Above the Law (also known as Nico: Above the Law, or simply Nico) is a 1988 American action thriller film co-written, produced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who also produced the film and co-authored the story alongside Davis, and stars Seagal alongside Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, an Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating a mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.

Plot

Nicolo “Nico” Toscani is an expert martial artist, who is recruited by the CIA during the Vietnam War. While serving in covert operations on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border, he became disgusted with agent Kurt Zagon, who tortures prisoners. A stand-off occurred when Toscani tries to stop him, and he leaves the CIA.