|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
The Siege | Year: 1998 Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - Edward Zwick Actors/Actresses: - Annette Bening - Bruce Willis - Denzel Washington Sep 11 has changed my opinion about this movie I wrote a review for this movie before Sep 11 and was annoyed because of its portrayal of Muslims and some of the casting decisions made in the movie. My review still stands and you can read it if you dig deep in the Amazon.com web site. But I must commend Edward Zwick when I saw this again after Sep 11. What I felt then was that Mr. Zwick was imagining something implausible. Anyway the worst nightmare has actually come true and real life was even more dramatic then the events shown in the movie. Do watch this one as it is a very engaging story and its portrayal of Arab American especially Tony Shalhoub's acting is spot on. If Mr. Zwick had dwelt on the reasons for the Arab outrage against Israel and America the movie would have gotten five stars from me. Realistic and very plausible scenario What if an Arab terrorist(or several?) attacked New York, escalating his bombing capabilities? How easy is it to turn people against one another with hate crimes and martial law? Does the end justify the means when General Devereaux(Bruce Willis) suspects all Arabs in New York and introduces a policy that's no better than Hitler's concentration camps? Just who is the bad guy? Well, this is a fantastic and highly dramatic story which could well come true . . . maybe it already has. Denzel Washington plays an FBI agent investigating the bomb attacks as New York is plunged into paranoia. First a bus, then a crowded theatre, and then the suicide bombers go for the FBI building. When Congress elect declaration of martial law, will it work? Watch for yourself. In my view, as well, I disagree with anyone that calls this movie racist. Go stay locked in your leftie student digs while your rich parents send you handouts! What the point is that when the actions of a few(it can apply to any social group) affect the well-being of the social/ethnic group as a whole, then it's a bad thing. The soundbites of New Yorkers calling for deportation and hatecrimes adds further imapct. All in all, a good, taut action thriller that also conveys many messages about the society we live in. Let's not get carried away here, folks. All these five star reviews that, after the events of 9/11, call the film "haunting" and "important" and "before it's time." Yeah, it's definitely weird watching this movie knowing that it came out three years before the attacks. And it certainly does fit in with what's going on in the world these days. However, from a cinematic standpoint, this is no five-star film. The plot jumps around and is sometimes almost headache-inducing. The pace often meanders and Annette Bening is annoying. However, there are a few pretty good scenes; the best being when Denzel is trying to negotiate with a group of terrorists holding a city bus hostage. A couple other exciting moments, hence the three stars. Please, don't believe the hype unless you want to be disappointed. But, if you want to see a sporadically entertaining sign-of-the-times film, "The Siege" is isn't a bad way to kill two hours. Buy The Siege at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Siege Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Siege This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
