Product Details

• Actors: Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, Henry Silva, Ron Dean, Daniel Faraldo
• Directors: Andrew Davis
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: April 28, 1998
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0790734583
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,656 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Steven Seagal plays a Chicago cop who takes on CIA types in this action thriller from Andrew Davis (The Fugitive). Davis brings muscle to the project, including some strong set pieces that make Seagal (who also co-wrote and co-produced the film) look awfully good. Costars Pam Grier and Sharon Stone give a big assist in that department, too, yet nothing can really mitigate such ridiculous moments as Seagal's getting profound with a villain in his raspy monotone: "You think you're above the law. But you're not." The DVD release includes full-screen and widescreen presentations, production notes, trailers, optional Spanish soundtrack and optional French and Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First and the Best..., January 21, 2005

By	Steve M. Johnson "instructor, designer, write... (Laguna Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Above the Law (DVD)

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.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First and (easily) Best Seagal Movie, August 20, 2000

By	baylor (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Above the Law (DVD)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, best in it's genre..., November 8, 2002

By	nagappa (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Above the Law (DVD)

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.