Did you ever wander the action aisle at the video store during the ‘80s or ‘90s and see Steven Seagal and his ponytail glaring at you from every VHS cover? If so, you’re in the right place. In this video, we’re exploring 1988’s Above the Law. How it worked as an action movie, how it launched Seagal’s career, what it did at the box office, why it exploded on home video, and how it instantly turned aikido into the trendy martial-art. So let’s rewind the tape and hit play on the movie that took Seagal from the dojo to Hollywood.
What’s up guys? Welcome back. If you’re new here, this is Movies Never Say Die, your home for pure 80s and 90s retro content. Now Above the Law was a staple of my childhood and if you were an action movie kid as well, then I’m sure it was for you too. This was the movie that built the whole “mysterious aikido bad-ass with possible CIA connections” persona for Hollywood’s newest action-star. And it was a textbook ‘80s movie. A callback to when you’d check out a movie just because the dude on the box looked like he knew 17 ways to break your arm.
But let’s pump the breaks real quick before getting into Above the Law. Since this is the first video in the Seagal Series, let’s very briefly talk about how he showed up in Hollywood. Now before he was front-kicking villains through car windows, and snapping bones like Slim Jims. Seagal wasn’t a movie star at all. Nor was he an up-and-coming actor taking bit parts in small movies to work his way up the ladder like his peers. He was an aikido instructor, bouncing between Japan and Los Angeles, running dojos, doing bodyguard work, and collecting wild stories that may or may not hold up in court. So he was pretty much the living embodiment of John Kreese, but with much better sideburns.
This is where Hollywood talent agent Michael Ovitz comes into the mix. Ovitz was an agent to stars such as Cruise, Costner, Stallone, Streisand, and many others. During this time Ovitz was one of the most powerful behind the scenes players in Hollywood. He was also a student at Seagal’s dojo. Imagine showing up to martial arts class and realizing the guy stretching next to you also represents Tom Cruise and Stallone. Having a bit of an ego himself, Ovitz felt he could turn anyone into a star and he was going to prove it using Seagal. Ovitz was also known for signing package deals with studios and this is where Warner Bros comes into the picture.
Ovitz paid for Seagal’s screen test, executives got a look at his martial-arts skills, and he was offered a contract. Warner Bros had a pile of scripts intended for Clint Eastwood. There was one in particular that WB had close to the production stage but were having problems casting a lead. So it went to Seagal who would then give it some rewrites to base it more around his supposed real-life past. And overnight Seagal would go from “that guy with the dojo in L.A.” to “leading man in a studio action thriller.”
Now in Above the Law, Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA operative turned Chicago cop who stumbles onto a conspiracy involving drugs, C-4, and a nasty CIA spook running dirty operations. It’s part cop thriller, part political paranoia, and part “don’t threaten my family” beatdown. Simple but effective and relatively similar to many other action movies at the time. Yet it works to keep the wheels moving. The Chicago streets feel grimy and real, which does make the movie feel a bit lived in. Pam Grier shows up as his partner to inject some charm. A pre-fame Sharon Stone is the wife at home. Henry Silva is a charismatic villain, and Seagal walks around like a guy who’s permanently one smart remark away from slamming you into a windshield.
Here’s where it gets fun: Seagal choreographed all the aikido himself, and that flowing, bone-popping style did feel different from the usual punch-kick fare in the genre at the time. The action wasn’t necessarily fast, but it was gritty, violent, and felt surprisingly realistic for being martial-arts added to a street level action movie where it was usually traditional fisticuffs and gunplay. And it appealed to the masses. After the movie hit, aikido got a real bump, and his struggling L.A. dojo was suddenly selling out its classes. Not a bad side effect for a debut.
Casting fun-fact of the day: Chuck Norris was actually offered the lead first. But at this time he was in the middle of a contract with Cannon Films who wouldn’t let him out of it. So, Norris stays put, and Seagal slides in. So somewhere in a parallel universe, Chuck is starring in Above the Law, then eventually Under Siege. And Seagal is still yelling at students to bow before stepping on the mat at his strip mall dojo.
Financially, this was a modest production of just $7.5M and filled with relatively unknown faces. Seagal and Sharon Stone weren’t household names yet. So really Grier was the biggest name in the cast but she wasn’t commanding a high salary. Warner Bros didn’t dump a ton of money into marketing, which probably didn’t help the “okay but not huge” box office. Above the Law would land in theaters on April 8th 1988 taking the 8 spot with a $2M weekend. Above the Law delivered what audiences expected and word of mouth spread. Despite the critic reviews being a bit harsh. Leonard Maltin would call it a “slick but stupid action-fest” and Vincent Canby with the NY Times claimed Seagal “walked like a still photograph and looked like a seasoned runner up in an Armani model contest.”
Regardless, common movie goers were entertained and Above the Law would gross more than $18.8M during its 7 week run. The thing is, like a lot of ’80s action flicks, it really found its audience on home video and cable. If you grew up roaming rental aisles, Above the Law was one of those boxes that was just always there, staring at you from the action shelf. That’s where I found Above the Law which turns the question to you. Did you first see this in theaters? On VHS from the video store? Or on cable at some ridiculous hour? Drop it in the comments. I’m curious where Nico Toscani first ambushed you. Now, over time, this one has ended up being ranked as one of Seagal’s best, partly because it feels the most grounded and hungry to prove its legitimacy.
Is it a flawless movie? Far from it. But it’s a perfect late-’80s time capsule and the blueprint for the whole Seagal persona. Quiet speeches about justice, whispered threats, then suddenly somebody’s arm is bending the wrong direction. Seagal’s not that bad for a 1st timer and he works well with the experience of Grier where he delivers his best scenes where the body count isn’t piling up.
And as an action movie it gives you all you need. Chase sequences, gun fights, and like other action movies for the time, the gimmick. In this case Seagal’s cinema fresh aikido skills to give Above the Law its genre hook. You’ve got that wonderfully awkward-yet-iconic Seagal run during the alley attack. Good God, look at this form, he’s charging forward like his upper body didn’t get the memo from his legs. But then the store fight where the action suddenly feels razor sharp and legitimately cool. So, it’s clumsy in spots, slick in others, and somehow that mix is exactly what makes Above the Law so fun to revisit.
So I’m going to give 1988’s Above the Law – 5 out of 5 Seagal’s. It was a great introduction to what Seagal could deliver in the genre but still blended with a prototypical action movie for the era. It moves fast and makes action the focus while also benefiting from the charisma of Pam Grier. And that’s why Above the Law is the perfect launch point for this series. Next up, we slide into coma-revenge territory with Hard to Kill—because if there’s one thing early-’90s Seagal taught us, it’s that being mostly dead just means the comeback is going to be louder. Now if you did enjoy this video and the retro vibe you’ll definitely want to check out my Friday Night Rentals series where I dive into all corners of 80s cinema.
Thank you all for watching, let me know in the comments what memories you have of Above the Law. Don’t forget to like this video if you enjoyed it. Subscribe if you haven’t already and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss the next video. So until then, keep your ponytails tight, your VHS rewound, and remember—Movies Never Say Die.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
