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A Major Disappointment

A lot of fun.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Steven Seagal's acting debut is a fast-moving little crime thriller, involving drugs smuggling, police corruption, and a maverick cop (guess who?). This above average thriller has a pretty generic plot, but there are lots of fight scenes to keep things moving swiftly along, and also the benefit of a young-looking Seagal. The pacing is spot on and a tight budget used to full extent in terms of screen spectacle. This was before Seagal became a totally indestructible killer who the bad guys couldn't lay a finger on, here he looks fragile and takes a beating before the final credits. Therefore, this guy is always on the line, instead of the viewer knowing that he's going to kill everybody without a single scratch. The freshness of Seagal's debuting character is what makes him of greater interest than normal.The fight scenes in this film basically show off Seagal's different abilities, whether it be jumping on the roof of a car to grab the bad guys, using his gun to take criminals down, or of course his famed martial arts skills which show him taking on multiple opponents with little effort required, packed with the bone-breaking violence we know and love. People are thrown through windows and into tables and there are plenty of exciting moments, like when a small shop becomes a battleground or the shoot-out in a multi-storey car park at the end. Added to this are memorable images such as a row of highly trained killers, walking down the street calmly while firing automatics. The fight choreography is excellent and the photography also superb, kudos to the cameraman for shooting the various scenes so well and making them look this good.Seagal is supported by an interesting cast for once with numerous familiar faces in supporting roles. Genre favourite Henry Silva, the only man to look scarier without makeup than Christopher Walken, is sadistically evil as the chief villain, a torturer no less who enjoys inflicting sadistic torment on his enemies. His features constantly perverted in a twisted grimace, Silva makes an excellent bad guy and for once his death truly fits the crimes he has committed - let's just say it involves a ton of explicit bone-breaking. Up-and-coming starlet Sharon Stone has a small and rather thankless role as Seagal's wife, although '70s blaxploitation icon Pam Grier as Seagal's partner fares a little better with a part which is still somewhat underwritten.NICO: ABOVE THE LAW remains far more believable than other actioners of the time like Schwarzenegger's COMMANDO, thanks to the plot which always keeps its feet on the ground and isn't too elaborate to seem contrived. The events occur with an emphasis on realism and a degree of characterisation to engage the viewer. These events could happen and do happen, and there's a gritty feeling to the film. It's a bit clichéd, for sure, but the formula works, which is why it has been used so many times before and since. The clever drama gives Seagal one of his best roles and the film has a hard edge to it which his later actioners lack. Therefore it deserves an very good rating, as it's a solid thriller which succeeds in all that it tries to achieve, thanks to solid direction from Andrew Davis (UNDER SIEGE) at the near peak of his game.

"Above the Law" is Steven Seagal's debut film - and one of his best films ever. It's a great action-thriller dealing with corruption and illegal CIA activities. The film was co-written and directed by Andrew Davis, who also directed the equally great first Under Siege film with Seagal. The story is good and captivating and the action is superb and highly satisfying. I like that the film addresses certain "uncomfortable" topics, like torture of POWs, police corruption and the state's involvement in criminal activities (such as the CIA's involvement in opium dealings). I also like that the Italian mob plays a vital role in protecting Seagal's family.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! Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Having given a couple of Steven Seagal film a right good kicking recently, I felt kinda bad for him and sought out this, his debut feature film. My reasons? Well, I figured that he would be in the prime of his youthful exuberance and not the overweight has-been he is today. He also has a respected action director in Andrew Davis (who would later helm "The Fugitive" and Seagal's best film "Under Siege") and Blaxploitation legend Pam Grier as co-star. The signs were good that this might not be a total bust along the lines of "Hard To Kill" or "Half Past Dead". Sure enough, it's a refreshing change to see Seagal do what he was meant to do as he looks and sounds every inch the legitimate tough guy. Sadly, the film's overly complicated plot tends to get in the way of the action and makes the film strangely dull. This is the first time in ages I've seen a film to fail my patented Nokia test (ending up playing games on my phone halfway through) which isn't a good sign for any action film.I'm gonna have to refer to other sources for this synopsis because I simply couldn't follow the film well enough but Seagal plays Nico Toscani, a Sicilian living in Chicago with his wife Sara (Sharon Stone) and infant daughter. Nico was recruited into the CIA by agent Nelson Fox (Chelcie Ross) during Vietnam but quit upon witnessing a torturer named Kurt Zagon (Henry Silva). Fifteen years later in Chicago, Nico works as a cop alongside his partner Delores Jackson (Grier) and arrest local drug pusher Tony Salvano (Daniel Faraldo). To Nico's disgust, the Feds get involved and release Salvano, citing an existing investigation and warn them both to stay away. But Nico doesn't take no for an answer and soon begins his own independent pursuit of Salvano and those involved, especially when his family are threatened by dark forces...There is also something else about immigrants living below a church and Nico's friend and pastor Father Gennaro (Joe V. Greco) being blown up during Mass. In truth, "Above The Law" crams in far too much story for a film of this type that I reckon if they stretched it out a bit, you could have had enough for a trilogy. Thankfully, they kept it to just the one. It's not that the film is a bad one as action movies go. Seagal moves much faster and smoother than he does in his later work and for once, he is impressive in the film. His acting style and delivery aren't so much of a distraction here as they usually are and he works well along with Grier and Stone (who are both criminally underused). But for a movie about a go-it-along cop taking the baddies down, it loses its focus by introducing more and more elements into the story. For example, is it not a huge coincidence that the very man who made Nico distrust the CIA is the same man who is behind the numerous schemes happening around Chicago? And when some two-bit hoodlums are thrown in with the CIA, the FBI and the Mafia were probably in there as well (he's Sicilian, remember?) then what you end up with is a series of shoot-outs and fist fights that don't really seem to have any connection or cohesion with the plot. At some point, I completely lost track of whether Fox was a good guy or a baddie. To be honest, I still don't know and I have the film's Wikipedia page open as I write."Above The Law" might not change the world but like most of Seagal's back catalogue, it is a macho and meaty action flick that satisfies the undemanding fan but leaves most viewers wanting something more. In his debut picture, Seagal acquits himself far better than he normally does - he even throws in a nod to the story about how he broke Sean Connery's arm on the set of "Never Say Never Again" as a stuntman. But "Above The Law" is a largely unmoving experience, devoid of any real charm or substance but at least it has some ambition behind it instead. It isn't as dumb as many of Seagal's later films ("Half Past Dead" is a prime example) which seem to specialise in rounding up anonymous thugs so Seagal can do his martial arts on them or shoot them dramatically. Sadly, it simply isn't as engaging as an action film can be - take "Die Hard" where you cared about McClane's struggle against Hans Gruber or "Terminator 2" when the future of civilisation was at stake. You neither care about the story (even if you could follow it) or the characters who merely perform to genre stereotypes (the partner who needs protecting, the "Godfather" impersonator at the family gathering, the nun who doesn't say much, etc). "Above The Law" might be a faintly boring cop film and compared to his later films, one of Seagal's better efforts but it certainly isn't above the standards we have today.

Nico Toscani (Steven Seagal) is a Chicago cop. As a young man, he went to Japan to learn martial arts. He's recruit by the CIA to go to Vietnam, but he quits when he's supposed to work with the sadistic drug smuggler Zagon. Now with his present day partner Delores Jackson (Pam Grier), his investigation into the drug dealer Salvano runs smack into a conflict with the CIA and a face from the past.This has Steven Seagal's three favorite things. There's the eastern influences that he loves so much. And also there's the drug infested underbelly that he finds fascinating. The biggest thing is that he is undoubtedly the big hero fighting against a corrupt system. If you love these three things, you'll like this movie. The action is pretty good and the story has enough bite. The pacing do slack off for big stretches of time. However it still works enough as an action thriller.