The Siege 2 and 1/2 Stars (Out of 4) Reviewed by Mac VerStandig Critic@Moviereviews.org Http://www.moviereviews.org
One of the most interesting scenarios that is posed by United States law is the option for the military to take control in a time of crisis, and declare a state of martial law. Being that this has never been done for a period of time long enough to encounter the various circumstances it would raise, martial law remains a mysterious threat to the American people. It could be a saving grace or it could be a nightmare. With that known, martial law could have provided one of the greatest settings that is possible for a movie. And then, imagine this moving having 3 great actors like Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis and Annette Bening. The Siege had potential written all over it. And, to some degree, it met it's potential. However, for the most part, The Siege turned out to be little more than an average films with a few high points.
The year is 2000. (Although that is never actually stated, the Oklahoma City bombing is often mentioned as having been 5 years earlier.) That gives a time in the future so that we may suspend all belief, but it also allows for a present day society. Somewhere in the middle east, an Islamic leader is taken hostage by the US military. This is classified information though, and ranks as high as the president are not informed.
New York City is suddenly taken by surprise as a series of massive terrorist attacks all take place in Brooklyn. FBI/NYPD officer Hubbard (Denzel Washington) is at the very front of the investigation. His partner is the Lebanese-American Frank Haddad (Tony Shalhoub). And CIA agent Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) is brought in to assist. On top of that, General Devereaux (Bruce Willis) of the US military, is in New York offering his assistance as well.
The biggest problem in looking into these terrorist bombings, is that they are all suicide bombings. Other than the fact that the bomber is always Islamic, the FBI/CIA/NYPD/Military have nothing to work with because the suspect is always dead, and therefore there are no links left back to the mastermind. Even worse, it is feared that there may not be a mastermind, but rather the "mastermind" is the Islamic faith.
Through a series of events, Brooklyn is declared to be a dangerous area and a war is declared against terrorism. However, unlike previous events in American history in which the president declared a "war on terrorism," this war is quite literal. General Devereaux is put in charge, and New York quickly becomes a city under siege. Every street is covered with military, and traffic isn't caused by cars, but rather tanks. AK-47 Assault Riffles become as common as candy during the holiday season.
What you have in The Siege should be every American's worst nightmare. The basic rights that are often taken for granted, are revoked. Freedom of speech is quick to go, and from there life is a rapid deterioration. The mere thought of a martial law is intensely frightening. The Siege has 3 big name actors that help make this one of the most intense films of the year. Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis are brilliant. Often given the opportunity to deliver monologues and speeches, they are the most powerful part of this film. Not since Michael Douglas declared greed to be good in the 1987 award winning film Wall Street, have lines been delivered that well. However, Annette Bening is a huge disappointment. Not only is she remarkably not believable in what appears to be a simple role, but she is frustrating to watch. You are reminded of the little kid in a school play who just can't remember that one line. But, on a brighter note, the relatively unheard of Tony Shalhoub in incredible. Though never given a huge scene, or monologue of a comparable nature to Willis or Washington, he gets the job done in stylish fashion.
The last problem that The Siege encounters, is the incredibly racist message. The Nation of Islam is the villain. Not a member of the faith, although members are singled out, but rather the impression given is that the entire faith is somewhat at fault for terrorism. Throughout Washington D. C. this film has been protested. Upon exiting the theater, I was given a flyer by a protester explaining what the true beliefs are and how the movie distorted them. To find a movie as ignorantly racist as this, you would have to go back to 1915 and D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation. And yet, that managed to survive all these years because it was a ground breaking masterpiece. Unfortunately, the siege doesn't have those values to it.
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