Plot: What’s it about?
Without a doubt I think Steven Seagal’s best movie is Above The Law but, Under Siege and Under Siege 2 will satisfy the hardcore action craving I’ve had lately. The occasional bark from my subwoofer hasn’t cut it as of late either…so here we go. Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) and his niece “happen” to be on the same train that is hijacked by Dane, (Eric Bogosian) the inventor of a devastating particle beam weapon controlled by a secret military group and his band of mercenaries. After all the passengers…except for Ryback of course…are rounded up Dane uses his high tech satellite gizmos to gain control of the weapon and doesn’t waste any time before causing mass destruction. Ryback also wastes no time before causing mass destruction…on the bad guys that is. Laying the smack down…the Rock hates it when people use his phrases…on the mercs, Seagal uses some of more impressive moves to take these guys out. As the train and passengers race towards their demise Seagal tries to save them and the Pentagon from certain destruction.
Keeping his (Seagal’s) dialogue…especially the Zen wisdom…to a minimum is a big help, allowing the movie a chance to entertain the audience. A bit over the top at times but that’s all right, Seagal provides a lot of great action scenes. Eric Bogosian stands out as the computer genius who’s a bit off center…I’d like to see him in more movies…and Everett McGill who plays Penn the mercenary leader is convincing as the ultimate soldier (at least in his own mind)…until Ryback lays a whoopin’ on him in the final showdown. There are a lot of special effects to enjoy besides Seagal’s fighting and you will see some flaws but I still think this one delivers non-stop entertainment. I’ve been critical of Seagal in the past and deservedly so but my advice to him would be know your role…sorry Rock…and stick with what works.
Video: How does it look?
Enhanced Widescreen and great photography for the most part provide great video, especially on my big screen. There are several flaws as I stated earlier…mainly in the matted/green screen overlays…but for all the effects it took to make this movie most were pretty cool.
Audio: How does it sound?
This area satisfied my “jones” for an action fix more than anything. Non-stop action provides non-stop use of Mr. Subwoofer and the rest of the channels, a big plus as far as I’m concerned. Sit back and enjoy the soundtrack and be sure to use max volume and the 0db setting for your sub.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The usual cast/director bios, which I enjoy but be sure to look at all the behind the scene footage. You see how the special effects…mainly the train and the F117’s were done and how much work went into the production.
