The Siege
1998 Directed by Edward Zwick
Synopsis
On November 6th our freedom is history
The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York that lead to the declaration of martial law.
Popular reviews
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Denzel goes all Jack Bauer in the face of fundamentalism, hidden agendas and a terror riddled city. Anette Bennings pointless character aside, a good bit of throwaway and mindless action.
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This film has the dubious honour of being the only movie I've ever walked out of the cinema on halfway through. Granted, I was 16 years old. Granted, I was on a double date and this is NOT a date movie (it wasn't my choice, for the record). However, while I wouldn't walk out on The Siege fourteen years older, I certainly found it a slog to reach the finish line. Edward Zwick's movie is frequently trite, leaden-paced, miscast in various places and, like all pre-9/11 terrorism-centred movies, old-fashioned and somewhat chilling in its simple-minded prescience.
You can see why Denzel Washington was attracted the role of FBI crusader Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard - it's a meaty part, tinged with racial…
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Mediocre film from the usually reliable Edward Zwick that starts out as a political thriller, but jumps the rails once it reaches too much for cliches and tries to be an action movie.
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It’s interesting to see this movie in a post 9/11 context. There’s some crazy disturbing things in it that I’m not sure main stream Hollywood would get away with now.
However, as a thriller it’s a little boring. I also thought the film’s portrayal of the CIA Agent that Bening plays is a tiny bit misogynistic.
As a distraction this movie’s not great; the second act drags a bit, while the third just plain falls apart. Still it was interesting enough to keep my attention.
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A terrorist action-thriller that introduces a number of morality challenges for the viewer to deal with. Watching the film with the realization that it was made 3 years before 9-11 really makes you appreciate a movie that was ahead of its time.
Recent reviews
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No me ha dicho absolutamente nada.
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Megalomania americana.
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Showed a lot of foresight for its time and the execution is largely at least OK, though the genesis of the Benning and Willis roles are telegraphed from very early on. More on the site.
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It's hard to believe that this film was made before 9/11.
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Can watch his movie over and over. Great movie
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Action, Drama
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This film has the dubious honour of being the only movie I've ever walked out of the cinema on halfway through. Granted, I was 16 years old. Granted, I was on a double date and this is NOT a date movie (it wasn't my choice, for the record). However, while I wouldn't walk out on The Siege fourteen years older, I certainly found it a slog to reach the finish line. Edward Zwick's movie is frequently trite, leaden-paced, miscast in various places and, like all pre-9/11 terrorism-centred movies, old-fashioned and somewhat chilling in its simple-minded prescience.
You can see why Denzel Washington was attracted the role of FBI crusader Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard - it's a meaty part, tinged with racial…
-
Denzel goes all Jack Bauer in the face of fundamentalism, hidden agendas and a terror riddled city. Anette Bennings pointless character aside, a good bit of throwaway and mindless action.
-
Mediocre film from the usually reliable Edward Zwick that starts out as a political thriller, but jumps the rails once it reaches too much for cliches and tries to be an action movie.