Rating: 
Summary: 9/11/01 Life imitating art
Review: Umar Adeeb says that the story was implausible. Let us take a look at this day in American history. Implausible. I think not. Wonderful story. Watching the news right now and then watching the movies, it all seems so closely related. But then again so do WAG the Dog and Canadian Bacon.
Rating:
Summary: Less tension than other thrillers, but still very intense!
Review: "The Siege" attempts on numerous occasions to be provocative in its ideas, but it doesn't quite cover all its bases. There are some very powerful and intense action sequences, and some of the best actors on the market giving wonderful performances. When you add all of this together, what you get is a combination of good action, a few thrills, and a story that supplies enough of both for you to forgive its shortcomings. The film's action centers around various terrorist attacks in New York City, beginning with a hoax paint bomb on a city bus, and a real explosion aboard another afterwards. Under the leadership of special agent Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington), the FBI begins investigating possible leads as to the people responsible for the bombings, crossing paths with CIA spy Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), who has some personal ties to a local Arab. And since the Arabs are in the hot seat of suspicion, Hubbard and Elise form a team of sorts to track down the remaining cells of terrorists. But an attack on the FBI headquarters pushes the President over the edge, and he orders military forces into New York City to contain those under suspicion (including any and all citizens of Middle East descent), causing an uproar among the city's population and forcing Hubbard and a small band of FBI agents to take matters into their own hands. Throughout the film, there are some very spectacular action sequences that are effective in delivering edge-of-your-seat thrills. A scene involving Hubbard's attempts at negotiation with the terrorists aboard the second bus is tightly wound, while the mayhem and that ensues throughout the city in the face of each attack can be chilling at times. The story makes good use of social unrest, undoubtedly recalling Japanese-Americans treatment during World War II. This tactic comes close to feeling detached, but Arab-American agent Frank Haddad's search for his detained son provides an emotional outlet for the audience to connect with. Yet, with all of these thrills, the overall effect falls a fraction short. The material is intelligent and well-crafted, but place it in the same light as such thrillers as "The Negotiator" or "Outbreak," and this film pales in comparison. I can't, in all honesty, say that the story's central message was completely compelling, but while I wasn't fully moved by that, I wasn't put off by it, either. But the action alone is worth watching, and so are the involving performances from the star-studded cast. Denzel Washington employs a great deal of leadership qualities into his character, and carries much of the movie's force on his shoulders. Annette Bening is subtly mysterious as Elise, who knows more about the terrorist attacks than she's willing to reveal. Bruce Willis is a knockout as General William Devereaux, who verbally objects to the involvement of the armed forces in the city, yet seems quite comfortable once in control. There's enough action and suspense throughout "The Siege" to keep you entertained, and just enough plot twists to keep you guessing. The overall effect you may feel after the last frame may be a bit less than what you expected, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying this tightly-knit thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor casting and poorer story
Review: This movie was a big dissapointment. The story is implausible and the presentation is poor. Annette Bening is miscast in this movie and should not have been there in the first place. Don't watch this one.
Rating:
Summary: Tension mounts and we see the result of over-reaction
Review: Starring Denzel Washington, Annette Benning and Bruce Willis, this is an action-adventure movie with a message. It is about terrorist attacks in New York by Arab extremists and our government's reaction to it. I understand that Arab American groups have protested this film. I don't understand why because, on the contrary, it does much to promote understanding by depicting the result of over-reaction. Indeed, Brooklyn is put under siege. Arab-American young males are rounded up. And democracy flies out the window. A chilling thought. The casting is perfect. Each character really gets into his or her role. And the budget is big enough to have overhead airplane shots and special effect explosions. I was caught right up in the story as the tension mounted, waiting for what would happen next and thinking about the hard choices that the characters had to make. Many reviewers have suggested that this movie missed its mark and that the action got bogged down in the message. I disagree.
Rating: 
Summary: Denzel and Tony Shalhoub are superb; great terrorist movie
Review: This is one of the few movies I can watch over and over again without being bored. The storyline is excellent, as such things portrayed in this movie could very easily happen. It makes me wonder why there aren't more terrorist attacks than there already are. The acting is superb because of Denzel Washington. He does fabulous job, as does Tony Shalhoub. The performance by Bruce Willis is lacking as compared to his other fine movies, as is the one by Annette Benning. Luckily the majority of the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and focused on Denzel W. One of my favorite lines in the movie: "You Americans think that money is power; belief is power." Watch it and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: an A-1 political thriller
Review: This is a film with a lot of detail, and really deserves more than one viewing. At first it seems to be the usual Hollywood depiction of Arabs as "fanatical terrorists", but it isn't...what you get is echoes of our past history, making this story very plausible. The plot starts with the abduction of a sheik who is suspected of having masterminded the bombing of a U.S. barracks in the Middle East, and the web grows and gets tangled with tragic results. Denzel Washington is superb...a powerful, multi layered performance, and Tony Shahoub is fabulous. His subtle and moving portrayal of an Arab American FBI agent is exceptional. Annette Benning is a hard, edgy, sexy tomboy CIA agent, and does a good job of it. Bruce Willis won the Golden Raspberry award for worst actor of 1998 for his part as a general...and I'm not sure it was deserved...he has his moments. The direction and script by Edward Zwick is tight, absorbing, and fast moving, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins brilliant. Though there are many big actions scenes, it's the ones with dialogue, like the one in the latrine, that are my favorites. This is a film with a message...thought provoking, but at the same time highly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I usually watch a movie once, love it or hate it. I've seen The Siege at least 5 times. I think its a great film that is at once entertaining and has a significant message for its viewers. The characters are uniformly well acted and the dialog is pretty solid. Part of the effect of this movie is that this kind of situation is possible (not likely, but possible.) This is a fantastic movie which everyone should watch at least once.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: This film is good but there are a lot of screw-ups. Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Annette Benning were great picks for this film but it lacked in substance. It was exciting yet many parts were boring. But don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie, in fact I own it!
Rating: 
Summary: bad
Review: Have you ever watched a movie and found a character so annoying and hated them so bad that you wish you could reach through the screen, pull them out and wring their neck. That's Annette Benning in this movie. If that's the effect she wanted to achieve then more power to her but it seems that they try to make her a simpathetic figure in this movie. Sorry kids...doesn't work for me. When it comes to over the top bleeding heart liberalism she takes the cake. So does this movie. It's just nonsense. Hello all you cynics out there. Later
Rating:
Summary: Horrible excuse for a movie
Review: Suspense movies are supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat, not put you to sleep, right? The basis for the movie: Talk, talk, uh-oh there's a bomb threat, talk somewhere else, argue, talk, argue, talk, bomb goes off, repeats about five times, each more boring than the last. I understand building plot, but this dragged out for what seems like hours. Bottom line; don't see it.
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