The Siege

1998 "An enemy they can't see. A nation under siege. A crisis they can't control."
6.4| 1h56m| R| en| More Info
Released: 06 November 1998 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist from his Middle East homeland leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York. An FBI senior agent and his team attempt to locate and decommission the enemy cells, but must also deal with an Army General gone rogue and a female CIA agent of uncertain loyalties.

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johnny-burgundy The Siege (1998) This is a pre 9/11 terrorist movie. The secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist, leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City. An all star cast including Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, and Annette Bening are the government players involved in handling the situation. This is a social commentary on terrorism and how Americans handled it prior to 9/11. This is before there was a Homeland Security and inter-agency transparency. This contributes an added tension of power struggle between the FBI, CIA and Military. The handling of the situation is bleak, but if you can get past your own personal and political beliefs, it tells a good narrative. This didn't do great in theatres, but did do solid in rentals. Particularly after 9/11. If you like political crime thrillers, you should enjoy this film.
Richard Dominguez An Excellent Movie ... NYC Is Under Attack By Terrorist Enemy ... How Far Can You Go And Still Be The Good Guy ... I Am Reminded Of Benjamin Franklin Who Said "Those Who Would Give Up Liberty For Security Deserve Neither" ... Denzel Washington As The FBI Agent Trying To Stop The Enemy Without Becoming The Enemy ... Bruce Willis The General Who Promises To Stop The Enemy No Matter The Cost ... Annette Bening The CIA Trying Desperately To Stop An Enemy That They Helped Create ... More Action Than You Can Shake A Stick At ... This Is A Scary Scary Movie About What May Happen When You Are Willing To Do Anything To Get The Job Done .... My IMDb Rating 9 Out Of 10
Python Hyena The Siege (1998): Dir: Edward Zwick / Cast: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, Aasif Mandvi: Action film not so much about the tragedy at hand but about the siege of the victims. After a series of terrorist bombings in New York, an F.B.I. Agent, played by Denzel Washington investigates. He arrests a mysterious agent played by Annette Bening who may or may not be helping the guilty. Soon a General moves his troops in and orders that all Arab Americans be fenced in and individually tortured for information. This angers Washington's partner played by Tony Shalhoub whose own son is mistreated. Interesting setup deteriorates into a series of recycled scenes that seem to have materialized from other films. Directed by Edward Zwick who previously worked with Washington in Courage Under Fire, where he delivers another great performance. Zwick is effective at presenting action but his cast are mostly at odds with the material. Washington holds his own but Bening steals the film in her rebellion. The big disappointment is Bruce Willis as the General who is hardly convincing. He barks orders and looks intimidating while reminding viewers that he was even worse in Armageddon the same year. Shalhoub fares well as Washington's partner. The big payoff will seize mainly action lovers. Score: 5 ½ / 10
joeavalon "Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither." Benjamin Franklin, 1755 (paraphrase)I remember when I first saw the trailer for this movie in the theater. I was immediately really excited, as I had a sense of what the movie was going for - a warning of what could happen in our free country under the right conditions. I applauded this because it is a lesson that was extremely important but not well understood in 1998.When I finally saw the movie I was not disappointed. The issue of Muslim extremism was handled very well. While some Arab-Americans may have felt offended by this I think the viewers understood that this was a tiny percentage of the Muslim community, and it was better for them to recognize this in order to distance themselves from the extremist.However, the real issue and prophetic warning of this movie was not about Muslim extremism at all, but about how our citizens were capable of going collectively insane over a tragedy and throwing away our freedoms in the name of safety, and the tragic consequences of such a short-sited decision. Bruce Willis was exceptional in this as he truly warned everyone of the consequences and was reluctant to accept."The Siege" became all the more important and frighteningly prophetic after the events of 9/11. The U.S. did go collectively insane, and our fears were exploited to serve neoconservative special interest that we never would have agreed to otherwise. I hope interest in this movie is renewed for this all important warning for the future."Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana, 1905 (paraphrase)