Movies Like Above the Law (1988)

Above the Law is a 1988 action, crime, thriller film from Andrew Davis with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Beyond the Law and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Action Crime Thriller

Beyond the Law

1993

Dan Saxon is an undercover cop who infiltrates a biker gang to nail the scum behind a drug-smuggling operation. In order to maintain the trust of the gang's leader, he must commit ever more dangerous and heinous crimes. Just how far 'beyond the law' will Saxon go?

6.2

MagicScore

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2003

A corrupt CIA agent Sands hires hitman El Mariachi to assassinate a Mexican general hired by a drug kingpin attempting a coup d'état of the President of Mexico.

6.3

MagicScore

Rendition

2007

When an Egyptian terrorism suspect "disappears" on a flight from Africa to Washington DC, his American wife and a CIA analyst find themselves caught up in a struggle to secure his release from a secret detention facility somewhere outside the US.

6.4

MagicScore

The President's Man

2000

To many, Joshua McCord is a charismatic Asian studies professor. To the President of the United States, he's America's greatest secret weapon; a covert operative charged with only the most sensitive and dangerous missions.

4.5

MagicScore

The Last Boy Scout

1991

Somewhere in Los Angeles, the city of broken dreams, a stripper is murdered. Now, the private detective she had hired and her ex-footballer boyfriend are going to find her murderer... if they don't kill each other first. But the more they dig, the deeper they become enmeshed in a web of extortion, blackmail and corrupt politics hidden beneath the surface of professional football.

6.8

MagicScore

The Parallax View

1974

An ambitious reporter gets in trouble while investigating a senator's assassination which leads to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation behind every event in the world's headlines.

6.8

MagicScore

Tequila Sunrise

1988

In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

6.1

MagicScore

Bulletproof

1996

An undercover police officer named Rock Keats befriends a drug dealer and car thief named Archie Moses in a bid to catch the villainous drug lord Frank Coltan. But the only problem is that Keats is a cop, his real name is Jack Carter, and he is working undercover with the LAPD to bust Moses and Colton at a sting operation the LAPD has set up.

5.7

MagicScore

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

2022

Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, Nick Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Running Scared

1986

Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer that nearly killed them in the past.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

Wag the Dog

1997

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Black Mass

2015

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

American Gangster

2007

Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.

7.6

MagicScore

#14

U.S. Marshals

1998

U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard is accompanying a plane load of convicts from Chicago to New York. The plane crashes spectacularly, and Mark Sheridan escapes. But when Diplomatic Security Agent John Royce is assigned to help Gerard recapture Sheridan, it becomes clear that Sheridan is more than just another murderer.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

No Contest

1995

A beauty contest turns into a hostage situation, when the Miss Galaxy competition is taken over by a gang, demanding a ransom of diamonds. Sharon, a kick-boxing actress, is the host of the show, and the thorn in the terrorists side.

5.0

MagicScore

#16

Hot Pursuit

2015

Straight-arrow policewoman Cooper is excited and thrilled about her next assignment. Her task is to escort Daniella Riva, a wisecracking Colombian beauty, from San Antonio to Dallas so both she and her husband can testify against a drug lord. Plans go awry when Mr. Riva gets ambushed, leaving Daniella a widow. Cooper and her witness must now use their wits to escape from crooked cops and murderous gunmen, while not killing each other in the process.

5.8

MagicScore

#17

One 2 Ka 4

2001

When a cop's partner is killed in the line of duty, he assumed guardianship of his orphaned children while investigating the murder.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

Scarface

1983

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

8.2

MagicScore

#19

Rambo: First Blood Part II

1985

John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

The Negotiator

1998

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

7.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Above the Law?

The top films similar to Above the Law by MovieMagicScore are Beyond the Law (6.2), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (6.3), Rendition (6.4). Each shares action/crime/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Above the Law worth watching?

Above the Law holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 752 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Above the Law?

Above the Law (1988) is a action, crime, thriller film directed by Andrew Davis, starring Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, Henry Silva.

Where can I find more recommendations like Above the Law?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Beyond the Law Movies like Once Upon a Time in Mexico Movies like Rendition Movies like The President's Man Movies like The Last Boy Scout Movies like The Parallax View

About movies like Above the Law

This ranked list pairs Above the Law (1988), a action and crime and thriller film from Andrew Davis, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Steven Seagal take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Above the Law