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The 15 Best Steven Seagal Movies, Ranked

The 15 Best Steven Seagal Movies, Ranked

15 Best Steven Seagal Movies.

From Under Siege to Half Past Dead, Steven Seagal has been entertaining action movie fans for decades. But what are the best Steven Seagal movies? If the ’80s were known for anything, it was the rise of the B-grade action movie to theatrical blockbuster status. From the best in Die Hard and Lethal Weapon to the quickie action flicks with names like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Steven Seagal, there was something for everyone who loved mindless action movies. When it comes to Steven Seagal movies, he has almost become a caricature of himself in recent years, similar in some ways to Jean-Claude Van Damme. The master of aikido, which was unique for action movies at the time, Seagal starred in everything from revenge flicks to cop movies to prison movies, before taking on the real-life role as a practicing Buddhist and a part-time law enforcement officer.
Updated on December 4th, 2021, by Shawn S. Lealos: Steven Seagal remains in the public eye even though he is no longer a bankable movie star. With several DTV movies and a reality TV show, Seagal remains an iconic B-movie action star. He is now in the news again in 2021 as there is a push to remake one of his greatest movies, Under Siege, for a new generation. Outside of that classic, there are more Steven Seagal movies out there most fans might expect, plenty to seek out for those wanting to see more of the aikido practicing action hero.

15. The Keeper (2009)

The Keeper was a 2009 Steven Seagal movie where he teamed with director Keoni Waxman, a partnership that would last for a long time after this movie. As a matter of fact, they have made nine films, and Waxman was part of Seagal’s TV series. 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.

14. Fire Down Below (1997)

Fire Down Below has a strange connection to the world of country music, as names like Randy Travis, Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt, Kris Kristopherson, 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.

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13. The Glimmer Man (1996)

While it sounds like a comic book movie, 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 movie also includes one of Steven Seagal’s cringiest scenes.

12. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is, as the title suggests, the sequel to Under Siege, one of the most beloved Steven Seagal movies. This movie follows the tradition set by Die Hard and Speed, as it takes the idea from the first movie (on a battleship) and moves it to a train, just making the location the change. There is no one here who can match up to Tommy Lee Jones, but the movie does get credit for bringing in the always great Kurtwood Smith.

11. Executive Decision (1996)

Executive Decision was similar to Scream in that it shocked the audience early on. Remember in Scream, when fans saw Drew Barrymore in the first scene and figured an actress as important as her would be a big part of this movie, and then she died? Executive Decision did that. Steven Seagal is Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis of the U.S. Army, a man sent to recover an airplane when terrorists take over the flight. However, while Travis was leading the team in, he sacrificed himself and died early in the mission, leaving Kurt Russell’s Army Intelligence officer to save the day.

10. Half Past Dead (2002)

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 then sent to a super jail on Alcatraz and then ends up in a fight for his life when the jail is attacked by some guys looking for their gold. This was actually 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… albeit in a storyline that is cheesy and a bit silly. For a theatrical movie, it also isn’t that slick-looking, which is probably why Steven Seagal movies went exclusively DTV after this.

9. Exit Wounds (2001)

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 (DMX) to solve the mystery, take out the bad guys, and save the day. The rest of the cast is pretty good too, with Anthony Anderson, Michael Jai White, Bill Duke, Tom Arnold, Bruce McGill, and Eva Mendes.

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8. On Deadly Ground (1994)

On Deadly Ground was a strange movie for Steven Seagal at the time. The man was normally a former or current cop who set out to kick anyone’s butt who got in his way — and that is when he isn’t killing every bad guy who looked at him wrong. In this movie, he is more concerned with the environment and protecting the Earth. When he speaks up about the damage the corporation he works for has done to the Earth, they frame him for a crime he didn’t commit. This also happens to be one of the Steven Seagal movies that he directed himself. The message is heavy-handed, but there is a great cast as well as some of Steven Seagal’s best fight scenes.

7. Urban Justice (2007)

When it comes to 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 who is investigating the murder of his son, who was a police officer. He then sets out and starts to tear 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. Eddie Griffin co-starred and was good but the action in this movie is all worthy of his big-screen efforts, with car chases, shootouts and Seagal’s trademark fight scenes.

6. Machete (2010)

Machete is the only movie on this list that is not a pure Steven Seagal movie, but it is important to see that he isn’t just a guy who plays a former military/current cop who sets out for vengeance in every one of his movies. In Machete, Robert Rodriguez directed a pure exploitation film with Danny Trejo starring as the title character, destroying everyone who crosses him. 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 former Federal who kills Machete’s wife and ends up on the other end of the revenge plot.

5. Out For Justice (1991)

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 but finds a ton of secondary bad guys standing in his way. There are lots of people around for Steven Seagal to beat up and/or kill until he is finally able to track down his partner’s killer for justice. If there is one scene in this entire movie to show some of Steven Seagal’s most brutal kills, look at the pool hall scene which is one of the best fight scenes in any action movie.

4. Hard To Kill (1990)

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 they find some training techniques to help his atrophied muscles regain their strength. The only person on the force he can trust gets him weapons and he sets out to kill everyone responsible.

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Marked For Death (1990)

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 that it is the center of a gang war. While he wants nothing to do with it but, after his niece is shot, he changes his mind. This Steven Seagal movie is nothing but action — with shootouts, car chases, brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes, great one-liners, and an amazing villain. The final fight is possibly the best in any Steven Seagal movie. The plot is similar to Walking Tall, but this is pure Seagal and is one of the best action movies of the ’90s.

2. Above The Law (1988)

Not only is Above the Law the movie that introduced the world to Steven Seagal but it was also written by Seagal, 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. Seagal is a former CIA agent, a master in aikido, and a man whose family has mafia ties, who now works as a cop investigating a bombing in a church. When he learns that a corrupt CIA kill squad has targeted a Senator, he sets out to stop them, and based on his description, it’s easy to imagine what happens next in one of Steven Seagal’s best movies.

1. Under Siege (1992)

Under Siege is possibly Steven Seagal’s most famous action movie, and arguably his best. He is Casey Ryback, a chef aboard a battleship. Soon, a group of evil men board the ship and take over. The guy leading the bad guys is none other than Tommy Lee Jones like audiences had never seen him before. Seriously, the guy is unhinged and the might be the most fun Jones had in a movie. The movie has a good mix of crazy fight scenes, brutal kills, and humor, some of which is thanks to his interactions with a female sidekick in Playboy centerfold Erika Eleniak. What puts this over the top is the bad guys, with Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey battling on who steals the most scenes.

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Narek Hakobyan

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Narek Hakobyan
Tags: ABOVE THE LAW (1988)Executive Decision (1996)Exit Wounds (2001)Fire Down Below (1997)Half Past Dead (2002)HARD TO KILL (1990)MACHETE (2010)MARKED FOR DEATH (1990)On Deadly Ground (1994)OUT FOR JUSTICE (1991)Steven seagal moviessteven Seagal top fight scenesSteven Seagal top movies scenesThe 15 Best Steven Seagal MoviesThe Glimmer Man (1996)The Keeper (2009)UNDER SIEGE (1992)Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)URBAN JUSTICE (2007)
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