We Had All The Good Action In The 80s And 90s
Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s meant I got to see a lot of great action stars on television. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Van Damme, you know the names. Another, though, from this era was Steven Segal. Regardless of how you feel about him, the guy is 6’4” and an Aikido master who trained in Japan. He also taught Aikido with blessing in Japan so, he is an accredited martial artist. This is more than can be said of some of the other action stars from the late 80s and early 90s. None of this is the point here. Let’s talk about Steven Segal’s Above the Law.
The “S” In Segal Is For “Same Old, Same Old”
If you’ve seen one Segal movie, you’ve ultimately seen them all. At least the ones from my childhood. I haven’t seen any of his recent c grade stuff but, I imagine it’s ultimately the same. He always plays a cop, a former CIA agent, or some form of government bad A with a classified background that has an axe to grind with someone. He then uses Aikido, martial arts weapons, guns, and a mix of all of these to grind said axe. In this film, there are more guns than martial arts but, it’s still a good one. Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of action in this movie too.
Segal’s character, a police officer, uncovers a crooked FBI officer while working a drug case. He is told to back down once he brings things to light and must decide what to do. Naturally, he chooses to press this issue which causes him a lot of strife. He calls on his Italian family for help as a personal army of sorts. Between his family and Aikido, the bad guys are exposed, and catch that beat down.
Powerful Opening Sequence in Above the Law
Of Segal’s early work, this movie is one of my favorites for two main reasons both of which center on the art of Aikido. I have studied a little bit of this traditional art and it is fun and a great look at Japanese culture. Segal very clearly uses Aikido in this movie and anyone who is familiar with the art will quickly pick up on it. He uses one of the throwing techniques called “Kotegaeshi” often. In Japanese this means “wrist out turn” and it’s one of my personal favorite techniques. I find that it is very applicable in many real-life situations.
Steven Segal and Aikido
While hand to hand fighting is a huge part of this movie, Segal uses some weapon techniques from Aikido as well. The sword and staff and included in its classes both against other weapons and the empty hand. You can read this and more about Aikido here. Finally, my most favorite part, is the opening scene. Here, you see Segal teaching this art in a Japanese dojo. It is impressive to watch him instruct and go through the fluid movements of this art. Training traditionally in Japan is much different than training in America. The opening credits also feature Morehei Ueshiba, who was the founder of this art and a legendary martial artist.
Casting and Culture in Steven Segal's Above The Law
I find it entreating to hear him speak Japanese too. He was married to a Japanese lady, trained, and taught in Japan so he must speak this language with some fluency. Having studied Japanese myself for several years, I enjoy hearing it when I can. Casting was something else that I enjoyed in this movie. Pam Grier was in this movie and played his partner. Pam was in many 70s exploitation films such as Foxy Brown, The Arena, Coffy, The Big Doll House, The Big Bird Cage, and Scream Blacula Scream. I am a fan of her 70s work and have seen most of her films. Yes, eventually there will be blogs. The man who played the bad guy was another of these actors that just plays a good bad guy.
Closing Out My Thoughts on Steven Segal’s Above The Law
I know I have seen all of Segal’s early work, again I grew up in this era. Watching this recently though, I didn’t remember this one that well. Above the Law was fresh in this regard. I will and would certainly watch this one again. Repeating myself more here but Segal’s early stuff is all the same but all action gold. If you haven’t seen this one, like Aikido, or are digging into 90’s film culture, put this on your list. You won’t be let down.
I’d love for you to link up with me on all social media platforms, read more of my blogs, check out my art, my photography and more. You can do all of this here. Has anyone out there ever met Steven Segal? Is he as arrogant as he seems? What’s your favorite of his movies? Are any of the recent C grade movies worth watching? Let me know in the comments.