Review: The Siege

Director: Edward Zwick

Cast: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis

Category: Action

Reviewed By: Frank

Plot: What would happen if terrorist continued to strike out in the city of Manhattan and the FBI and agent Anthony Hubbard seemed powerless to stop them? Well, you’d have to call in General Bruce Willis and declare martial law.

The plot thickens when Hubbard finds out that the CIA agent (Benning) he’s been working with has a romantic connection with a terrorist informant.

General Bruce Willis (in a part you know he thinks he was born to play) shuts down the city, moves anyone who looks Arab into camps like we did to the Japanese people in WW2, and begins spying on Hubbard. The General and Hubbard discuss the morality of torturing people for information, and Hubbard supposes that it is evil when the General kills said poor slob for not giving the information. The relationship deteriorates rapidly after that.

DVD Special Features: Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby, Theatrical trailer(s), Widescreen anamorphic format.  Nothing special here.

The Good: I like Denzel Washington. I don’t know why he chooses some of the parts he plays but I think he’s a good actor and he did a solid job in this movie.

I really liked seeing Tony Shalhoub as Hubbard’s partner Frank Haddad. Any of those old Wings cast members that get a part in a movie, I’m supportive of.

The Bad: Well, the whole premise basically supposes that the President of the United States, congress and the State Government of New York would agree to put Martial Law in place. That is about as likely as Jesse Helms proposing marriage to Lil Kim.

I saw a movie with a really attractive Annette Bening titled "The Grifters". Good movie.

That was about 10 years ago. I don’t know if they didn’t get her make up right in this movie or it was the short hair but she looked damn scary until her death scene at the end of the movie.

General Bruce Willis in the part you know he thinks he is born to play.

Bottom Line: I Felt like my brain was under siege from this movie.

Rating: One box of wine.