“Beyond The Law” is a really average crime thriller. The movie’s marketing would lead you to believe that Steven Seagal (“Under Siege”, “Above The Law”) and DMX (“Cradle 2 The Grave”) are the stars (the two previously did “Exit Wounds” together) but that’s pretty misleading marketing.

Frank Wilson (Johnny Messner “Tears of the Sun”, “Running Scared”) is an ex-cop that returns to the city he used to work in so that he can find the people responsible for murdering his son. He must deal with dangerous mobsters and corrupt cops, who will stop at nothing to prevent him from finding out the truth.

Johnny Messner is completely disposable as Frank Wilson. The character is dull and the performance is equally dull. I just could not get invested in his attempts to get revenge. As I mentioned, Seagal and DMX are not the stars. They both have small roles with DMX playing a corrupt cop and Seagal playing the head of a crime family. Both men look like they just turned up to collect their money. Seagal even spends most of his scenes sitting down (something that is becoming all too common in his newer films). The other characters are not very memorable.

“Beyond The Law” is somewhat stylish but there’s nothing remarkable about any of it. The action sequences are tolerable and the story is nothing to write home about. It’s the same as many other crime films and many other revenge thrillers. I mean, if you are massively into crime thrillers then maybe you might enjoy “Beyond The Law”. If you want a decent film with Seagal and DMX then go and watch “Exit Wounds” (it’s surprisingly good). Whatever you do, don’t get fooled by the marketing of “Beyond The Law” and expecting Seagal and DMX to be the stars.