The Siege Review
by Susan Granger (Ssg722 AT aol DOT com)November 2nd, 1998
Susan Granger's review of "THE SIEGE" (20th Century-Fox)
In this instance, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Denzel Washington is a superb actor, an Oscar winner for "Glory" and nominee for "Cry Freedom" and "Malcolm X," as is Annette Bening, an Oscar winner for "The Grifters," and Bruce Willis has proven his ability in thrillers such as "The Fifth Element" and "Twelve Monkeys" and faced disaster in the "Die Hard" trilogy. Director Edward Zwick has not only helmed "Courage Under Fire" and "Glory" but he's also the co-creator of TV's "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life." With credentials like these, one expects more than a tepid political potboiler. Based on a story by Lawrence Wright, the convoluted plot revolves around an FBI agent (Denzel Washington), a United States Army General (Bruce Willis), and a burnt-out, murky-minded CIA agent (Annette Bening) who team up to find an underground cell of Islamic terrorists who are causing chaos in New York City, blowing up a bus in Brooklyn and threatening children. In a panic, the President imposes martial law and suspends citizens' Constitutional rights, allowing the Army and the National Guard to supplant local law enforcement for the duration of the operation, thereby creating a police state. The implications deepen when all people of Arabian descent are considered suspicious and rounded up, like the Japanese-Americans during World War II, posing questions like: Does one have to become monstrous to fight a monster? How far do you go to protect freedom? While it all reads well, it doesn't play out on the screen. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Siege" is a formulaic, forgettable 4. It's not dramatic enough to deserve merit, not suspenseful enough to attract an action-oriented audience, and so preachy as to be almost ludicrous.
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