Above the Law [Nico] ** (1988, Steven Seagal, Henry Silva, Pam Grier, Daniel Faraldo, Sharon Stone) – Classic Movie Review 10,581

Director Andrew Davis’s 1988 film Above the Law [Nico] stars Aikido expert Steven Seagal in his film debut as Nico Toscani, a tough renegade Chicago cop, trained in martial arts and combat in Vietnam, who sets out to protect a US senator and reveals a CIA conspiracy.

This proficient, but routine and very violent action thriller is made with more enthusiasm than obvious talent. While the plot makes vague stabs at addressing issues of political corruption, genre fans shouldn’t let that distract them from the action, and the lavish array of stunts are guaranteed to keep the knuckles white.

Fast-paced and furious, it marked Seagal’s breakthrough as a major star. It shows he can handle the fights if not the acting and boasts a terrific performance by Henry Silva as the evil villain, as well as appearances by Pam Grier, Daniel Faraldo, Sharon Stone, Nicholas Kusenko, Ron Dean, Chelcie Ross, Jack Wallace, Joe Greco, Thalmus Rasulala, and John C Reilly (as thug in bar, uncredited).

Above the Law [Nico] is directed by Andrew Davis, runs 99 minutes or 94 minutes (cut), is made and released by Warner Bros, is made by Steven Pressfield (screenplay), Ronald Shusett (screenplay), Andrew Davis (story and screenplay) and Steven Seagal (story), is shot by Robert Steadman, is produced by Steven Seagal and Andrew Davis, is scored by David Michael Frank, with special effects by Art Brewer and Lee Solis, and set designs by Maher Ahmad.

With a $7,500,000 budget, it grossed $18,869,631 in the US.

Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, Out for Justice, Under Siege and On Deadly Ground quickly followed.

In 2020, Above the Law 2 is announced.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 10,581

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