{"id":13446,"date":"2026-11-05T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/?p=13446"},"modified":"2026-10-30T10:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:00:02","slug":"justice-comes-with-a-body-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/justice-comes-with-a-body-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice Comes With a Body Count"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>16 Minute, 58 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

MOVIE REVIEW
\nAbove the Law<\/strong>
\n –  <\/strong> <\/strong> <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre: <\/strong>Action, Crime, Thriller
\nYear Released: <\/strong>1988, 2026 4K\/Blu-ray
\nRuntime: <\/strong>1h 39m
\nDirector(s):<\/strong> Andrew Davis
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Steven Pressfield, Ronald Shusett, Andrew Davis (screenplay); Andrew Davis, Steven Seagal (story)
\nCast: <\/strong>Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, Henry Silva, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean, Daniel Faraldo, Chelcie Ross, Jack Wallace, Michael Rooker
\nWhere to Watch:<\/strong> available November 10, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: www.toyrobotvideo.com<\/a>, www.mvdshop.com<\/a>, or www.amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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RAVING REVIEW: <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Before Steven Seagal became synonymous with increasingly ridiculous action movies, questionable public statements, and an ego that could probably qualify for its own supporting credit, he was an unknown martial artist making his feature film debut in ABOVE THE LAW. Andrew Davis directed the film, which introduced audiences to a different kind of action star, one who didn't rely on impressive muscles, elaborate acrobatics, or particularly convincing acting. Instead, Seagal built his screen presence around Aikido, an intimidating expression, and the ability to make breaking someone's arm look like a minor inconvenience. It introduced much of what audiences would come to expect from him, though the movie surrounding his debut is more interesting than some of the films that followed.<\/p>\n

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Released in 1988, ABOVE THE LAW arrived during a period when action movies were practically competing to see who could produce the most indestructible leading man. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Chuck Norris had already established themselves, while Jean-Claude Van Damme was beginning his own rise to prominence. Seagal lacked Schwarzenegger's imposing physical presence or Van Damme's athletic flexibility, but his martial arts background offered something different. His fighting style emphasized throws, joint manipulation, and using an opponent's movements against them. Watching someone get tossed across a room or have their wrist twisted into an unnatural position felt very different from the traditional exchanges of punches and kicks audiences had grown accustomed to.<\/p>\n

Seagal stars as Nico Toscani, a Chicago police detective with extensive martial arts training in Japan and CIA service during the Vietnam War. His experiences overseas left him deeply suspicious of government intelligence operations, particularly the individuals willing to commit atrocities while hiding behind national security. Now working as a cop, Nico discovers that what starts as a drug investigation is something far more dangerous. His refusal to drop the case puts him at odds with powerful people who would rather he disappear than explain what they've been doing.<\/p>\n

Naturally, Nico isn't the kind of police officer who responds particularly well to being told to mind his own business. He often ignores orders, intimidates suspects, and physically dismantles anyone foolish enough to stand in his way. The irony of a character who insists nobody is above the law while repeatedly deciding which laws apply to him isn't exactly subtle. Then again, subtlety has never been a requirement for an action hero determined to deliver his own interpretation of justice. The movie fits into a familiar tradition in which institutional corruption justifies a protagonist operating outside the very system he's supposed to represent.<\/p>\n

What gives ABOVE THE LAW more personality than its basic premise suggests is Andrew Davis's direction. Davis had already demonstrated his ability to handle Chicago-based action with CODE OF SILENCE, starring Chuck Norris. He would later direct THE FUGITIVE, one of the decade's most successful thrillers. His familiarity with the city is central to the film's identity. Rather than relying entirely on anonymous warehouses and interchangeable locations, ABOVE THE LAW places its criminal conspiracy within recognizable neighborhoods, streets, and institutions. Chicago isn't simply a convenient backdrop for violence; its political history, geography, and working-class character help establish the environment in which Nico operates.<\/p>\n

The production was filmed primarily in Chicago, with principal photography beginning in April 1987. Davis's use of the city lends the film a sense of place that many contemporary action productions struggle to establish. The streets, buildings, and surrounding neighborhoods contribute to a story about corruption reaching into institutions meant to protect the public. That grounding matters when the screenplay begins introducing increasingly elaborate connections between drug trafficking, intelligence operations, and political violence. A tangible setting keeps the narrative grounded in something recognizable, even as the conspiracy becomes more complicated than necessary.<\/p>\n

The screenplay, credited to Steven Pressfield, Ronald Shusett, and Davis, with a story by Davis and Seagal, draws inspiration from real concerns about American intelligence operations and foreign intervention. The Iran-Contra affair had brought considerable public attention to covert activities, arms sales, and the relationship between government agencies and political interests. ABOVE THE LAW incorporates that atmosphere of distrust into a thriller where the people operating beyond government accountability are considerably more dangerous than the criminals being investigated on Chicago's streets. Its political concerns give the story an edge that distinguishes it from action movies built entirely around personal revenge.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, mentioning government corruption doesn't automatically make the storytelling more effective. The screenplay introduces a collection of agencies, criminals, political connections, and competing interests that sometimes makes the conspiracy harder to follow than it needs to be. The underlying conflict is straightforward enough: powerful people are committing terrible acts, and Nico refuses to let them get away with it. However, the path between that premise and the escalating violence occasionally gets cluttered with explanations and characters whose importance isn't always clear. It's an ambitious foundation for what is, at heart, a fairly conventional action thriller.<\/p>\n

Seagal's performance is another area where the film's strengths and limitations blur. His confidence during the martial arts sequences gives Nico an immediately recognizable identity. He doesn't scramble to survive encounters with criminals or rely on luck to escape dangerous situations. His opponents often discover they've made a serious mistake before they have much chance to reconsider. That physical certainty is central to Seagal's appeal, especially when contrasted with action heroes whose fights involve prolonged exchanges of blows and visibly exhausting struggles.<\/p>\n

Outside those sequences, however, Seagal's limitations as an actor become harder to ignore. His emotional range is narrow, and his commitment to maintaining Nico's intimidating composure doesn't always help establish meaningful relationships with the people around him. The character's seriousness suits the material, but not every interaction benefits from the same controlled delivery. There's a difference between playing someone who conceals his emotions and delivering a performance that rarely allows those emotions to register. Seagal would eventually build an entire career around variations of this persona, but his first film already demonstrates how restrictive it can become.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Davis surrounds his inexperienced leading man with performers who know how to give familiar material some personality. Pam Grier plays Delores Jackson, better known as Jacks, Nico's police partner. Grier had established herself as a major presence in American genre cinema through films such as COFFY and FOXY BROWN, and her casting adds considerable credibility to the production. She brings a confidence and authority that complement Seagal's physical intensity without simply imitating it. Her character also connects to more conventional police work, contrasting with Nico's tendency to treat departmental procedure as an inconvenience.<\/p>\n

Grier's presence raises an interesting question: how much more could the film have done with its supporting characters? Jacks is capable and experienced, but the narrative remains overwhelmingly focused on Nico and his personal crusade. The familiar rebellious cop\/grounded partner dynamic gives their relationship an established framework, though Grier has enough screen presence that a more substantial role would have been welcome. She's an actor who doesn't need an elaborate introduction to command attention, making her comparatively limited involvement one of the film's more noticeable missed chances.<\/p>\n

Henry Silva brings a different kind of energy as Kurt Zagon, a ruthless intelligence operative whose history directly connects to Nico's distrust of the CIA. Silva had spent decades playing dangerous criminals and intimidating antagonists, and he was well suited to a character whose authority depends on an almost complete absence of conscience. Zagon represents the institutional brutality that Nico has spent years opposing, making their conflict more personal than a routine disagreement between a police officer and an ordinary criminal. The performance benefits from Silva's established ability to make unpleasant characters feel threatening without requiring an elaborate explanation of their motivations.<\/p>\n

Sharon Stone appears as Sara Toscani, Nico's wife, several years before BASIC INSTINCT transformed her into one of Hollywood's most recognizable stars. Her involvement is interesting from a historical perspective, especially considering how dramatically her career would develop. Within ABOVE THE LAW, however, Sara primarily serves to establish Nico's personal life and the consequences his investigation could have for his family. It's a familiar function in action filmmaking, where domestic relationships are often used to demonstrate what the hero stands to lose rather than receiving much independent development. Stone's presence adds interest to those sequences, even if the material doesn't give her much room to distinguish the character.<\/p>\n

Ron Dean, who plays Nico's fellow officer Lukich, contributes to the film's collection of recognizable Chicago personalities. Dean frequently appeared in productions connected to the city, and his involvement reflects Davis's preference for actors who fit naturally into the environments he depicts. The supporting cast also includes performers such as Chelcie Ross, Jack Wallace, and Michael Rooker, adding to a lineup that feels more substantial than the film's simple action-star introduction might suggest. Those choices help build a believable network of colleagues, officials, and criminals around a lead who isn't necessarily equipped to carry every dramatic exchange alone.<\/p>\n

The action sequences remain central to the movie's identity, especially because Seagal's approach was relatively unfamiliar to mainstream American audiences. Aikido places considerable emphasis on redirecting force and controlling an opponent through leverage and joint manipulation, and the choreography incorporates those principles into encounters designed to demonstrate Nico's superiority. These fights aren't built around long punch combinations or spectacular aerial kicks. They often focus on ending confrontations quickly, with an efficiency that makes the resulting violence feel even more unpleasant.<\/p>\n

That approach also creates an interesting limitation. When the protagonist appears capable of incapacitating practically anyone who approaches him, individual confrontations can lose some of their suspense. Nico's physical dominance creates satisfying displays of martial arts technique, but it also reduces the uncertainty that makes action scenes exciting. Davis compensates by placing the character within a larger criminal conspiracy where simply overpowering the nearest opponent won't necessarily resolve the problem. The danger comes as much from his enemies' institutional influence as from their ability to challenge him physically.<\/p>\n

The violence itself is considerably rougher than the increasingly polished spectacle that would eventually characterize many mainstream action franchises. ABOVE THE LAW belongs to an era when R-rated action movies could be unapologetically nasty, with gunfire, physical punishment, and confrontations that rarely concern themselves with making violence look graceful. The film's brutality fits its story about corrupt officials and criminals who regard human lives as disposable. The film makes little attempt to make Nico's methods morally comfortable, even as the narrative consistently positions him as the person best equipped to confront the larger threat.<\/p>\n

Cinematographer Robert Steadman's work contributes to the film's urban crime-thriller identity, while editor Michael Brown helps organize a narrative moving between police investigations, criminal activity, and political conspiracy. The production prioritizes a recognizable sense of place over the exaggerated visual environments of some of the decade's larger action spectacles. Davis's experience with location-based filmmaking gives the project a useful foundation, allowing Chicago to retain its identity even as the story moves further into the familiar territory of government corruption and personal retaliation.<\/p>\n

Composer David Michael Frank provides the film's score, another element connecting ABOVE THE LAW to the action-thriller conventions of its period. Frank's career included numerous film and television productions, making him a strong choice for a movie that balances criminal investigation with bursts of violence. The music belongs to a production firmly rooted in late-eighties American action filmmaking, a period when scoring often heightened the intensity and urgency around larger-than-life protagonists.<\/p>\n

The movie also has an unusual production history. Warner Bros. reportedly invested about $50,000 in test footage directed by Davis to demonstrate Seagal's screen presence before committing to full production. With an estimated budget of $7.5 million, ABOVE THE LAW was a relatively modest studio investment compared with the major action vehicles being built around established stars. Its commercial success helped establish Seagal as a viable leading man, launching a career that would include HARD TO KILL, MARKED FOR DEATH, OUT FOR JUSTICE, and UNDER SIEGE.<\/p>\n

An especially memorable behind-the-scenes detail is that Henry Silva accidentally broke Seagal's nose while filming a fight scene. Seagal reportedly returned to work without the injury significantly affecting production, which adds an appropriately fitting footnote to a movie built around the spectacle of people inflicting considerable physical damage on one another. Given how much of his subsequent screen identity depended on appearing practically indestructible, having his nose broken during his first feature seems like an unintentionally fitting introduction to Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Looking at ABOVE THE LAW within the larger history of Seagal's career also reveals how much credit Davis deserves for establishing the original formula. UNDER SIEGE would eventually reunite the director and star in a more polished, commercially successful production. At the same time, THE FUGITIVE demonstrated Davis's ability to build a compelling mainstream thriller around a considerably stronger dramatic lead. His involvement helps distinguish ABOVE THE LAW from the many increasingly interchangeable action vehicles that followed Seagal's early success. The film has an identifiable director, a strong supporting ensemble, and a political premise that extends beyond simply giving its star excuses to beat people up.<\/p>\n

That distinction matters because Seagal's later reputation can easily overshadow his debut. It's hard to discuss his career without acknowledging how his public persona, behavior, and increasingly bizarre professional choices have shaped how audiences regard him. However, those developments don't erase the historical significance of ABOVE THE LAW or the work of the filmmakers and performers who helped bring it to the screen. A movie can be understood within the context of its star's career without every artistic decision being reduced to that individual's reputation.<\/p>\n

Toy Robot Video's 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition provides a welcome opportunity to revisit this early chapter of American action cinema. The release features a newly completed 4K restoration sourced from the original camera negative and approved by Andrew Davis. That director involvement is significant, especially for a movie whose visual identity depends heavily on Chicago locations and the practical action filmmaking of its era. The restoration also gives collectors a presentation derived from the original photographic source rather than an older home-video master.<\/p>\n

The release includes both a 4K UHD disc and a standard Blu-ray, making it accessible to collectors using either format. The announced 1.85:1 aspect ratio preserves the film's theatrical framing, while the edition includes 5.1 surround audio. Although the restoration's source and director approval are encouraging, those details alone don't show how much the finished image improves on previous editions. Grain reproduction, color accuracy, contrast, compression, and the condition of the original photographic materials ultimately determine a restoration's quality. A new master can be an important preservation achievement, even if every aspect of the resulting presentation isn't automatically flawless.<\/p>\n

The bonus features are a meaningful part of the package, beginning with a newly recorded commentary featuring Davis and Grier. Their participation offers a direct connection to two people whose contributions helped shape the original production, making the track an appealing inclusion for anyone interested in the film's history. The pairing also offers a chance to approach the movie from both filmmaking and performance perspectives, rather than relying entirely on Seagal's recollections.<\/p>\n

Another new supplement, SOUNDS OF SEAGAL, features composer David Michael Frank discussing his work. Music-related interviews can offer valuable insight into a part of production that often gets less attention than acting, directing, or stunt choreography. The inclusion is especially appropriate for a release devoted to a film whose soundtrack forms part of its period identity. An archival promotional interview with Seagal offers a different historical perspective, preserving material from the start of his acting career rather than revisiting those events solely through later recollections.<\/p>\n

The theatrical trailer rounds out the announced supplements and has received a new 2K scan from the interpositive. It's a relatively modest collection of extras compared with some elaborate collector's editions, but the material has been chosen with an emphasis on the actual production. The director-approved restoration, new commentary, and composer interview strike a useful balance between preservation and historical context. For physical-media collectors, those elements matter more than simply putting an old movie on a higher-resolution disc and calling it an upgrade.<\/p>\n

ABOVE THE LAW remains a fascinating introduction to Steven Seagal, both for what it established and for the limitations that would become increasingly apparent throughout his career. Andrew Davis gives his leading man a gritty Chicago crime thriller with recognizable supporting performers, politically charged subject matter, and a fighting style that separates him from his contemporaries. The screenplay becomes unnecessarily tangled, Seagal's dramatic abilities leave something to be desired, and the supporting characters don't always receive the attention they deserve. Still, the movie has enough individual character to stand apart from the increasingly formulaic productions associated with its star.<\/p>\n

The new Toy Robot Video edition recognizes ABOVE THE LAW as more than a footnote in Seagal's career, giving Davis's early action thriller a restoration and collection of supplements that reflect its place in the genre's history. It's also a reminder of a time when Seagal's greatest professional accomplishment was convincing audiences he could break practically anyone in half, rather than convincing them of whatever ridiculous thing he happened to be saying that week. If only his career had remained as straightforward as his preferred method of handling criminals.<\/p>\n

Bonus Materials:<\/strong>
\nNEW 4K restoration from the original camera negative, approved by director Andrew Davis
\nNEW Audio Commentary with director Andrew Davis and actress Pam Grier
\nNEW Sounds of Seagal, interview with composer David Michael Frank
\nArchival interview with Steven Seagal during the promotion of Above the Law
\nTheatrical Trailer (New 2K scan from the interpositive)<\/p>\n

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[photo courtesy of TOY ROBOT VIDEO, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]<\/em><\/p>\n

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MOVIE REVIEW Above the Law  –      Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller Year Released: 1988, 2026 4K\/Blu-ray Runtime: 1h 39m Director(s): Andrew Davis Writer(s): Steven Pressfield, Ronald Shusett, Andrew Davis (screenplay); Andrew Davis, Steven Seagal (story) Cast: Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, Henry Silva, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean, Daniel Faraldo, Chelcie Ross, Jack Wallace, Michael Rooker Where to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/img\/0367\/0367974.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t