I will never describe Steven Seagal as being an actor because he has no idea what that entails. He merely fits the bill regarding the requirements of being an action hero. He has the perfect knack for dozing his way through a film. However, in the early days of his movie career, Seagal successfully displayed his skills in the martial arts style of Akido. This was when he was in good shape, physically speaking. The opening scene in the dojo impressed me when Steven Seagal demonstrates his own style of martial arts in front of his students. His hand speed and his timing is on a par with that of Bruce Lee near enough. The story is very standard so I won't mention anything of what happens. Henry Silva makes for a creepy and sinister villain, he was always very good at playing those kinds of characters. The action scenes are capably handled and it helps that the lead is a professional martial artist. In my opinion, Steven Seagal made his best films from 1988 to about 1995 before weight gain cast a shadow over his career. The director of "Above the Law" was the same person who made Seagal's best film, "Under Siege."

When it comes to action stars, they are at first, calm and collected in some scenes in an action movie. Some of those action stars tend to show off their skills like martial arts. But even though they may have that gift of turning the audience with their screen presence, we can sometimes forget that they are playing an character. A character who is essential and important to the movie.In Above the Law, Steven Seagal is the star of the movie. However, this is his first one. Seagal plays a Chicago cop who was recruited by the CIA in 1969 in Japan. In 1973, he was sent to Vietnam and while there, he witnesses a brutal torture of a Cambodian resident under the spell of a vicious man, (Henry Silva). Seagal's friend advises him to leave Vietnam and go home. 15 years later, Seagal is a Chicago policeman, working with a partner, (Pam Grier), who is retiring in a couple of months. When he learns that a major shipment is going down in Chicago, Seagal's character, Nico Toscani, finds out a cache of explosives. Things get worse after that. Toscani father's church is blown up and it's up to him to find out who is responsible for the bombing. This leads Seagal through a change of pace as he breaks the rule and risks his entire police career by trying to rights the wrongs.Seagal does an impressive job of playing an main character who is believable. In some scenes, he knows how to act calm and play it straight. When it comes tot he action scenes, Seagal knows how to show off his martial arts skills. Most action actors tend to lost their character by putting too much emphasis on their skills. But not Seagal. He may be different than Charles Bronson or Clint Eastwood, but you got to give him credit for what does best. It's a shame that he wouldn't repeat the same thing twice because after he starred in Above the Law, Seagal starred in another film called Hard to Kill and Under Siege. His career then started to take a turn for the worse when he decided to drop out of Hollywood and starred in a number of bad action movies. Those ween't really worthy of his career, but Above the Law certainly shows what Seagal is meant on the big screen.The supporting cast is also very good. Pam Grier, who was also a major star in the 1970's is very good and sort of surprising to see her starred along aside Seagal. Grier is very convincing as Seagal's partner. She is noticing just how his behavior is getting in the way of his police appearance. The movie was directed by Andrew Davis, who also directed Code of Silence, which is, perhaps, the best Chuck Norris movie ever made. Davis certainly knows how to make a city story interesting. He photographed Chicago very clearly and very skillfully. When it comes the action scenes in this movie, Davis knows how to step back and let Seagal perform his fighting skills, which is pretty impressive. After he made Above the Law, Andrew Davis directed Seagal again in the 1992 action thriller, Under Siege. According to my perspective, I believe that with the teaming of Seagal and Davis being strong, I think that with the tools they have to make a decent action picture, they certainly do know how to make them exciting, not nauseating. It's rare to find a bonding between actor and director, especially in the action genre. Most action directors now don't really work together to make scenes seem exciting.With the exception of Seagal's performance, Above the Law has a plot that is sort of complicated if you follow everything very carefully. But as an action movie, it is effective even when Seagal is on the big screen. This movie proves that he can act in character and even, if I dare to say so, out of character. He is that good. ★★★ 3 stars.

Above the Law (AKA: Nico) is directed by Andrew Davis who also co-writes with Steven Pressfield and Ronald Shusett. It stars Steven Seagal (co- writing the story with Davis), Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Chelcie Ross, Ron Dean, Henry Silva and Daniel Faraldo. Music is by David M. Frank and cinematography by Robert Steadman.Ex CIA operative in Vietnam, Nicolo Toscani (Seagal), a martial arts expert, is now a Chicago cop. Upon shaking down a drug pusher, Nico learns of a major drug ring in operation, an operation that appears to have links to a foe back in is CIA days.Seagal was once a box office draw, he really was. Long before he garnered a reputation as an egotist stuck in straight to rental hell, he was an action star worth watching by the action movie faithful. Above the Law was his first official film and it's undoubtedly one of his best. It showcases his considerable skills as a martial artist whilst providing plenty of thrills and high octane action spills. Plot is hardly original, but it matters not in the grand scheme of things, and yes some of the acting from Seagal is stiff, but it never gets dull, the support cast are strong and, well, quite frankly, the film kicks butt! 7/10

One of Steven Seagal's best Movies was this debut and it had Critics and Action Fan's buzzing for good reason. It was all here in this Cop/Mob/CIA Film that pulled few punches and was as Plot rich as these Flicks get.Bad guys can make a Movie and here we have Zagon. From the beginning he is presented as a Masochistic Psychopath that is on the Government's Black ops payroll. He is a drug dealer, needle wielding, Above the Law, Mega-Criminal that will be the Heroes biggest Fish-Fry.Segal is a lean, mean (but sensitive), and relentless purveyor of pure here and he is charismatic on screen announcing that he will be a force to reckon. This is in his Top-5 for sure with more than competent Direction from Andy Davis and the Movie looks great. The Action never stops and is helped along with a strong, if maybe too full, Script that raised the bar for the other Martial Arts/Action Stars.After this one Seagal never looked back and is still making some instantly forgettable and slightly entertaining DTV Movies to this day. Recently he showed up in a strong Cameo in the Robert Rodriguez Funfest, Machete (2010).