Summary

• Steven Seagal rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s as a B-grade action movie star, starring in iconic films in the genre.
• While not all of Seagal’s movies are classics, the best include
  Under Siege
  ,
  Fire Down Below
  , and
  The Glimmer Man
  .
• Seagal’s later career saw him take on roles in direct-to-video releases, but his movies still offered impressive fight scenes and thrilling action.

The ’80s were known for the rise of the B-grade action movie to theatrical blockbuster status, and the best Steven Seagal movies are great examples of this trend. His skills as a master of aikido and his stoic demeanor made Seagal stand out in the action movie genre and he became one of its biggest stars for a time. Seagal starred in everything from revenge movies to cop movies to prison movies, before taking on the real-life role as a practicing Buddhist and a part-time law enforcement officer.

Steven Seagal remains in the public eye even though he is no longer an A-List name whose presence is a guaranteed ticket seller, yet he remains an iconic B-movie action star. While only a few of his action movies stand up as classics, with Under Siege as the most popular of his starring roles, there are more Steven Seagal movies out there than many might expect, with plenty to seek out for those wanting to see more of the aikido practicing action hero beating up bad guys and saving the world from terrorists, gangsters, and bullies alike.

21 Today You Die (2005)

An Honorable Thief Is Framed

Steven Seagal is mostly known for playing the noble and deadly heroes of his movies who take on the bad guys and share their own brand of justice. Today You Die stands out a bit for being one of the rare movies in which Seagal is on the other side of the law.

The movie friends him playing a Robin Hood-esque thief named Harlan Banks, who pulls off heists so that he can help other people. However, when he decides to go straight, he is framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

As Seagal got deeper into his direct-to-video career, there was a sense that he started making less of an effort in both his performances and fight scenes. However, Today You Die does feature some great moments from the action star, including a memorable fight sequence that rivals some of the work he did in his prime.

20

19 Driven To Kill (2009)

A Former Russian Mobster Returns To A Life Of Violence To Protect His Family

As action stars get older, it is interesting to see them settle into roles that are more fitting with their age and playing the kind of heroes who are pulled back into the world of violence. While it can be argued that Seagal takes on a lot of roles that are likely more suitable for younger actors, Driver To Kill is at least a more appropriate one which makes for a memorable entry in his career.

Seagal plays a former Russian mobster who has become a crime novelist, retiring to a quieter life. However, when his daughter is set to marry the son of a notorious crime boss, violence strikes and Seagal’s former killer returns to his old ways for revenge. It is a familiar plot but it is another movie in which Seagal plays someone who is more morally complicated than his usual simplistic hero characters.

18 Belly Of The Beast (2003)

An Ex-CIA Operative Travels To Thailand To Save His Kidnapped Daughter

Years before Taken launched Liam Neeson’s action movie career, Belly of the Beast offered a very similar story with Steven Seagal in the lead. Seagal plays a former CIA operative who is now a widowed father of a young adult girl. When she is on a hiking trip in Thailand, she and her friend are kidnapped and held for ransom. Having previously served in missions in the country, Seagal’s Jake Hopper decides he has the best chance of getting her back safely.

However, there are a lot of different fight scenes that allow Seagal to do his thing…

The movie is nowhere near as entertaining as Neeson’s take on the vengeful father going after his kidnapped daughter and the lower-budget approach is also a stark contrast to the theatrical movies Seagal had previously been making. However, there are a lot of different fight scenes that allow Seagal to do his thing with shootouts, kung-fu duels, and even sword fights.

17 Gunshot Straight (2014)

A Gambler Turns To A Loan Shark For Help

Since the beginning of Seagal’s career, he has almost exclusively had starring roles in movies, so it is fun to see him taking on the occasional supporting part such as in the direct-to-video thriller Gunshot Straight.

The movie stars CSI‘s George Eads as a gambler who finds himself wrapped up in a murder plot with various dangerous parties converging on him. Seagal plays a Las Vegas loan shark who becomes Eads’ unexpected ally.

Seagal only appears in a couple of scenes in the movie and very little of it is action-oriented. Instead, the movie gives him a fairly solid supporting character with his scenes opposite Eads being the most memorable part of the film. Seagal’s acting chops have never been worthy of praise and this movie will not change anyone’s mind on that, but it is a different sort of performance from the actor.

16 The Patriot (1998)

Not to be confused with the historical action movie The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, this Steven Seagal movie is a modern thriller that is another example of the actor stepping slightly away from action-heavy roles. Seagal plays a small-town doctor living in a peaceful community that is also home to an extreme militia group.

When the militia accidentally spreads a deadly virus, the community is quarantined and Seagal becomes the only hope of saving everyone. Those looking for the typical action sequences in Seagal movies will be disappointed with The Patriot as it is much more of a thriller with Seagal’s heroic doctor racing against the clock.

The action hero does not make for a particularly convincing small-town doctor, but it is fun seeing him branching out a little. The movie also has some interesting timely elements as simple as the script is.

15 The Keeper (2009)

A Retired Cop Goes Back Into Action To Find His Kidnapped Daughter

The Keeper was a 2009 Steven Seagal movie where he teamed with director Keoni Waxman, a partnership that would last for a long time afterward. The pair made nine films together, and Waxman was part of Seagal’s TV series, True Justice, but their movie The Keeper remains their best collaboration.

This movie starred Seagal as a grizzled L.A. cop whose partner shoots him when he refuses to steal some money from a drug bust. He was forced into retirement but then finds himself back in action when some people kidnap an old friend’s daughter.

This film sees Seagal entering the direct-to-video era of his career. While there are a lot of low points among these movies, The Keeper proves he also had some solid action hits even when his time as a theatrical leading man ended.

14 Fire Down Below (1997)

An EPA Officer Goes Undercover To Stop Corrupt Mining Operations

Fire Down Below has a strange connection to the world of country music, as names like Randy Travis, Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt, Kris Kristofferson, and more appeared in the movie. Toxins are dumped into mines, causing a lot of damage to the environment in Kentucky, but no one can stop it. Seagal is an EPA CID agent named Jack Taggert sent in to investigate after a previous agent ended up dead, and he goes undercover to bring down the operation.

Even before environmentalism was a widely held concern, Seagal tried to incorporate environmental messages into his movies, which is an admirable use of his star power (even if the execution was often clumsy). However, the fun action and eclectic cast help to elevate the clunky messages with Seagal seeming more engaged with the material than some of his other performances.

13 The Glimmer Man (1996)

A Government Agent And A Cop Team To Stop A Serial Killer

While it sounds like a comic book film, The Glimmer Man is just another Steven Seagal movie where he plays a cop. In this one, he is a former government agent known as The Glimmer Man, who now works as a detective for the LAPD. Keenan Ivory Wayans plays his partner, a no-nonsense cop, and they set out to try to stop a serial killer known as The Family Man — because he kills entire families. When the latest victim is The Glimmer Man’s ex-wife, things get personal.

This is one of the earlier attempts to partner Seagal up in a buddy action movie scenario which is more effective than some of his solo adventures. Wayans adds some humor and charisma to the project. It also contains some of Seagal’s impressive martial arts action that make the two a memorable duo.

12 Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

Casey Ryback Returns To Take On Terrorists Aboard A Train

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is, as the title suggests, the sequel to Under Siege, and the first sequel of Steven Seagal’s career. This movie follows the tradition set by Die Hard, as it takes the idea from the first movie (on a battleship) and moves it to a different vehicle (a train), just changing the location, but keeping the story mostly the same. Seagal’s Casey Ryback finds himself on a train that is taken over by terrorists who hijack a US satellite.

Nobody in this cast is able to match up to Tommy Lee Jones’s performance from the first Steven Seagal movie, but Under Siege 2: Dark Territory does get credit for bringing in the always-great Kurtwood Smith. It makes for a serviceable sequel that only disappoints in comparison to its far superior predecessor but on its own, is a solid action flick.

11 Executive Decision (1996)

An Army Team Attempts To Save A Hijacked Airplane

Executive Decision features a solid cast while also featuring one of the rare instances in which Seagal played a supporting role. He plays Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis, who is sent with his team to rescue a plane hijacked by terrorists that is in midair.

Executive Decision stands out among the actor’s catalog for the almost meta-use of the star and his reputation. Seagal is set up for the typical action hero lead role for the first 30 minutes, only to die as the mission begins, leaving Kurt Russell’s Army Intelligence officer to save the day.

That first-act twist sets the Steven Seagal movie up in an exciting way, as Russell and the remaining team are forced to contend with one issue after another as the stakes continue to rise. The supporting cast of the movie includes Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, and Oliver Platt making for a fun ensemble.

10 Half Past Dead (2002)

A Convict With A Secret Past Must Fend Off Villains Who Infiltrate A Prison

Whether a coincidence or not, there was a point of time in Seagal’s career where he found himself co-starring in a number of action movies opposite famous rappers. It’s not where many expected his career to go but it led to some interesting films.

In Half Past Dead, Steven Seagal plays a man who was arrested and imprisoned because a guy he was with (Ja Rule) started shooting at FBI agents. He is sent to a super jail on Alcatraz and ends up in a fight for his life when the jail is attacked by people looking for gold.

This was a theatrical release and stands up there with a movie like The Rock but falls a bit short of that film’s brilliance. With that said, there are a lot of Seagal fight scenes. While one of Steven Seagal’s best movies in his later career, this was also the release that sent him exclusively to DTV after this.

9 Exit Wounds (2001)

A Disgraced Cop And Criminal Confront A Conspiracy

In Exit Wounds, Steven Seagal is a cop who doesn’t just bend the rules to stop the bad guys, he shatters them and then finds new ones to break just for fun. He doesn’t just go around busting up bad guys, but he also has a reason not to trust his fellow police officers.

When he learns there is a giant conspiracy behind an assassination attempt, he partners up with a gangster (rap star DMX) to solve the mystery, take out the bad guys, and save the day.

The film was the last of the best Steven Seagal movies to have a strong box office performance and it was combined with a soundtrack that hit the eighth spot on the Billboard charts. The supporting cast was also solid and ensured that Seagal had plenty of backup in carrying the movie.

8 On Deadly Ground (1994)

A Man Fights A Corrupt Corporation Endangering The Earth

1994’s On Deadly Ground was a strange movie for Steven Seagal at the time yet a memorable one. It is another one of the movies that was as much about Seagal’s own political messages as it was about the action sequences.

He plays a man who speaks up about the damage the corporation he works for has done to the Earth, leading them to frame him for a crime he didn’t commit. This also happens to be one of the Steven Seagal movies that he directed himself, which is perhaps why the messages can get very heavy-handed at times.

However, Seagal was smart enough to also include a lot of great fight scenes and action moments which he directed competently. There is also a surprisingly great cast with Oscar winner Michael Caine as the main antagonist.

7 Urban Justice (2007)

One Of Seagal’s Best Direct-To-Video Movies

When it comes to the best Steven Seagal movies, Urban Justice might be the best-looking and most impressive of his direct-to-video releases. In the movie, he plays a father investigating the murder of his son, who was a police officer. He tears through the L.A. gangs in the neighborhood where it happened.

However, once he learns that the gang members were not responsible, he sets his eyes on the police officers who might be covering up the truth. This was a common setup in later Seagal movies as him as the vengeful father, a role that always helped add some sympathy and strength to his brutal exploits.

Eddie Griffin co-starred, once again adding an effective buddy dynamic to the movie. Though the story is minimal, the action is all worthy of his big-screen efforts, with car chases, shootouts, and Seagal’s trademark fight scenes.

6 Machete (2010)

The Grindhouse Cult Classic

While he is not the star of Machete, Steven Seagal went against type here. In Machete, Robert Rodriguez directed a pure exploitation film with Danny Trejo starring as the title character, destroying everyone who crosses him. The movie was based on the fake Grindhouse trailer and is predictably thin on plot. However, it features a star-studded cast that includes Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, Jessica Alba, and acting legend Robert De Niro.

Since Trejo, who has been in many movies with Seagal in the past, gets to play the hero, this gives Seagal the chance to be a scene-chewing villain – a rarity for the action star. It also gave him a chance to get on the big screen again for the first time in eight years. Seagal is a drug lord who kills Machete’s wife and ends up on the other end of the revenge plot.

5 Out For Justice (1991)

A Cop Seeks Revenge On A Gangster Who Killed His Partner

Those fans who enjoy seeing Steven Seagal star as a ruthless killing machine will find a lot to like with this entry in his filmography. In Out for Justice, Steven Seagal is a police officer named Gino Felino whose partner was gunned down in the streets, while his family watched, by a bad guy played by William Forsythe. As a result, Gino sets out to hunt this man down and get revenge while taking out all the people foolish enough to get in his way.

Another aspect that often separated Seagal’s movies from others in the action genre was how violent they were. These movies could be incredibly bloody and Out for Justice features some of Seagal’s most brutal kills including a particularly memorable fight scene in a pool hall which is often regarded as one of the best of his career.

4 Hard To Kill (1990)

A Betrayed Cop Wakes From A Coma And Seeks Revenge

In Hard to Kill, Steven Seagal is a police detective named Mason Storm who gets evidence against a mafia meeting. Sadly, there are corrupt cops on his team and he ends up attacked by the bad guys, who shoot him and kill his wife. He ends up living but is in a coma for seven years.

When he comes out of the coma, a nurse (Kelly LeBrock) helps him escape when the hit squad returns to finish the job, and he sets out on his mission of revenge. As is evident from the premise, Seagal once again leans into the premise of the wronged hero who sets out on a relentless quest to bring the bad guys to justice.

It is another movie that showcases how merciless Seagal was as an action hero, not interested in asking questions or turning them in to the police, but rather killing them all in the most crowd-pleasing way possible.

3 Marked For Death (1990)

A Retired Cop Sees His Hometown Turned Into A Gang War Zone

Marked for Death sees Steven Seagal portraying a cop named John Hatcher who retires after a mission in Mexico goes bad, and his partner is killed. However, when he returns to his hometown to settle down, he discovers it is the center of a gang war. While he wants nothing to do with it, after his niece is shot, he decides that he is going to clean up the streets himself.

The movie delivers exactly what Seagal fans hope for with non-stop action — with shootouts, car chases, brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes, great one-liners, and an amazing villain. The final fight is considered by many to be the best in any Seagal movie. The plot is similar to Walking Tall, but this is pure action and kicked off the actor’s successful decade of the 90s with a solid hit.

2 Above The Law (1988)

A CIA Agent Protects A Targeted Senator

Not only is Above the Lawthe movie that introduced the world to Steven Seagal, but it was also written by him too — something that wouldn’t happen again for 17 years. Rumors have it that he was asked to star in the movie by a former Aikido student who believed he could make anyone a movie star, and he was right in this case.

In Above the Law, Steven Seagal plays a former CIA agent, a master in Aikido, and a man whose family has mafia ties, who now works as a cop. When he learns that a corrupt CIA kill squad targeted a Senator, he sets out to stop them. Though much has been said about Seagal’s questionable skills as an actor, he did arrive in this starring role with a lot of confidence and skills to make him an intriguing action star.