This movie follows a thrilling series of escalating terrorist incidents set in New York city.
The feel is of a police/action movie. Denzel Washington is a squeaky clean police chief who is the reliable hero of the hour. He can turn his hand to negotiating, gun-toting and plain old hard-talking. As the terrorist incidents escalate, the tensions in how to respond to the threat escalate to fever-pitch.
Washington's character is accompanied by Bruce Willis, who plays a general that prefers a direct approach to fighting the terrorism, and Annette Bening as a CIA spook. I didn't think either of these two put in convincing performances - this is Washington's movie really.
It's a pre-9/11 movie and for those of us used to modern shows like Homeland, The Siege's depiction of the CIA, torture, and the terrorists themselves can seem unsophisticated and sensationalist. But accepting its limitations, it actually puts quite a strong ethical foot forward. The debates on implementing martial law, the CIA's fraternising with the enemy, and the racial profiling of suspects - are all tackled reasonably well.
The Siege is not a perfect film but it is exciting, thought-provoking and very watchable.
The feel is of a police/action movie. Denzel Washington is a squeaky clean police chief who is the reliable hero of the hour. He can turn his hand to negotiating, gun-toting and plain old hard-talking. As the terrorist incidents escalate, the tensions in how to respond to the threat escalate to fever-pitch.
Washington's character is accompanied by Bruce Willis, who plays a general that prefers a direct approach to fighting the terrorism, and Annette Bening as a CIA spook. I didn't think either of these two put in convincing performances - this is Washington's movie really.
It's a pre-9/11 movie and for those of us used to modern shows like Homeland, The Siege's depiction of the CIA, torture, and the terrorists themselves can seem unsophisticated and sensationalist. But accepting its limitations, it actually puts quite a strong ethical foot forward. The debates on implementing martial law, the CIA's fraternising with the enemy, and the racial profiling of suspects - are all tackled reasonably well.
The Siege is not a perfect film but it is exciting, thought-provoking and very watchable.