15 Best Steven Seagal Movies That Kick Butt

Steven Seagal has had over 30 years of successful action movies in his career. True, most of them are pretty similar in which he plays a bullet-resistant badass, while everyone else who dares stand in his way ends up dying horribly.

This is true for many of his films and characters, such as John Sands in Flight of Fury, or if you prefer something more recent, John Harrison in Cartels.

However, there is something about these films, featuring Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Silvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and other action thriller stars, that makes you want to watch them, and always seek more.

It helps that they have some brilliant actors in them, such as Isaac Hayes, William Hope, and others.

With that said, I came up with a list of 15 movies featuring Steven Seagal as an unstoppable killing machine.

If you’re ready for some explosive action, make your way through this list.

On Deadly Ground (1994)

The first on the list of the best Steven Seagal movies is On Deadly Ground, with Michael Caine as his co-star. At the time when it was released, it was a bit of an uncharacteristic movie for Steven Seagal.

Usually, he would play a cop who was out to kick the butt of any bad guy who chose to get in his way, with plenty of fight scenes that were a part of every Seagal movie.

In On Deadly Ground, however, his main concern is the environment and the protection of Earth.

Of course, the plot quickly leads him into his usual role after he speaks up against the corporations, they set him up for a crime he did not commit, and once again, he has a small army of bad guys to beat up.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Michael Caine, Joan Chen, and others.

Above the Law (1988)

Next, we have Above The Law, which was the first movie to introduce Steven Seagal to the world. Not only that, but it was also the first movie that Seagal wrote himself.

While it wasn’t the last movie he wrote, the next one only came out 17 years later.

In the movie, Seagal plays a former CIA agent who is also a master in aikido. His family has ties to the mafia, while he himself now works as a Chicago cop.

During an investigation of a church bombing, he discovers that a corrupt CIA kill squad is going after the Senator, and he is the only one who can stop them.

Given that this is one of the Steven Seagal movies, you can imagine what happens next, a lot of shooting, numerous fight scenes, and everything else that tends to follow this action hero.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Sharon Stone, Henry Silva, Pam Grier, and others.

Under Siege (1992)

In the third spot, we have one of the best Steven Seagal movies that were ever produced, and arguably the most famous one, Under Siege, directed by Andrew Davis.

Steven Seagal plays chief Casey Ryback, aboard the battleship USS Missouri, that gets boarded and taken over by a group of bad guys led by Tommy Lee Jones.

Seagal’s character is, of course, a martial arts expert, so he can hold his own in crazy fight scenes. The film is well known for a combination of humor and brutal kills, which give it tension, but also take away the edge.

Meanwhile, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey are both trying to get the most epic scene in this film.

All in all, it is one of the best action movies that will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat for its entire duration.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Erika Eleniak, Gary Busey, Andy Romano, Damian Chapa, and others.

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

A direct sequel to the first Under Siege is Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. While not as popular as the original, this film is definitely one of the more beloved Steven Seagal movies.

Sticking with the original idea of using an isolated vehicle, Dark Territory leaves Seagal on a train.

Other than that, a little has changed, apart from the fact that the film did not manage to replicate a bad guy who could match up to Tommy Lee Jones from the first movie.

Even so, it manages to bring in Kurtwood Smith, so it still has a great charm to offer.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Katherine Heigl, Everett McGill, Eric Bogosian, Afifi Alaouie, and others.

Half Past Dead (2002)

Another excellent Seagal movie that saw quite a bit of popularity is Half Past Dead, directed by Don Michael Paul. This time, Seagal plays a wrongfully imprisoned man, because the guy he was with opened fire at FBI agents.

He gets shipped off to the legendary jail on Alcatraz, but the jail itself gets invaded by a group of bad guys who heard that the jail is hiding a large amount of gold.

While the storyline is not great, and is, in fact, a bit silly, there are still plenty of fight scenes, as the only person who can stop the bad guys is, of course, Seagal.

The film was a theatrical release and while it did not achieve the brilliance of some other films that tried to pull off something of this sort, it is still a great film featuring everyone’s favorite martial artist.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Tony Plana, Michael Taliferro, Kurrupt, and others.

Hard to Kill (1990)

One of the most popular Seagal movies is Hard to Kill, where Steven Seagal plays a police detective Mason Storm.

After getting evidence against the local mafia and a charismatic politician Vernon Trent, the police detective and a team of cops move against the mobsters.

Unfortunately, Storm had some corrupt cops as part of the team, so he ends up attacked by the bad guys at his own home.

While not all the bullets managed to miss him, he still survived, but was left in a coma, proving that he is, indeed, hard to kill. Unfortunately, his wife was not as lucky.

After waking up seven years later, Mason Storm goes after the dirty cops and the mafia once again, this time with the help of a nurse who helped him escape when the hit squad returned to finish him off, and then assisted in the recovery of his atrophied muscles.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, Bonnie Burroughs, Zachary Rosencrantz, Frederick Coffin, and others.

Exit Wounds (2001)

During Seagal’s era, the movie industry loved the idea of a justice-loving cop who often shatters the rules to do the right thing. So, once again, Seagal finds himself in a role of a tough cop in the movie Exit Wounds.

In this movie, he goes against everyone, criminals and fellow cops alike, as he has no one whom he can trust.

Along the way, he discovers a major conspiracy and teams up with one of the gangsters in order to solve the mystery and save the day.

The film has a pretty good cast, with the plot involving a lot of shooting, a lot of fighting, and, of course, everyone’s favorite action star.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Michael Jai White, DMX, Anthony Anderson, Tom Arnold, Jill Hennessy, Isaiah Washington, and others.

Machete (2010)

Steven Seagal continued his acting career well into the 2000s, which led him to star in Machete, directed by Robert Rodriguez. However, this was not your usual Steven Seagal role.

The star of the film is actually Danny Trejo. In the movie, he was nearly killed after entering a violent fight with a powerful drug lord.

While he survived the drug lord, now he roams Texas at night as a vigilante while laboring away during the day.

After he gets hired to perform a covert hit, he ends up being double-crossed and forced to go on the run. Of course, that doesn’t mean that he will go down easily, and he carves a bloody path while trying to settle the score.

The Guardian called this a film with “a very brash, undoubtedly energetic opening, which gets away with its lurid violence by virtue of its inventive and insouciant offensiveness.”

So, where does Steven Seagal come in? Interestingly enough, this is one of rare few movies where he plays a villain, and does not survive the film. So, if you want to see him in a significantly different role, definitely give Machete a watch.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, and others.

Out For Justice (1991)

With Out For Justice, directed by John Flynn, we return to Seagal’s classic role, this time of a Brooklyn police detective.

After his partner, known for being a family man, was gunned down in front of his wife and children, Seagal’s character, Gino Felino, discovers that the culprit is his childhood friend, Richie Madano, who became a drug lord.

Gino then goes undercover to reach out to his old friend, and through him, infiltrate the criminal underworld. However, things get more complicated when he also starts uncovering secrets about his partner, which will put old loyalties to the test.

The film stars Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, Julianna Margulies, and others.

The Glimmer Man (1996)

Moving on, we have The Glimmer Man, a film where Seagal plays a former special ops operative who developed quite a reputation for his stealth.

Now, however, the operative, going under the name Jack Cole works as a simple LA cop, as he left his old life behind.

However, his old skills might come in handy, as he soon gets assigned to the case involving a ferocious serial killer.

He also gets a new partner, and while the two have a hard relationship at first, they work it out through the duration of the movie, and become fairly effective partners.

As for their investigation, it leads them to uncover secrets and conspiracies about organized crime and terrorists, so this film is definitely a wild ride.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Brian Cox, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bob Gunton, and others.

Executive Decision (1996)

Next up, we have Executive Decision, another movie that might surprise the viewers.

The big twist in this one that Steven Siegal, who plays Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis, ends up dying fairly soon after the start of the movie.

While everyone expected him to be the star of the film from start to finish, this doesn’t happen, and Kurt Russel takes over as the main character.

Even so, the twist comes as quite a surprise, so if you wish to watch something shocking and unexpected with someone, this movie is an excellent choice.

Roger Ebert called it “a movie for people who are sophisticated enough to know how shameless the film is, but fun-loving enough to enjoy its excesses and manic zeal.”

The film stars Steven Seagal, Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Maria Maples, and others.

The Keeper (2009)

The Keeper is another movie where Seagal plays another cop, and ends up in another impossible situation of getting shot, which he, of course, survives.

This time, he is once again an LA cop, but he gets shot by his own partner.

His partner is a dirty cop, which Seagal was not aware of. When the two found themself in a situation where they could steal some money from a drug bust, or seize it as evidence, the partner wanted to take the cash.

Seagal, who always plays a cop that breaks the rules, decides that he will follow them, for once. Of course, this doesn’t end well, and he finds himself forced into retirement.

But, when some bad guys kidnap his friend’s daughter, he is forced out of retirement and back into the field.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Liezl Carstens, Aaron Shiver, Luce Rains, Kevin Wiggins, and others.

A Dangerous Man (2009)

This time, Seagal is not a cop, but an ex-soldier who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. During this period, he lost his life, reputation, and even his wife.

To make matters worse, he got involved in a shootout with the Chinese mob practically as soon as he stepped out of prison.

However, in the shootout, he saved the life of the son of a Russian mobster. Not only that, but he also saved a kidnapped girl, as well as some stolen money.

Apparently, Seagal learned from his mistakes in The Keeper, as this time, he took the money and ended up on the run from both violent cops and crime lords alike.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Marlaina Mah, Byron Mann, Mike Dopud, Jesse Hutch, and others.

Ticker (2001)

In 2001’s action thriller Ticker, two cops get assigned to investigate a series of bombings conducted throughout San Francisco by Northern Irish terrorists.

However, after one of their members, Claire, gets arrested, they threaten to step up their game and blow up the entire city.

Along the way, the police discovers that the terrorists are led by a notorious IRA agent, Alex Swan. They then turn to a local bomb expert, Frank Glass, which is where Seagal enters the story, and takes over the movie.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, Ice-T, Nas, Jaime Pressly, and others.

Marked for Death (1990)

In Marked for Death, Steven Seagal portrays a con called John Hatcher, who loses his partner in a mission in Mexico and decides to retire after the fact. However, upon returning to his home town, he discovers that it is a center of a gang war.

At first, he tries to stay out of it, but things quickly change after his niece ends up shot.

This is a classic Steven Seagal movie, with fights, shooting, car chases, and great one-liners. Primarily, he is the one who kicks ass, while everyone else who stands in his way ends up paying the price.

The film stars Steven Seagal, Basil Wallace, Tom Wright, Keith David, Joanna Pacula, Danielle Harris, and others.

Which is your favorite Steven Seagal movie? I would love to know so drop me a comment below.