The Siege (1998)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Right after the end of the Cold War, screenwriters were faced with a serious problem--what to do now that we don't have the "evil empire" to kick around anymore? It is clear that the new bad guy in films, the guy we love to hate, is the terrorist. Whether a foreigner (as in Die Hard, True Lies or Executive Decision) or homegrown (as in the Rock or Eraser) the terrorist has become the new guy we love to hate, and has provided viewers with a new spin on an old genre. The urban terrorist films are essentially westerns without the horses.As in all genre films, the problem for the director is to create a work of art out of the conventions of the genre and the inventions of the director. In The Siege, Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall, Glory, Courage Under Fire) follows the conventions of the genre fairly closely, but manages to throw in enough creative inventions to make the ride worthwhile.Denzel Washington plays FBI agent Hubbard, a dedicated law enforcement officer committed to tracking down the terrorists who are wreaking havoc in New York City. In this task he is assisted by Frank, a Lebanese-American FBI agent (wonderfully played by Tony Salhoub). The FBI is trying to track down Arab-American terrorists in the city, and along the way gets occasional assistance, and frequent interference, from representatives of the CIA (Annette Benning plays agent Bridger) and the US army (Bruce Willis plays General Deveraux).The plot follows a standard formula but has enough innovative twists to make it engaging. Denzel Washington is playing a character we have met before. His character here is quite similar to the true-blue character he played in Crimson Tide. Bruce Willis's rendering of General Deveraux is good, but the character is pretty one-dimensional. Annette Benning's character brings some of the innovative twists to the plot, and Benning plays the part well. The real scene-stealer though is Tony Salhoub as Hubbard's right hand man, Frank. Salhoub gets all of the best lines and provides some interesting comic relief at key points. Salhoub also helps us avoid some of the caricatures common in this kind of film. It is common in films like this to depict all Arabs and Arab-Americans as militant fanatics. While this type of character is depicted here, the fact that Frank is himself an Arab-American adds some interesting irony, and helps us move beyond overly simplistic stereotypes.What separates this film from some of the rest of this type is the plot twist that has the President declaring martial law and turning the reigns over to General Deveraux (who appears to be modeled on Oliver North). Arab-Americans are rounded up by the military in a scene that reminds one of the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. At points, viewers will find themselves somewhat unsure about who the bad guys really are.The Seige suffers at points from relying too heavily on formula. However, the performances and the more innovative plot twists make it worth a look. Perhaps more importantly, the film is worth seeing because it raises important questions about the U.S. role as police force for the world. Given our fear of terrorism, and the probable increase in terrorist activity in the world, the scenario depicted in The Seige is not all that implausible. Fear of the other can easily give way to fascism. If we get to a point where the only way to combat their terrorists is to unleash ours, God help us all.NOTE: I wrote this review when the movie first came out in 1998. Events of the past twenty years make the film eerily prescient.

While watching this film for the second time about a week or so ago, the first thought that came to my mind was "Wow, this is exactly the kind of political/dramatic intrigue that the TV series '24' tries to accomplish each and every episode". A weaving of action, political subject matter, and gut-wrenching emotional moments puts "The Siege" up towards the top of my list (just below "A Few Good Men") of politically-based thrillers.The basic plot of the film centers on a terrorist cell that launches a series of attacks based in New York City. Denzel Washington plays a government agent given the task of coordinating the effort to subdue the terrorism, while Bruce Willis is the military general brought onto the scene when the situation begins spiraling out of control. It is rather remarkable that this film was actually made BEFORE 9/11, as it deals with some of the exact same subject matter, including the reaction to terrorism, internment camps (this time for Muslim-Americans), and the ideological clash between the Eastern and Western world.Acting-wise, Washington is at his brooding, intense best throughout the entire movie, culminating with his "bend the law, shred the constitution" speech when dealing with the issue of torture. Willis' military character is actually sorely underutilized, yet provides the perfect antithesis (but not antagonist) to Washington. Annette Bening is the other primary lead character, and she also gives a competent (if not over-the-top at times) performance.About the only reason I give this film four stars instead of five is because, although it is compelling, it falls well short of the mark now set by "24" which provides just as much political drama/action in a arc of episodes as this movie does in its entire runtime (although that is more of an affirmation of 24's genius than this film's shortcomings). If you are a fan of political films that will really make you think, you will heartily enjoy the entire experience. Plus, it could be your stepping-stone to an entirely new saga of political drama..."24".

When a movie portrays a decorated general as more of a criminal than a group of radical Islamic terrorists it is dishonest and disgusting. One hero of the movie was a terrorist sympathizer and partly responsible for the murder of many Americans in the movie. Liberal writers once again display their "special kind of stupid" relating to foreign policy, global affairs, and their hate/disrespect for our military.

Powerful cautionary tale regarding America's response to Arab terrorism. Produced before the tragic 9/11 attacks in New York City, this film is stunning in the way it is so prescient. It is also unrelenting in suspense and building the tense environment that follows terrorism perpetrated by rampaging Arabs. Some of the sequences are truly haunting and one scene in particular where Bruce Willis, the commander of the military force in Manhattan, is framed by the Twin Towers is simply startling. Tony Shaloub gives a tremendous performance as an Arab- American FBI agent who witnesses his innocent son incarcerated in a Central Park camp surrounded by barbed wire. A scene involving him and Washington outside the fence of that camp absolutely steals the motion picture and puts Shaloub on the map as one of this country's finest actors.