Above the Law (1988 film)

For the 1989 American action film released in the Philippines as Above the Law, see Action U.S.A.
Above the Law
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Davis
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
  • Steven Seagal
  • Andrew Davis
Starring
CinematographyRobert Steadman
Edited byMichael Brown
Music byDavid Michael Frank
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • April 8, 1988 (1988-04-08) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Budget$7.5 million [2]
Box office$18.8 million

Above the Law, also known as Nico: Above the Law,[3] or simply Nico,[4] is a 1988 American crime action thriller film co-written, co-produced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who also produced the film alongside Davis, and stars Seagal alongside Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, an Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating the mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.

The film originated after a successful screen test financed by Michael Ovitz, leading to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros. It was set and filmed on location in Chicago.[5] The film premiered in the United States on April 8, 1988. Above the Law is regarded as the first American film to feature Aikido in fight sequences.[6] Seagal tweeted plans for Above the Law 2 on August 1, 2016, but the project remains in pre-production.[7]

  1. ^ "NICO". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (1988-02-14). "Steven Seagal Gets a Shot at Stardom". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
  3. ^ "Nico - Above the Law (1988)". MovieZine. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  4. ^ "Above the Law (Nico) (1988)". FilmAffinity. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  5. ^ Canby, Vincent (April 8, 1988). "'Above the Law,' a Detective's Battle". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  6. ^ Bill Palmer; Karen Palmer; Ric Meyers (January 1995). The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts Movies. Scarecrow Press, 1995. p. 2. ISBN 1461672759.
  7. ^ Porter, Jeff (2021-08-13). "Is Steven Seagal's 'Above The Law 2' Ever Really Going To Happen?". Screen Dynamite. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-09-25.