Annette Bening Movie:

				Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
A high-profile action/exploitation thriller set in the present, The Siege is really a fantasy that extrapolates from major terrorist attacks. Denzel Washington is FBI special agent Hubbard, "Hub" to his friends, whose anti-terrorist task force must track down the terrorist cells responsible for a spate of bombings in New York. His partner is an FBI agent of Arabian extraction (played convincingly by Tony Shalhoub), proving not all Arabs are bad guys--a point the film should be lauded for making again and again. Thrown into the mix is a CIA spy (played almost kittenish at times by Annette Bening), whose ties to the terrorists appear to be at the center of the conflicts. When the bombings escalate out of control, the President institutes martial law, sending in General Devereaux (played with impenetrable countenance by Bruce Willis) with tanks and troops to ferret out the terrorists. Echoes of Japanese-Americans in internment camps ring out as Arabs, including the son of the Arab-American FBI agent, are herded into a stadium. Periodic audio-montages of "man in the street" sentiments anchor the material in the present and show how serious and relevant the material is. But finally what we have is a taut and entertaining popcorn movie, giving itself the humanistic nod when it can. --Jim Gay

The Siege [Region 2] Reviews:
POLITICAL FANTASY-HOLLYWOOD STYLE
2009-11-27 - Now let me see if I have this straight, President Clinton (playing himself as shown in newsreels) orders Federal troops into Brooklyn and has their commanding officer declare martial law. Meanwhile a CIA agent, entirely on her own, is "handling" an Arab terrorist, despite laws preventing such activity on American soil, while the local FBI agent, is conspiring to subvert the President's delegated Army Commander, so far as is shown, without consultation with the President's FBI Director. Meanwhile, the New York City police are apparently on vacation since they appear to be playing no investigative or other law enforcement role, apparently quite content to let the single CIA agent and the FBI station chief take all authority for law and order in the city. Meanwhile........................
Of course, the film was created subsequent to the first World Trade Center bombing and before the second air attack on 9/11. Of course, it is a work of fiction not a documentary. Of course, it is Denzil Washington's film so it is only reasonable that he be granted leeway to do just about anything screen writers can think of to have him do. Of course, he gets to make a number of noble speeches irrelevant to the dramatic situation at the time. Of course, the villain is a peculiar villain being accused of a power grab when he is shown multiple times standing up to higher authority at risk to his own career to reject being given that power.
A number of good actors were buried in this quagmire, notably Denzil Washington and Bruce Willis (who must have owed the producer or director a favor if he took this papier-mache role). The others pretty much do the best that they can with what they have to work with.

Will You Like "24"? This Film Is A Great Determinant
2009-08-02 - 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".

the story of 9-11 filmed in 1998!
2009-06-21 - I loved this movie when I saw it in the theaters originally, and even more once it's relavence and vision of the future became evident.

10 years before the topics of torture and waterboarding were common place, this movie painted a picture that would in many ways later become a reality. It also makes you think about the different approaches to terrorists and terrorism.

See it with an open mind, and walk away with what might be more questions than answers, but regardless of what you take away from it, there is little chance that you take away nothing. Well written, well acted, well thought out, and when considering when it was made and the topics it comes to cover, it should be required viewing for anyone in politics, political science, news/media, and anyone who consideres themselves politically informed.

Good Thriller in 1998, Unsettlingly Prescient in 2009
2009-06-05 - A good movie then in 1998, prescient in an unsettling and unnerving way today, in 2009.

Bruce Willis is very effective as the army general sent in to ferret out the terrorists, to use any and all means necessary, inside the city of New York, and who have already struck multiple times in the city, which is placed under martial law, even as the FBI agents, led by Denzel Washington and Tony Shalhoub, try to use legal and civilian means to gather the intelligence.

The movie is commendable in its attempt to strike a balance and not paint all Arabs and people of middle-eastern descent with the same brush of terrorism. It also tries to portray the two sides of the debate with some thought: on the one hand you have the people who believe that you need to fight terror with any and all means necesary, including torture, while on the other hand you have those who believe torture is not justified. In the middle you have the terrorists, fed on a lethal diet of propaganda and ideology, and you don't have any easy answers.

Bruce Willis as the person who believes in only two shades, black and white, who believes any and all means necessary are justified, including torture, could be prototypical for any number of important people in power today and in the recent past. The implacable nature of the terrorists in the movie is echoed, almost ad-verbatim, by real world terrorists today, where inequities, real and perceived, can be avenged only through terror inflicted on any enemy targets, military as well as civilian.

The similarities with the present day fight against terror seem eerily similar, and this is what makes this movie much more real and effective today than it was in 1998. Anything that seemed far-fetched about the movie in 1998 was no longer so after Sep 11, 2001.

1998 the world seemed a safer place, where 9/11 had not happened, where civilian planes had not been turned into lethal missiles to be used against civilians, where Gitmo did not exist in the popular psyche except as a reference in the movie, "A Few Good Men", Abu Ghraib was something that only the 'other' guys did, and the phrase "with us or against us" used only in the wild wild west movies or as a mocking exaggeration.

GREAT MOVIE, FANTASTIC SELLER & SUPER FAST SHIPPING AAA+++++++++++
2009-02-27 - GREAT MOVIE, FANTASTIC SELLER & SUPER FAST SHIPPING AAA+++++++++++. WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY ASK FOR MORE? HIGHLY RECOMMEND!