`The Siege' - A Senseless Attack
You won't find a more determined and passionate FBI agent than Hubbard (Denzel Washington), who now has the very difficult task of confronting a new wave of terrorism that is spreading across New York City. But what makes his job virtually impossible in stemming the tide is that the perpetrators, in this case Arab fundamentalists, are all suicide bombers that do not hesitate to take their own lives as long as it means the utter destruction of some building or the meaningless death of innocent civilians. What's worse, these terrorist cells work independently of one another, which means that there is no way to bring down the operation in one fell swoop. The first act of aggression is truly terrifying and leaves a lump in your throat as you watch the scene unfurl. Hubbard will summon all of his resources to combat the situation.
The fact that the suspected terrorists are Arabs brings Agent Elise Kraft (Annette Benning) onto the investigation. She has special knowledge of the Arab sector, but also seems to have an ulterior motive for being there. Continually trying to circumvent Hubbard at every turn, she wants to help the determined agent, but has her own agenda to follow.
The first 40 minutes is actually quite intense, and really sets the stage for possibly a great and thrilling movie. But knowing that Hubbard would be fighting several terrorist cells, I could see that this film would suffer from a glaring weakness. And it did. Great movies always have a great villain that masterminds the evil scheme. Remember `Speed', a movie about a mad bomber and a bus (played with malicious intent by Dennis Hopper)? But here, the fundamentalists are all suicide bombers all too ready to take their own lives. Once we learn who they are, they are soon dead, either by bombing themselves or shot down by the local police. The all-important ‘hate-the-villain' factor is completely missing.
Terrorism and violence escalates. The city streets are becoming deserted. Hubbard still can not locate the remaining terrorists cells. A state of martial law is thus declared and the film completely shifts gears, now emphsizing a message over the manhunt. Suspicious of all Arabs, they are herded into interrogation camps where they are harassed and humiliated. It seemed like a strange turn of events for the audience member. I can't imagine that this movie ever intended to be a statement on our constitutional rights. If it was, it was upstaged by a marvelously intense beginning.
I give credit to Washington who infused energy into his role and Benning, who showed sass and smarts as well. Bruce Willis, however, had a thankless role as the General that oversaw the city during its state of martial law. His role asked him to do nothing but verbally punch out military rhetoric and patriotic jingoism. But the real problem with this movie is that it hits the ground running, but ultimately gets lost because the story abruptly shifts gears and because the terrorists want to die. `The Siege' starts with a blitzkrieg of suspense, but its power wanes considerably over the final 90 minutes.
Grade: C
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