Film

Above the Law (1988)

Director: Andrew Davis

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Chicago cop Nico is an Italian immigrant, an aikido Black Belt, fluent in several languages, an ex-CIA operative with 'Nam experience, a fine husband and father, and possessed of the brains and brawn to back him up in his fight for what he believes is right. Phew! The plot concerns a Secret Service attempt to assassinate a senator about to blow the whistle on an undercover drugs trafficking/political destabilisation gimmick, and detours via scenes of a bombed church, 'Nam torture flashbacks, and numerous scraps and car chases. Through this scattergun proliferation strides Nico (Seagal in his debut) like a holy mixture of Bruce Lee, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and Jon Miller. This he does with considerable élan. Davis' direction is Miami Vice-tight, though with frequent attempts at humour: this, together with the caricature psycho-baddie (Silva), and the mixture of spectacular, bone-crunchingly realistic violence with a stab at topical socio-political commentary, makes for a very uncertain tone.

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