Steven Seagal has starred in many films. A glance at its IMDb reveals a plethora of memorable action films that went straight to the medium of the era, whether on video, DVD or on demand. He pioneered the frivolous “old man teaser” style of filmmaking (via Variety), which has since been adopted by higher-profile stars like Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.
But he wasn’t always so bad, at least as an action star. The cast of 1991’s “Saturday Night Live” would say he was always bad. But there’s a reason he’s been able to continue his career for so long.
Early in his career, his martial arts skills and quirky charisma made him a good action star. He starred in several box office hits and even received praise from critics.
The stuntman-turned-actor’s success began with his debut starring role in the 1988 film Above the Law, which film blogger Will Sloan cheerfully described as a film in which “the artist emerges fully formed.” He went from strength to strength in the early ’90s with his next three films: “Hard to Kill,” “Marked for Death,” and “Out for Justice.” He peaked -– creatively, critically, and financially –- with his fifth movie.
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What About Under Siege (1988)
“Under Siege” came out in 1992. The movie tells the story of Casey Ryback, a former Navy SEAL who’s working as the culinary director on a soon-to-be-decommissioned battleship. When terrorists posing as caterers hijack the ship, Ryback has to go back into butt-kicking action to save the day, with the help of a Playboy Playmate named Jordan Tate (Erika Eleniak), who becomes his sidekick. “Under Siege” gave Seagal some unusually potent co-stars who helped elevate the movie with their villainous performances. Tommy Lee Jones played William Strannix, the leader of the terrorists. Jones reunited with director Andrew Davis the
following year for “The Fugitive,” an excellent movie that won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. And Seagal himself was used sparingly for someone who was billed as the lead star, which maximizes his impact. The movie played to his strengths as a stuntman and wisecracker without overdoing it.
“Under Siege” is the only movie with Seagal’s face on the poster to have a positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, at 79% “Fresh.” Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and called the cast “effective.”
It wasn’t just a critical success, either.
It connected with audiences better than any other film of Seagal’s. It has a 62% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the only positive score on a Seagal-led movie with more than a handful of ratings. And it’s the highest-grossing movie of Seagal’s career, grossing more than $156 million worldwide, according to The Numbers.
it stands out for being a Seagal film that actually got an Academy Award nomination – two of them, in fact, for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing. It didn’t win either of them, but for a Steven Seagal movie to be nominated at all, it may as well have won.