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The Siege (1998)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:58
Fresh:25
Rotten:33
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: An exciting, well-paced action film.
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: When the U.S. military abducts a Muslim leader, New York City becomes the target of several terrorist attacks in this gripping political thriller ripped from newspaper headlines. Denzel Washington... When the U.S. military abducts a Muslim leader, New York City becomes the target of several terrorist attacks in this gripping political thriller ripped from newspaper headlines. Denzel Washington stars as Anthony "Hub" Hubbard, the head of the FBI terrorism task force who is charge of investigating the bombings. Ironically, Hub's partner, Frank Haddad (Tony Shalhoub), is Arab-American and must fight for his family's rights as the citizens of New York become increasingly paranoid about the Arab-American population. Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) is an undercover CIA official and Middle East expert who is also investigating the terrorist attacks and joins Hub and Frank as they search for the terrorists. As Hub, Elise, and Frank work to uncover the source of the terrorism, the city erupts in escalating madness, spiraling out of control until the government sends in General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis), who takes over the city and declares martial law. Ultimately, the government seizes the male Arab-American population of New York in makeshift internment camps in this incredibly relevant and cautionary thriller that examines the real dilemma of how a democratic society can uphold the rights of its citizens while under military protection. Director Edward Zwick's film features excellent performances from an all-star cast and includes real footage of President Clinton addressing the problem of terrorism. [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub
Starring: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, Sami Bouajila, Liana Pai
Director: Edward Zwick
Director: Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Edward Zwick, Menno Meyjes, Lawrence Wright
Producer: Lynda Obst, Edward Zwick
Composer: Graeme Revell
Reviews for The Siege
The Siege obviously is an ambitious thriller that has some valid issues on its mind. Unfortunately, the movie never really does much more than just raise the right questions.
This movie has a very strong and compelling narrative thread running through it, and it benefits from expert direction that elevates the tension to a pitched height.
Could someone please turn down Denzel Washington's Righteousness Meter? It's set too high.
A flawed but not uninteresting political thriller that struggles with middling success to satisfy the dual aims of being both commercially entertaining and socially significant.
More political than entertaining, The Siege is a reflection of our heightened awareness and sensitivity to terrorism and the price of freedom.
The prejudicial attitudes embodied in the film are insidious, like the anti-Semitism that infected fiction and journalism in the 1930s--not just in Germany, but in Britain and America.
It was like eating celery - crunchy and loud and tasty - then zero caloric content after all that trouble chewing it.
Denzel Washington, the great crowd-pleaser who will likely make The Siege number one in the first weekend's box office, is easily the big reason to see the movie.
The first hour is riveting, with a couple of particularly tense scenes. But things go hideously awry from there as the ham-fisted messages begin to dominate.
The Siege is constantly heavy-handed, not entertaining or insightful, and just goes to prove that not even the best actors can save a film that lacks a satisfactory screenplay.
There's a lot of high drama, and Zwick pushes the Big Moments a little too hard -- but solid performances and plenty of shattering explosions conspire to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Siege may well be based on a huge 'what if?' premise, but it's smart, taut and knows exactly what the hell it's doing. And it does it well.
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