IN DEFENCE OF: ABOVE THE LAW (1988, DAVIS)
Nowadays, we know Steven Seagal as the aging, overweight DTV star from such flops as Belly Of The Beast, Attack Force and Into The Sun. His career has slowly but surely been whittled down by rumours of sexual mischief, debt and apparent dealings with the CIA and the mob. Not too mention the fact that the man has really and truly let himself go physically. With all of that in mind, it's almost bittersweet when you realize that Steven Seagal was once an A-list action star. From 1988 to 1996, Seagal starred alongside such Hollywood heavy-hitters as Kurt Russell, Tommy Lee Jones and Halle Berry in blockbuster action films that grossed a lot of money. And one of those films is today's IDO...
Released in the Summer of 1988 in the United States, Above The Law (simply titled Nico in other territories), starred newcomer Steven Seagal as Nico Toscani, a badass cop complete with badass attitude and an itchy trigger finger. Toscani was trained by the CIA and sent to Vietnam for special missions, as well as having a 6th degree black belt in Aikido (smartly noted on the poster). Put shortly, John McClane has nothing on Nico Toscani. Starring alongside Seagal was Sharon Stone as Nico's wife, Sara and Pam Grier as his partner, Jacks. The plot is simple and easy to follow. In Vietnam, Nico witnesses cruel torture of POW's by Kurt Zagon, a fellow operative. Nico speaks up and is almost immediately shipped home where he becomes a cop. Flash forward 15 years and after Nico takes down a drug operation, he discovers something much more sinister is at play. Could his old pal Zagon have anything to do with this? And can Nico's family ties to the Mafia help him?
I didn't mention that? Yes, Seagal's character is also related to Mafia members. As ridiculous as this may sound, it only serves to carve out a fantastically awesome hero. Nico is the perfect action film character. He's tall, brooding, willing to fight and full-to-the-brim with zinging one-liners. Imagine Inspector Tequila crossed with John McClane with a little bit of Bruce Lee. What else could you want? Seagal plays the character as straight as possible and is more than capable with the action sequences, so you get great scene after great scene.
Director Andrew Davis (who later went on to direct The Fugitive and Collateral Damage) did a great job of keeping everything fluid and fun. The camera is entirely still during action sequences, so as to get the full view of every Aikido flip (seriously, the film must have a thousand of them) and limb-severance. Actors range from either completely over-the-top or straight and stoic, adding to that wonderfully cheesy 80's action vibe.
I know I keep mentioning that the film is not to be taken seriously, but I must stress this, too. Seagal is as convincing and able in this as Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger all were in their early days. It's a pity to see that his career hasn't flourished like those actors, but you can definitely see that he put a lot of effort into his first big-screen role. In fact, the hulking actor made a solid number of quality action films (see Marked For Death, Under Siege and Hard To Kill) before landing in DTV hell. It's a shame to see that this generation has forgotten that he actually did make great movies years ago. And Above The Law seems totally forgotten. There is a whole new generation out there that need to see this film alongside Die Hard, Universal Soldier, Cobra and First Blood. Because they are real, true as God action films.
Admittedly, I haven't delved into the actual film's plot too much. That's because I want people to take my advice and discover the Seagal of yesteryear. The ass-kicking Michigan man that yells, "Yo Fuck Nuts!" before he assaults greasy gangsters. The gritty cop who blasts a criminal in the face before declaring he'd get an A+ for trying to kill as many people as he could. And the crazy, steely-eyed martial arts expert that only seems to ever flip his opponents rather than actually hit them. Above The Law is a great 80's action movie. And if you're a fan of that corner of cinema, check it out.
