Above the Law

Rating:
Summary: the greatest Seagal Film ever
Review: I personally think that this is Steven Seagal`s best performance, not only does it have a strong realistic plot but it entertains you the whole way to the end, and what an ending, I personally like when baddies get there due and Seagal kicks "butt", if your gonna rent a movie let alone a seagal or an action flick pick up this movie its a must see, good acting, known stars(Seagal,SharonStone,PamGrier,& RonDean), great action sequences, and Seagal in his debut role which instantly made him the world known action film movie star, that is a household name we know today.

Rating:
Summary: STEVENS 1ST AND ONE OF THE BEST
Review: I REALLY DID LIKE THIS MOVIE.IT HAD REALLY COOL GUN FIGHTS. AND NOT TOO BAD ACTING.THEY SAY SHARON STONE IS ONE OF THE LEAD ROLES,BUT SHE IS NOT.STEVEN RUNS KIND OF FUNNY IN THIS FILM,BUT WHO CARES I DONT.ITS AREALLY COOL FILM I THINK IF YOU LOVE ACTION WATCH IT,OR BUY IT.

Rating:
Summary: The First and the Best...
Review: I remember first watching this movie on VHS back in the late 80's. I had first started taking martial arts, and some guys in my class had seen the film and said it was a "must rent." I took their advice and was astonished.

Nobody had shown anything like that on film since the days of Bruce Lee. Seagal was a hard core "street smart" style of Aikido that blew myself, and many other viewers away. This is the film that eventually made Steven Seagal the biggest star since Stallone and Schwartzenegger.

Wrapped around the movie was an intriguing story, a good supporting cast (including Pam Grier and Sharon Stone) and good direction by Andrew Davis (who would direct Seagal in his one other decent movie "Under Siege" and would go on to direct "The Fugitive").

The story is about Nico Toscani, a martial arts expert who is hired by the CIA and serves in Vietnam. While working on what he believes is a routine drug deal, instead of finding illegal narcotics, he finds a shipload of explosives. The perpetrators are mysteriously released by the federal government, which upsets the Toscani, who has a reputation for being a hot-headed rogue. His refusal to give up on the case leads him down the path of what turns out to be a very large conspiracy.

Yes the plot is somewhat of a cliche, but Seagal is slim, confident, and sharp in this film. He looks every bit the part, and he plays the role in a very natural manner that works for this type of movie. The action is top-notch and the supporting characters help fill in the plot and make the movie enjoyable to watch.

I consider this and Under Siege to be Seagal's two best movies in terms of action and plot. If you enjoy martial arts, or just action movies in general, I don't think you'll be disappointed with Above The Law.

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: 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: Decent Action Flair
Review: It's a shame that Seagal's reputation and weight overshadowed this decent kung fu movie. He brought a new style and martial arts to the action genre and fading quickly by gaining weight over the years. Sharon Stone and Pam Grier are also in it. Nice direction from Andrew Davis who also directed Seagal in his biggest hit, "Under Siege".

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: First and (easily) Best Seagal Movie
Review: Once upon a time, an ex-CIA martial arts master quit the CIA and wrote a movie with a new plot but a character that seemed a lot like the writer

Steven Seagal is best known for his action movies, in particular the parts where he does his hand to hand thing. In his case, he's an aikido expert, and that's hard to explain. Most martial arts movies talk about Kung Fu and Tae Kwan Do where people punch and kick and you can generally tell what's going on. Aikido, on the other hand, is about redirecting an opponent, making him basically want to fall down. In the movie, it looks a lot like a bad guy rushes as Seagal, he touches them with his little finger and then they decide to throw themselves in the air in ways you thought were impossible. The moves take, oh, about two seconds to perform, with Seagal's part being only about 2 microseconds. If you want to watch Seagal in classic aikido action, be prepared to pause, slow motion and rewind. It's amazing looking and absolutley bizzare (since being marveled by the movie, i have gone out and studied aikido, and it seems even more impressive, although realistic, now)

The movie's about an ex-CIA officer turned Chicago cop (and, in my opinion, an extremely unlikeable one; that macho Italian family man thing to me just looks like a dull-witted bully control freak). He runs into some old CIA friends from 'nam who are doing naughty things

This movie has a plot, and a darn good one at that. It's a very, very interesting movie, much unlike, say, all the big budget movies he did after this one. While his later movies are bad jokes, new age mantras and B-movies, this one is really, really good. There are only a realistic number of fight scenes (gosh, i wish there were more, but that would have changed it from a drama to an action film, which this really isn't), but they are wonderful

Bottom line, this movie is awesome. i don't know if Seagal wrote and directed the later films he did (he was close to a one man production company on this one), but i wish he'd turn down those big budget formula films he's been doing and go back to doing the realistic, semi-autobiographical films like this one. He's mostly considered a joke now, but when this movie came out, when he was Seagal the writer and not Seagal the action hero, he was revered, and for good reason

Rating:
Summary: Neat story
Review: Personally, I find that the first three minutes of the movie are the absolute best. It's a brief view of Mr. Seagal running an Aikido class and demonstrating technique. Since he is wearing a hakama, his footwork is hard to follow (which is the purpose), and the motions are extreme, but it is interesting to watch. I'd even be willing to bet that the freestyle sparring is neither choreographed or the blows pulled. For that bit alone, the movie is worth purchasing.

There are a few problems that might cause the purist to cringe. The goal of Aikido is to execute technique with a minimum of movement, and it is not intended to be as agressive as it is in this movie.

Nevertheless, this is a very good movie. Enough plot to fill the space between the fight scenes, and the fight scenes are very well executed. As has been pointed out, you realy need to watch the scenes in slow motion to appreciate them, but that's half the fun.

Steven Seagal tends to try much too hard, and there are moments where it's just a bit cheesy, but you can't have everything.

This is a must view for someone who appreciates the "art" in martial arts (the technique is amazing!), and is probably pretty decent (though a bit slow) for the action movie fan.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS SEAGAL'S BEST...
Review: Personally, I really like Steven Seagal. His demeanor, his persona, and his martial arts stature are all very complementary to his hollywood style.

Above the law is a cop thriller, and would be a mediocre one, if not for one man. That man is Nico Tosconi.

The Italian loner cop, played by seagal, kicks the crap out of about 35 guys, with about 5 major fight scenes where you will stop and say "Wow!"

Definetly one of Seagal's best (Along with 'Out for Justice') And I suggest watching it solely for the stellar martial arts/Aikido action!