Above The Law (1988) - Steven Seagal - Redeye REDO!

Recap

The Redeye reviewer returns to the channel’s first-ever review, choosing not to rewatch the original so the new take will feel “honest.” The review opens with jokes about how much control Steven Seagal reportedly had over Above the Law: rewriting large parts of the script, picking the weapons, and bringing in martial-arts students to make himself look good. The host also pokes fun at old photos of a youthful Seagal, his intense stillness in the Vietnam scenes, and Nico’s abrupt decision to walk away from the war.

In the film, Nico Toscani is now a Chicago cop and martial-arts instructor. When a drug investigation turns up a shipment that is actually connected to C4 explosives, he starts uncovering a conspiracy involving drug traffickers, a church sheltering refugees, and people with ties to the CIA. A priest is killed, Nico’s partner is caught in the violence, and Nico is warned to stop digging. Naturally, he ignores the warning, gets suspended, and carries on investigating with a borrowed gun.

The reviewer’s running commentary supplies much of the comedy. Nico’s colleagues keep shouting his name during gunfire, prompting the host to suggest that this is hardly a stealth tactic. The reviewer also mocks scenes where characters explain the conspiracy out loud, Seagal’s awkward running and fighting, and the film’s habit of giving his opponents remarkably little chance. A purportedly heartfelt exchange with a neighborhood informant briefly wins the reviewer over—then the jokes resume almost immediately.

The climax brings Nico face-to-face with the people behind the plot. He escapes captivity, the villains are taken down, and the senator is saved. The reviewer caps off the action with a joke about the film’s notorious Seagal sound effects, then moves into a “RedEye Reacts” montage, riffing on clips involving a suspiciously reckless driver, an eye injury the host doesn’t believe, and Seagal’s tough-guy lines. The video ends with the reviewer thanking supporters and asking whether viewers want more remakes of old Redeye episodes.

Personalities Featured or Mentioned

• Redeye reviewer/host — Unnamed in the subtitles.
• Steven Seagal — Nico Toscani.
• Pam Grier — Associated with Nico’s police partner, Delores Jackson.
• Sharon Stone — Associated with Nico’s wife, Sara.
• Henry Silva — Associated with the film’s antagonist, Kurt Zagon.
• Michael Rooker — Briefly spotted by the reviewer.