Rating of
2.5/4
Feels a little over done by todays standards
TheWolf - wrote on 08/04/07
The Seige is the story of FBI agent Anthony Hubbard (Washington) who forms an uneasy alliance with secretive CIA agent Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) in an effort to stop a string of bombings by a cell of Muslim fundamentalists that is terrorizing New York City. When they catch some but not all of the terrorists, and the bombings continue, martial law is declared in Brooklyn and a military contingent headed by Gen. William Devereaux (Bruce Willis) comes in to finish the job, starting by imprisoning every young man of Arabic ancestry in the borough.
Although The Seige is somewhat disappointing, it has many good points. Hubbard is an admirable character very well realized by Washington. Watch him fight off tears when he fails to rescue the hostages aboard a bus, and see his literally bloody intensity as he sends his subordinates racing after suspects. These scenes show Washington is still the best in the U.S. Hubbard has been unfairly called too perfect, but we see that he too has dark urges, as at one moment he uses a lit cigarette to threaten a suspect he is interrogating.
Tony Shaloub also puts on a spectacular dramatic force as he plays an agent that watches his son ends up imprisoned, his feelings of betrayal are emotional as he watches the government he has served for his whole life turn on him simply for his ethnicity.
Its a good movie over all, but in todays time it feels little rehashed.
