: "You guys think you're above the law? Well you ain't!"
Review: This quote is a good representative of the rest of the movie. Both make little sense and obviously took little time to create. Although Above the Law got two stars just like The Patriot, this movie beats The Patriot only when it comes to funny lines. For example: "You ever noticed how clean babies smell, like nothing in the world's ever touched them?" Steven Seagal must have liked his experience of breaking body parts in the movie, as this is an essential element in Marked for Death. Seagal does not think his enemies are above the law, but he and his family clearly are. It is OK for his cousin to be doing crack; she just needs to go home and take a shower. It's OK for Steven to use someone else's registered handgun to shoot a man who has already surrendered after his is taken away due to his suspension from the police force. As far as Steven Seagal action movies go, this one can be avoided. It has no random breast shots and not enough broken limbs.
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