Steven Frederic Seagal is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-law's dojo. He later moved to Los Angeles where he had the same profession. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in four films.
Above the Law is a 1988 American crime action thriller film cowritten, coproduced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who was also a producer, and stars Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating the mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.
Under Siege is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis, written by J. F. Lawton, and starring Steven Seagal as a former Navy SEAL who must intercept a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones, after they commandeer the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri.
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Steven Seagal as the ex-Navy SEAL, Casey Ryback. Set on board a train traveling through the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Los Angeles, it is the sequel to the 1992 film Under Siege also starring Seagal. The title refers to the railroading term that the subject train was travelling through dark territory, a section of railroad track that has no train signals and in which communications between train dispatchers and the railroad engineers were impossible.
Belly of the Beast is a 2003 American action film directed by Hong Kong film director Ching Siu-tung in his American directorial debut, and starring Steven Seagal, who also produced. The film co-stars Byron Mann, Monica Lo and Tom Wu. Seagal plays Jake Hopper, a former CIA agent on a quest to find his kidnapped daughter. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 30, 2003; the film recouped its budget from the US home video market alone.
Yoshio Kodama was a Japanese right-wing ultranationalist and a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous kuromaku, or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1930s to the 1970s, and became enormously wealthy through his involvement in smuggling operations.
Dead or Alive, abbreviated as DOA, is a 1999 Japanese yakuza action film directed by Takashi Miike. It stars Riki Takeuchi as the gang boss and former yakuza Ryūichi and Show Aikawa as the Japanese cop Detective Jojima and focuses on their meeting and conflict. It is the first in a loosely-connected three-part series, followed by Dead or Alive 2: Birds in 2000 and Dead or Alive: Final in 2002.
Submerged is a 2005 American action film directed by Anthony Hickox, who also wrote it with Paul de Souza and produced with Michael P. Flannigan, Daphne Lerner and David Varod. The film stars Steven Seagal, William Hope, Vinnie Jones and Christine Adams. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on May 31, 2005.
Shadow Man is a 2006 American action thriller film directed by Michael Keusch, and also written and produced by Steven Seagal, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Eva Pope, Imelda Staunton and Garrick Hagon. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on June 6, 2006.
The Foreigner is a 2003 American action thriller film starring Steven Seagal. The film was shot entirely in Warsaw, Poland, and was the first of a long string of direct-to-video films released starring Seagal from 2003 to 2009. The film recouped its budget from the US home video market alone.
Black Dawn is a 2005 American action film directed by Alexander Gruszynski in his feature film directorial debut. It was produced by, and stars, Steven Seagal, who reprises his role as Jonathan Cold. It is a follow-up to the 2003 film The Foreigner.
War is a 2007 American action thriller film directed by Philip G. Atwell in his directorial debut and featuring stage combat choreographed by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Jason Statham, and was released in the United States on August 24, 2007. War features the second collaboration between Jet Li and Jason Statham, reuniting them for the first time since 2001 film The One. Jason Statham plays an FBI agent determined to take down a mysterious assassin known as Rogue, after his partner is murdered.
Hitman, is a 1998 Hong Kong action film directed by Stephen Tung. The film stars Jet Li, Eric Tsang, Simon Yam and Gigi Leung. The film was released on 3 April 1998.
Attack Force is a 2006 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Michael Keusch, and also written and produced by Steven Seagal, who also stars in the film. The film co-stars Lisa Lovbrand and David Kennedy. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 5, 2006.
Graveyard of Honor is a 1975 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Written by Tatsuhiko Kamoi, it adapts Fujita Goro's novel of the same name. It is based on the life of real-life yakuza member Rikio Ishikawa, who is played by Tetsuya Watari. Noboru Ando, who plays Ryunosuke Nozu, was actually a yakuza member before becoming an actor.
The Machine Girl is a 2008 Japanese action comedy film written and directed by Noboru Iguchi, and starring Minase Yashiro, Asami, Kentarō Shimazu and Honoka. The plot follows an orphaned Japanese schoolgirl whose life is destroyed when her brother is killed by a son of a Ninja-Yakuza clan. When her hand is cut off, she replaces it with a makeshift machine gun and seeks revenge.
Assassination Games is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash and starring Jean-Claude van Damme and Scott Adkins with Ivan Kaye as their main antagonist. The film was released in the United States on July 29, 2011.
Yakuza Weapon is a 2011 Japanese film directed and written by Tak Sakaguchi and Yūdai Yamaguchi. Based on the manga by Ken Ishikawa, the film is about Shozo Iwaki who works as a mercenary in South America. Iwaki is informed of the death of his gang boss dad and discovers his former Yakuza henchman is involved in a double-cross. Yakuza Weapon was premiered at the 2011 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival and opened theatrically in Japan on July 23, 2011.
New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head is a 1975 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film details the internal conflicts between members of the Owada family on the Kyushu side of the Kanmon Straits. It is the unrelated sequel to New Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1974) and was followed by the third and final unrelated film in the series, New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Last Days of the Boss (1976).
General Commander is a 2019 direct-to-video American action film produced by Philippe Martinez and directed by Martinez and Ross W. Clarkson. Set primarily in the Philippines, the film stars Steven Seagal and was released direct-to-DVD on May 28, 2019.
