1998's "The Siege" is a surprisingly smart, taught action thriller with an impressive cast that works hard to thrust this movie forward and make it believably real. The movie falls into a similar vein as that of last year's "The Peacemaker." "The Siege," like "The Peacemaker," deals with the threats of international terrorism hitting us hard right in our own backyard.

And, of course, that backyard is none other than New York city itself.

The movie opens in what could be a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's "Sabotage," with a bomb threat on a local bus, that nearly succeeds but is really only set up to serve as a warning to the powers that be that bad things are about to come if they don't sit up and listen.

Denzell Washington is FBI agent Tony Hubbard, and he and his team are sent out to investigate, only to discover that the warning may have deeper consequences - but what?

Soon we're introduced to Annette Benning's character, who is a real shady stranger. Not only does Tony Hubbard ask about her, the audience does too. Is she with the CIA? Or is she a loner? And where are all her connections? But before any of that can be answered, another bomb threat is called in and this time it's for real. Again, Hubbard and his team is on hand to deal with the situation as it unfolds.

Again, the threat is on another bus, with the hijackers toting not only bombs, but guns as well. Yet one of the brilliant things this movie does is that it never shows us the enemy. All throughout the negotiation we only see the bus from the outside, from the perspective of Hubbard, his team, the public onlookers, and eventually from what maybe another enemy - the media. And in some respects, we the audience, are a part of Hubbard's team, as we wittness the team's successes and tragedies. Unfortunately with this real threat, the team isn't lucky and the bomb goes off, killing 26 people and conveniently taking out a whole block of New York City.

But we soon learn that the people behind the bombings belong to an extremist Arab fundamentalist group. But this group is set up to wage a strange kind of resistance-guerrilla style warfare. They are set up through a series of connections, so that as one group gets caught, there is always another to take it's place. Of course, the big wigs in charge of all the Arab countries strongly deny any involvement with the bombings and fully support the Americans. This makes the story feel even more believable and places it well within context to today's world events.

But don't stop and think that the Arabs are the stereotypical bad guys here - they are not. In fact the movie adds some wonderful touches by giving us an (some might say token) Arab FBI agent who has been Tony Hubbard's partner for more than ten years. He's played by actor Tony Shalhoub (who was last seen in "Men in Black"). The movie also gives us another Arab character who has many questions about his past and the decisions made by his family and friends.

Everyone works hard to get answers in this movie, but for both the good and the bad it all seems futile. Just as the good guys take one step forward, another bomb blows something new up. From a theatre, to a schoolhouse, to the FBI building itself - nothing is immune from the chaos. It's the chaos of the Oklahoma City Bombing, and it's the chaos of the World Trade Centre bombing - only here the events happen within days of each other - not years.

The clock is ticking and with each new threat the President demands answers and quick solutions for his public. Eventually a state of emergency is declared and the army is sent in to take back the streets of New York. So now we have the army being sent in to take siege of Brooklyn to hunt down the extremists.

Bruce Willis leads as the General in charge of the operation, and here Willis plays a deep, arrogant but tough man who is committed to his duty. In fact, with "The Siege," Bruce Willis gives us his best work since "Pulp Fiction". Everyone wants answers, and everyone has there own means to get them. And, of course, the drama is built out of those means conflicting as the story moves towards it's resolution.

A fine cast has been assembled for "The Siege," and the story is smart (if not a little surreal), original and taught. "The Siege" takes us on a wild ride.

The situation of the movie also raises some interesting questions. How would America deal with something like this, if our freedoms were threatened, not only from the outside by terrorists - but from within by our own laws and government? "The Siege" tries hard to answer these questions, and even if it isn't overly successful in answering them, it is an interesting ride. "The Siege" simply lays down the questions about our society and our system of government. It paints us human stories with perspectives from all sides. And that's where this movie ultimately succeeds, by keeping it real the movie holds the audience's interest and attention, and gives us something to think about.

Grade: B

(Movie originally reviewed on November 6, 1998)


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older