This best Steven Seagal movies list features the top Steven Seagal films of all time, including only titles that he has starred in that have already released. In order to be included in this top 5 Steven Seagal movies list Seagal must have played a prominent role. Author discretion is the final criteria used to distinguish these best Steven Seagal films.
5. Exit Wounds (2001)Box Office Gross: $51,758,599 Adjusted: $0
The first Seagal film to pair him with a rapper turned into an unexpected hit in the spring of 2001. Teaming with Action uber-producer Joel Silver and Hip Hop star DMX was a brilliant career move resulting in one of most enjoyable action flicks of the year. Based on a novel and co-starring Michael Jai White Exit Wounds is a slick, exciting glimpse of the Seagal from years past.
4. Hard to Kill (1990)Box Office Gross: $47,410,827 Adjusted: $0
This is the film in which the Steven Seagal persona was truly honed. All the usual motifs are hit in Hard to Kill. A liquor store shootout-fight sequence, the slaying of his family, and a spiritual and moral reawakening are all present in his second big screen release. Even continues the tradition of a three word title so the advertising material can always read Steven Seagal is — — —. Nevertheless it’s a fun time with a couple of good lines (and some real howlers) with a simplified story after the overly-political Above the Law.
3. Out for Justice (1991)Box Office Gross: $39,673,161 Adjusted: $0
Seagal’s first attempt at an accent and ‘acting’ comes off well. Here he’s an Italian cop looking for a boyhood friend turned hoodlum running wild in the streets of Brooklyn, NY. Great score by frequent collaborator David Michael Frank and a crazed performance from William Forsythe as the heavy are assets to the film. An excellent fight sequence this time in a poolhall is one of the best ever committed to film. Plus Seagal gets to show off his acting chops and delivers a nice monologue detailing a childhood run-in with a mafia boss.
2. Above the Law (1988)Box Office Gross: $18,869,631 Adjusted: $0
The debut film from Aikido’s big man is a resounding success. Director Andrew Davis captures a certain authenticity from the Chicago setting and treats his star with an appropriate amount of mysticism and authority. Never has a debuting action-star had such commanding screen presence with no training. The story gets overly complicated sure, but is that such a bad thing? Most action films nowadays settle for the less is more approach. The opening five minutes will hook you. Go ahead try to turn it off…
1. Under Siege (1992)Box Office Gross: $83,563,139 Adjusted: $0
Steven Seagal’s opus and the best Die Hard-knockoff to emerge from the once overly saturated genre. Reuniting with director Andrew Davis and working from a script by J.F. Lawton this frequently exciting film is also the coming out party for Tommy Lee Jones. A fantastic villain in both Gary Busey and Jones gave Seagal not one but two charismatic heavies to fight off. Some outstanding camera work and editing give off the sense of isolation and claustrophobia that abound on a battleship. The highest grossing film from Seagal’s career and the first time he cut off that damn ponytail. Under Siege is a true classic from the 1990s.
Under Siege is one of my wife’s favorite movies by Seagal as well, although we love all his movies even if they are cheesy it gives us something to laugh at. When I got my Blockbuster Movie Pass set up we set like 40 movies in queue, the first 10 being old Seagal flicks. Under Siege was the first one we rented, and you are right it is the type of a story that has been done so many times you can’t count them on both hands and feet. Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey amped up the level of acting in the movie and I think that is one of the reasons that it did so well was because Seagal wasn’t the biggest person in the movie. I think we are getting our $10 a month out of the service for sure, but I can’t wait for marked for Death to show up, that is one of my personal favorites of Seagals. At least all his movies give me plenty of one liner’s to harass my coworkers at DISH with on a daily basis.