Siege, The (1998)

reviewed by
Edward Johnson-Ott


The Siege (1998) Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, Sami Bouajila, David Proval, Lance Reddick, Mark Valley, Liana Pai, Jack Gwaltney, Chip Zien, Victor Slezak, Will Lyman, Dakin Matthews, John Rothman, E. Katherine Kerr, Jimmie Ray Weeks, Amro Salama. Screenplay by Lawrence Wright and Menno Meyjes & Edward Zwick. Produced by Lynda Obst and Edward Zwick. Director: Edward Zwick. 116 minutes. Rated R, 2 stars (out of five stars)

Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com

According to writer/director Edward Zwick, "The Siege" was intended as a cautionary tale that would show Americans that it can happen here; that given the right amount of fear and prejudice, coupled with blind trust in government, a police state could develop within our shores. The premise is certainly provocative and the film starts off strong, but sadly degenerates into a cartoonish open-air version of "Crimson Tide," with "Tide's" Denzel Washington going mano a mano with Bruce Willis instead of Gene Hackman. Even a bracing performance from Washington can't save a film that features a strutting action hero in a bad rug spouting tripe like "I AM the law!" The sluggish production is 116 minutes long, but feels like three hours.

When a group of Arab fanatics begin a series of strikes in the heart of New York City, FBI Terrorism Task Force chief Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington) is called into action. Following a false-alarm bomb threat and hostage situation, Washington encounters the real thing when terrorists blow up a Brooklyn bus, killing more than two dozen people (Washington, by the way, suffers only superficial injuries, despite his close proximity to the explosion).

As the investigation begins, Hubbard meets undercover National Security Agency operative Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), a Middle East specialist with excellent sources in the community. After the mandatory exchange of insults, the two band together to search for the men behind the nightmare.

The ringleader might be a sheik, whose abduction is shown in the film's opening scene. General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis) claims the government does not have the man in custody, but is he telling the truth? FBI sharpshooters kill three terrorist cell members hiding out in Brooklyn and believe the case is closed, but just as they celebrate their victory, a massive explosion at a Broadway theater kills dozens. The attacks escalate, building to a suicide assault on FBI headquarters that closely resembles the Oklahoma City massacre.

The president declares martial law, and in short order the streets are filled with tanks, as Devereaux's troops scoop up any adult Arab males they can find and corral them in detention camps. Watching ordinary citizens hauled away because of their race and witnessing Devereaux's increasing paranoia, Hubbard and Kraft begin to wonder who the real enemy is.

With more care, the story could have worked. Washington, a gifted actor who has difficulty playing villains, but shines when playing heroes, is at his best here, and Bening is good, even though her character's motives are maddeningly unclear. She talks like an incredibly sharp, informed operative, but often behaves like an infatuated schoolgirl dilettante.

There are no questions about the motives of General Devereaux, though. The character is straight from cookie-cutter central, and Bruce Willis adds no shading to the man, swaggering around barking terse, smug remarks as if he was hosting a Planet Hollywood opening.

Before the release of the film, Arab and Muslim groups complained about negative stereotyping. Zwick's film is careful to establish the terrorists as a small, unrepresentative group, but, for the most part, the production fails to depict Arabs as real people. FBI agent Frank Hadddad (Tony Shalhoub), an American of Arab descent, is allowed a few moments of actual human depth, especially when his son is throw into the detention camp, but the bulk of the Arabs remain faceless victims, waiting helplessly to be rescued.

As the film proceeds, its tone becomes increasingly cartoonish, building to a cornball climax with all the subtlety of a "Billy Jack" potboiler. What a drag. "The Siege" had potential. Had Zwick taken the time to develop well-drawn characters and a genuinely thoughtful script, he might have achieved his lofty ambitions, but in the end this grim exercise plays as just another stock action movie that leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

© 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott

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