Above the Law

Above the Law (1988) is Andrew Davis' hard-edged crime thriller, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Chicago cop and former CIA agent Nico Toscani stumbles onto a case his bosses would rather bury.

This was Steven Seagal's first movie. He co-wrote the story around his own aikido background, so Nico solves problems by snapping wrists and outrunning half the city's force. The trail leads to spooks he once worked with, men now running drugs and lining up a political hit while assuming nobody can touch them. Watch for Pam Grier as Nico's partner, Henry Silva as the cold villain pulling the strings, and a young Sharon Stone before her breakout.

Davis wrapped real grit around the fistfights: agency corruption, an immigrant's faith, a church sheltering refugees. He'd reunite with Seagal four years later for Under Siege. For anyone after late-80s action that hits without posturing, this is the one. Stream Above the Law (1988) online on iFILM.