The Siege: Review By moviegeek

This movie is about the enforcement of martial law in New York City after a series of terrorist bombing attacks on the city. Obviously, the semi-recent 9/11 attacks come dishearteningly to mind. What is chronicled in this fictional story is the behaviors our government might take in such a situation. This movie was released in 1998.

The attacks were ignited when the U.S. captured an Islamic leader. Denzel Washington is an FBI investigator, outraged by the recent attacks upon the city. He teams up with a CIA operative (Annette Bening) to find out who is responsible. Eventually, the attacks become so frequent and frightening that the government throws New York City under military rule, led by Army General, Bruce Willis.

The attacks are graphic not because of the gore shown, but because of the reality we all know of them. It's gripping and hard to watch at the same time. Edward Zwick, the director, does a nice job of capturing emotional and physical intensity simultaneously.

The Siege is triumphant in its setup, in its execution, and in its pacing. The actors have perfect tone and resonate well with the story. The action is tense, exciting, and comprehensible (my big one)! The movie is enthralling in a bleak sort of way.

Unfortunately, the last 15 minutes pull this movie back from being one of a kind, to simply being generic and action-driven. There is the shootout where a good person gets shot, and no one reacts until the smoke clears and they can slowly lower their guns. There is Bruce Willis' army general is so absurd and ridiculously drawn that it almost ruined the movie for me.

These last moments made me realize how fictional and film-driven this picture was. It wasn't grounded in reality. It was grounded in its own (often absurd) world. That was disappointing.

I suppose this picture couldn't have known how real it would eventually feel. I guess that's how it is with most things. The Siege is technically wonderful and strikingly powerful. For what it couldn't known that it would have been, its a success. It's nice to watch a movie that I know now would never be made. It's these rare films that strike emotionally, and maybe even controversially today, that still need to be made, regardless of popular reaction.

That aside, this is a good, smart movie with some really real moments along with its share of lunacy.