Steven Seagal Movies
A master of several Japanese martial arts, Steven Seagal is a popular action movie hero whose films combine spiritual concepts and social/environmental consciousness with high-voltage violence. Born in Lansing, MI, on April 10, 1951, Seagal traveled to Japan at the age of 17. There, he taught English, studied Zen, and perfected his martial arts, earning black belts in Aikido, karate, judo, and kendo. Afterwards, he became the first Westerner to open a martial arts school in Japan.During this time, Seagal occasionally choreographed fight scenes in movies and coached such stars as Sean Connery and Toshiro Mifune. He also became interested in Eastern religion: in a November 1997 interview for the Shambala Sun, he stated that his relationship with Tibetan Buddhism resulted from his study of acupuncture. According to Seagal, several ailing Tibetan lamas, suffering from malnutrition, exhaustion, and the effects of Chinese torture, were sent to him for treatment, which led him to become a director of secret security operations and setting up special safe houses. Regarding other incidents from his past, Seagal has remained secretive, though he was allegedly a bounty hunter and occasionally has hinted about involvement with the CIA. Further speculation has surrounded the work he did on behalf of Tibetan freedom fighters, and it was not until 1997 that he mentioned the large amounts of money he claimed to have donated to various religious organizations.
Seagal spent about 15 years in Asia before returning to the States, where he opened a new martial arts academy and also worked as a celebrity bodyguard. His clients included his future (now ex-) wife Kelly LeBrock and Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz. With help from Ovitz, Seagal contracted to make martial arts films for Warner Bros. For his first film, he and cinematographer-turned-director Andrew Davis carefully refashioned an average police drama into Above the Law (1988), which stressed characterization and plot as well as high-energy action scenes. It was well received and Seagal found himself an instant star among action aficionados. His next film, Hard to Kill (1989), overflowed with chop-socky violence, casting him as a cop who wakens from a coma and sets out for revenge against those who sent him to the hospital. Seagal attracted mainstream appeal in 1992 when he starred in the Davis-directed hit Under Siege, his most popular movie. In 1994, he made his directorial debut with the environmentally conscious but critically panned On Deadly Ground, in which he single-handedly attempts to save Alaska and the Eskimos from an avaricious oil tycoon. Subsequent action attempts included 1996's Executive Decision and 1998's The Patriot. In 1999, Seagal turned to producing with Prince of Central Park, an uncharacteristically gentle film about a young boy living in the titular park. Following a rollicking time in the corrupt cop thriller Exit Wounds (2001), Segal shook things up behind bars in Half Past Dead (2002).
In 1997, Seagal publicly announced that one of his prime Buddhist teachers, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, had proclaimed him a tulku, the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama. Seagal's announcement met with some cynicism, but Penor Rinpoche backed him up with a formal statement at Colorado's Naropa Institute. In subsequent interviews, Seagal has presented himself as a serious student of Buddhism who spends many hours meditating, studying, and practicing the tenets to help him become a teacher and healer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A child discovers a whole new world when he runs away from home in the family drama Prince Of Central Park. JJ (played by Frankie Nasso) is a boy living in New York with his foster mother (Cathy Moriarty). To say they don't get along is an understatement; one day JJ decides he's so tired of her abuse and tirades that he leaves his home for good, determined to make a home for himself in Central Park. JJ soon meets another resident of the park, an eccentric who calls himself the Guardian (Harvey Keitel); while the Guardian seems frightening at first, he soon proves to be a true friend to JJ. JJ also makes friends with Rebecca and Noah (Kathleen Turner and Danny Aiello), a couple who never entirely recovered from the death of their son several years ago. Rebecca and Noah take JJ under their wings, and JJ helps them come to terms with their loss. Prince Of Central Park was the first family film from the production company of Seagal/Nasso, co-founded by stone-faced action star Steven Seagal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, (more)
A deadly virus threatens to wipe out an entire Rocky Mountain town, leaving the town doctor (Steven Seagal) to find some way to escape the soldiers who enforce the town's quarantine and devise an antidote. Matters take a more deadly turn after the physician is captured by a dangerously unstable band of militia extremists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Gailard Sartain, (more)
Third-rate talent agent Sammy Kanin (Billy Crystal) is more devoted to his career than his wife Serena (Kathleen Quinlan) and son Nick (Zane Carney), so instead of going to Nick's birthday party, he chooses to travel to Romania where his teen client Justin Allen (Rider Strong) is acting in a period adventure movie. When Sammy's auto swerves off the road, he wakes up in a monastery, having been removed from the wreckage by sensitive, Shakespeare-quoting, 7'7"-tall giant, Max (pro basketball player Gheorghe Muresan), a ward of the monks who works as a monastery caretaker. Sammy sees Max as his ticket to the top, gets him a warrior role in the adventure movie, and takes him back to the U.S. where Max hopes to win back a long-ago girlfriend Lillianna (Joanna Pacula), living in Gallup, New Mexico. Sammy and Max head for Vegas, where actor Steven Seagal (as himself) is shooting a film with a villain role perfect for Max. When Sammy contacts Lillianna, she expresses disinterest in Max, forcing Sammy to seek a solution that can bring the two together. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)
Martial arts star Steven Seagal stars in this action drama as Jack Taggart, an undercover agent working for the Environmental Protection Agency. When an EPA representative is murdered in a small Appalachian community, Taggart is sent in -- posing as a handyman working with a Christian relief agency -- to find out what happened. Taggart discovers that Orin Hanner (Kris Kristofferson), a powerful local businessman, has been illegally dumping toxic waste which has been leading to serious health problems among children in the area; it seems that the murdered agent knew too much and was killed to keep him quiet, a scenario the unscrupulous Hanner would be all too willing to repeat. Taggart becomes involved with Sarah Kellogg (Marg Helgenberger), a woman whose father also died under circumstances that trace back to Hanner. Harry Dean Stanton co-stars as Cotton, former member of The Band Levon Helm plays a preacher, and country music stars Travis Tritt and Randy Travis appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Marg Helgenberger, (more)
In this action thriller, a group of Islamic terrorists, led by Nagi Hassan (David Suchet), highjacks a 747 jetliner with 400 passengers aboard, but Lt. Col. Austin Travis (Steven Seagal), a United States intelligence agent, is convinced that this isn't an ordinary case of air piracy. His suspicions are soon confirmed; Hassan's men have obtained a large cache of stolen Soviet nerve gas, and they are using the 747 to smuggle the deadly gas into the United States, where they intend to use it to wipe out Washington D.C. and possibly the entire East Coast. As the jet approaches the U. S., engineer Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt) designs a plan in which a military plane will be able to transfer U.S. soldiers onto the 747 and regain control of the plane and its deadly cargo. However, when Travis dies in the course of the mission, intelligence agent Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) is forced to take his place alongside explosives expert Cappy (Joe Morton), commando Rat (John Leguizamo), and stewardess-turned-anti-terrorist Jean (Halle Berry). Executive Decision was the first directorial assignment for veteran film editor Stuart Baird; he cut the film as well. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, (more)
- 1996
Two cops with almost nothing in common find themselves brought together to capture a psychotic murderer in this action thriller. Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) was once a government intelligence operative known as "The Glimmer Man," because he could move so quickly and quietly that his victims would only see a glimmer before they died. Having left international espionage behind him, Cole -- steeped in Eastern mysticism and not used to working with others -- has become a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he's paired up with Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans), a tough, no-nonsense cop with a weakness for weepy movies (Casablanca is one of his favorites) and little patience for Cole's New Age philosophies and outsider attitude. Cole and Campbell have to set aside their differences when they're assigned to track down a serial killer the press has dubbed "The Family Man," for his habit of dispatching entire households at once. However, when the Family Man's latest victims turn out to be Cole's former wife and her current husband, Campbell learns about Cole's secret past, and they both think that Cole's former bosses may somehow be involved with this current crime wave. Leading man Seagal also wrote and played guitar on several blues-based songs that appear on the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, (more)
In the original box-office smash Under Siege, action hero Steven Seagal played Casey Ryback, a U.S. Navy SEAL who saved the world from nuclear destruction by outsmarting and killing off terrorists who had commandeered a submarine. In this sequel, Seagal's Ryback character does the same sort of thing aboard a train. Ryback now has retired from the Navy and is taking his niece Sarah (Katherine Heigl) on a vacation. They board a train traveling through the Rocky Mountains. Criminal mastermind Travis Dane (Eric Bogosian) is using the train as a control center in his effort to kidnap a top-secret government outer space super-weapon. Dane built the weapon but then was fired by the government before it was deployed. He has hooked up with shadowy Middle Eastern terrorists who have offered him $1 billion to use the satellite to blow up the Eastern seaboard by targeting a secret nuclear reactor underneath the Pentagon. Dane shows the Pentagon that he's got control of the weapon by blowing up a Chinese chemical plant. Officials can't stop him because they can't locate his headquarters. As long as the train keeps moving, his location can't be fixed. Ryback learns of the plot and enlists a porter named Bobby (Morris Chestnut) to help him in his battle. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Eric Bogosian, (more)
Jennings (Michael Caine), a corrupt company owner will stop at nothing to open a new refinery in Alaska. Forrest Taft (Steven Seagal), a disgruntled former employee is chosen by an Eskimo chief as savior of his people. Forrest's mission is to prevent the new refinery from beginning work before the land rights are returned to the Eskimos. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Michael Caine, (more)
- 1993
- R
Find out how celebrity parties and dinners differ from those attended by most people. Hosts Bernard Erpicum of Spago and Paula McClure introduce the viewer to such basics as the Elegant Winter Meal, the Festive Holiday Dinner and the Afternoon or Evening Get-Together Meal. Tasty recipes for such culinary treats as Rack of Lamb with White Wine Sauce and Glazed Turkey with Rice and Nut Stuffing are shared. A variety of other tips are provided by such celebrities as Rod Steiger, Jon Voight, Dudley Moore and Ed Begley, Jr. Viewers are even shown the proper way to carve a turkey and which dinnerware and wine glasses should be used for various occasions. There's even a special tip on what type of lighting is best for different meals. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Andrew Davis directed this exciting thriller starring Steven Seagal, sans ponytail, and featuring electric, over-the-top performances by Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones. This action saga takes place on the battleship USS Missouri, about to be decommissioned from service after a visit from George Bush. When Bush departs the vessel, a band of terrorists overcome the remaining skeleton crew and take over the ship, under the ruse of holding a surprise birthday party for the ship's commander, Captain Adams (Patrick O'Neal). The band is led by Strannix (Jones), a disgruntled ex-CIA operative, and his right-hand man, the psychotic Krill (Busey). The terrorists plan to steal the ship's store of nuclear warheads, transfer them to a stolen North Korean submarine, and sell them to a Middle Eastern country. Unfortunately for Strannix, he has overlooked the ship's cook, Casey Ryback (Seagal). Ryback is a much-honored Navy SEAL who, because of a minor scandal, is quietly completing his twenty-year tour in the galley of the Missouri. Forced into action, Ryback, along with the woman who jumped out of Captain Adams' birthday cake (Erika Eleniak), knocks off the bad guys one-by-one while crawling inside the bowels of the ship. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
Steven Seagal plays a good if troubled man living in a corrupt world (sound familiar yet?) in this action drama. Gino Felino (Seagal) is a cop who grew up in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood, and while many of his old friends now live on the other side of the law, he retains a fierce loyalty to the community. When his partner, a friend since childhood, is murdered -- in broad daylight, and in clear view of his wife and children -- Gino is assigned to investigate, and he soon learns that the shooter was Richie Madano (William Forsythe), his life-long nemesis and now a low-level wise guy with an addiction to crack. Gino swings into action to bring Richie to justice, though he discovers that he's not the first in line -- the Don who oversees Richie's crew is appalled by this crime, and Gino has to bring Richie in before the Mafia can put a bullet in his head. Out for Justice also features Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, and Gina Gershon; keep an eye peeled for John Leguizamo and Julianna Margulies in small roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, (more)
- 1991
This 1991 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Steven Seagal and features musical guest Michael Bolton. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Michael Bolton, (more)
Action star Steven Seagal crosses Rip Van Winkle with Clint Eastwood in this belabored revenge odyssey. Seagal plays L.A. Detective Mason Storm and, over the opening credits, Storm is seen busily eavesdropping on crooked politician Vernon Trent (William Sadler). Once he has the goods on Trent, Storm phones his partner Kevin O'Malley (Frederick Coffin) to report on his progress. Unfortunately, crooked cops in the same room pick up the extension phone and listen in, thereby dooming Storm. Soon killers show up at Storm's home and blow away Storm's wife Felicia (Bonnie Burroughs) and their young son. Storm himself is also assumed dead, but when he is taken to the hospital, he lapses into a coma. O'Malley spirits him away, and everyone else, for all intents and purposes, thinks Storm has died. Seven years later, under the tutelage of incredibly beautiful nurse Andy Stewart (Kelly LeBrock), Storm rises from his coma and plots his revenge. With the able assistance of Andy, Storm heads off on a killing spree, becoming (as one character describes him), "the most unstoppable sonuvabitch I ever met." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, (more)
In Marked for Death, Steven Seagal is told to "try to find the gentle person inside yourself." But he doesn't spend too much time looking, preferring instead to crack the spines of his victims. Seagal plays John Hatcher, a burned-out narcotics agent who resigns from the Drug Enforcement Administration after his partner is killed. He returns to his hometown and finds the city in the thrall of a vicious Jamaican drug gang, led by the nasty Screwface (Basil Wallace). He meets an old friend, now a high school football coach, who tells John about losing his best player and his 13-year-old nephew to drug overdoses. Soon John's family is threatened and his prize Mustang stolen, so John joins forces with his buddy to take on Screwface and the drug gang themselves. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Basil Wallace, (more)
- 1990
- R
Spago restaurant maître d’ Bernard Erpicum hosts this program featuring Hollywood stars as they share tips for choosing the best wine for any occasion. Dudley Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Seagal, and Peter Weller are among the guests. Added advice is provided by Robert Loggia, Kelly LeBrock, and Shelley Hack. Other topics covered include quickly ordering from a restaurant's lengthy wine list and selecting the proper stemware for home entertaining. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Martial arts hero Steven Seagal developed, co-wrote, co-produced, choreographed, and debuted in this thrill ride -- a cop film with more attitude, and more plot, than its star had duties on the set. Seagal is Nico Toscani, an Italian immigrant, American patriot, ex-CIA agent, aikido specialist, and unorthodox Chicago policeman. He is as committed to his job as he is to his personalized brand of justice: expert and thorough bone-crushing. When the FBI orders his squad to ignore the mysterious shipment of military explosives they seized from a notorious narcotics dealer, Nico defiantly pursues his own investigation. With the help of his partner Jax (Pam Grier), he sifts through a tangled web of Catholic priests, illegal immigrants, and trained assassins to uncover a drug cartel run directly out of the CIA by an official named Zagon Henry Silva. Nico remembers the man from his CIA days in Vietnam, when Zagon used the agency (and the war) as a front for smuggling opium. At the time, Nico was too outranked to thwart him, but he will no longer let Zagon abuse his position to remain immune from prosecution -- especially now that the official has plans to murder a U.S. senator. Zagon may be above the law of most men, but he is certainly not above Nico's. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, (more)
The title of the 1983 James Bond adventure Never Say Never Again is a self-mocking reference to star Sean Connery's insistence back in 1971 that he would never play Bond again. Reportedly, the huge salary offered Connery was but one consideration that brought him back to the 007 fold; the other was the producers' assurance that Connery would have full control over all aspects of production, a promise that was not kept often enough to the star's liking. Essentially, this film is a remake of the 1965 Bond flick Thunderball (the producers were able to get away with this due to a legal tangle involving the original 1961 Ian Fleming novel). Bond emerges from cozy retirement to cross swords with Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a megalomaniacal business exec who steals several nuclear missiles, intending to bring the World Powers to their knees. Kim Basinger plays Domino, Largo's mistress, whose loyalty Bond secures when she learns that Largo was responsible for the death of her brother. In addition to Basinger, the film boasts a toothsome villainess by the name of Fatima Blush (played by Barbara Carrera). After wrapping Never Say Never Again, Sean Connery swore that this was his absolutely final performance as James Bond; thus far, he's kept his word. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, (more)
- 1982
- R
The Challenge is a classy effort directed by John Frankenheimer. Scott Glenn stars as an American boxer who finds himself in the middle of a Japanese blood feud. Toshiro Mifune and Atsuo Nakamura plays the last surviving brothers of an ancient samurai family, embroiled in a battle of the possession of the family swords. Once involved in this contretemps, Glenn must also contend with the minions of the Yakuza, a Japanese Mafia-style organization. Sword of the Ninja was co-written by John Sayles, better known as the writer/director of such films as Brother From Another Planet and Eight Men Out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Toshiro Mifune, (more)
