Plot: What’s it about?
When a wave of terrorism strikes New York, it seems not even the best government agencies can shut them down. The spree began with a paint bomb aboard a bus, which was meant as a warning, although the authorities were unsure what the terrorists wanted from anyone. But that incident was just the start, as soon, a real bomb explodes on a packed bus and leaves no survivors, aside from the children released just before the explosion. At the head of the investigation is Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington), as well as his right hand man Frank (Tony Shalhoub) and a crack team of workers to back them up. Soon, Hubbard finds himself in a love/hate professional relationship with CIA operative Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), who seems to have a lock on a lot of the goings on inside the terrorist circles. But when the string of attacks continues and grows in death counts, General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis) marches into town with his armed forces, to declare martial law and end this reign of terror, but at what cost?
This sounds like one heck of a movie and in truth, The Siege is a fun flick to watch, but it just doesn’t live up to the full potential it promises. The cast has Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Annette Bening, and Tony Shalhoub, among others, but most of the time, their talent seems wasted. A lot of the banter between them is well performed and a pleasure to watch, but the details in the screenplay seem to be lacking, which bogs down the whole film to me. The basic premise is very strong and sometimes the film follows up on that well, but most of the time, this one plays like your typical action movie, which is a let down. But if you don’t mind rather large plot holes and leaps of faith in an otherwise realistic film, then The Siege has a wild ride to offer you and one that is well worth taking overall. The movie is a lot of fun and packs some nice suspense & action sequences, but I wanted this to be deeper and more complex, so I feel somewhat let down in the end. But a rental is more than worth the cash and with this new release, fans have a terrific disc to plunk down the green for, so this one is recommended.
If this film was a disappointment, no blame can be pushed toward the cast, as it does more than enough to elevate this material. As usual, Denzel Washington gives a very solid performance, much better than his character deserves in fact. Washington does his best to supply depth and humanity to his role, but the source material fails him there and gives him very little to work with. But Washington takes those basic elements and weaves together a very solid overall effort. If you want to see more of Washington’s work I recommend Remember The Titans, Virtuosity, Devil In A Blue Dress, Crimson Tide, Courage Under Fire, and The Pelican Brief. Also here is Bruce Willis (Twelve Monkeys, The Sixth Sense), who is given a poorly developed character in all respects and in the end, is unable to bring it all together. Willis is a talented performers in all respects, but even he can do only so much, when given so little. The cast here also includes Annette Bening (In Dreams, American Beauty), Sami Bouajila (Our Happy Lives), Lance Reddick (I Dreamed Of Africa), David Proval (Four Rooms, Mean Streets), and Tony Shalhoub (Men In Black, Galaxy Quest). The director here is Edward Zwick, who also directed such movies as Courage Under Fire, Legends of the Fall, and Glory, among others.
Video: How does it look?
The Siege is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a nice improvement over the original release, which featured a letterbox transfer that showed some flaws. This new anamorphic edition solves most of the problems from that release, as well as being a sharper and more pleasing venture. I saw minimal signs of the edge enhancement that plagued the original release, while this new transfer is also much more defined in the end. This means more detail is evident that before, which allows for a much sharper and visually effective presentation. This film uses some complex visuals, so this new transfer is a much welcome addition to this disc. I saw no problems with the colors or contrast, both of seem to be in fine form and without serious errors. Fox has fixed their mistakes from the first disc, but let’s hope they get it right the first time from now on.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc contains dual 5.1 tracks in Dolby Digital and DTS forms, which means we can all find a happy medium here. I found both tracks to be impressive and more than adequate, but neither rose to overshadow the other. A few small differences are present, but the tracks balance each other out in the end. As usual, the DTS option is a shade louder, but other than that, these two have the same performance level. The surrounds see a lot of action here, from massive explosions to complex background noise, so you’ll feel right in the middle of all the excitement. The musical score sounds terrific and immersive, while the dialogue is crisp and shows no problems in the least. This disc also contains 2.0 surround tracks in French and English, as well as Spanish and English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
