Under Siege 4K 1992

Steven Seagal, Van Damme, Lundgren, and Chuck Norris were the first action heroes to come to us from across the border, and we loved their films despite their poor quality and nasal dubbing. They really did save the world single-handedly, blew up half the city, and in the end shook hands with the president, who thanked them for their valor and patriotism. Is this naive by modern standards? Yes. Not spectacular? Yes. But it's not stupid or primitive. Moreover, the action films of the early 90s are in many ways better than modern ones. Such things are no longer made today.

Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, Death Defying, John Woo's “Small Tokyo Showdown” and “Hard Target” are still better than many films today, and Andrew Davis's “Under Siege,” like his other film with Seagal, “The Fugitive,” belongs to the same category. These early action films are made without frills, they do not stand out for their particular style or clever plot, but they are high quality, like warm, comfortable clothes, like knitted sweaters that we wear not to show off, but for comfort. The action films of the early 90s are not particularly bloody or violent; they are meaningful and spiced with good humor: everything is in moderation, everything is as it should be.

Under Siege is a solid, not cheap film with well-staged fight scenes, and unlike Mission: Impossible and the like, it does not rely on special effects. The film brings together a small but highly respected group of actors from the same genre (Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Harry Busey), the dialogue is precise and apt (“as befits simple, honest people”), and there is a “gentleman's set”: the threat of the destruction of an entire city, a flock of helpless officials scurrying about in panic, hope for one single person (naturally, a modest and unassuming former Marine with a Silver Star and a bunch of other medals for merit), and the signature phrase: “Wake up the president!”, meaning that things are really bad.

Seagal (this time not Nico, but Casey Ryback) in the company of his pleasant, hapless blonde assistant Erica Elinjak, calmly and methodically begins to eliminate the members of a criminal terrorist “gang” led by the emotionally unstable, i.e., psychotic Bill Strangus, another Marine who disagrees with US domestic policy regarding elite armed forces.

Incidentally, Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Oscar for The Fugitive, “portrayed” a character in The Siege that was almost better than Sam Gerard's “law enforcement officer” and certainly more vivid and memorable than his “man in black.” William Strangens, disappointed, desperate, written off as a “government assassin,” in his quest to take revenge on the system that betrayed him, which he had served faithfully for so many years, directs warheads at Hawaii, drawing attention to his need for psychiatric treatment with a beautiful gesture.

The same idea ran through The Rock at around the same time, and flashed much more dimly and on a local scale in last year's failed Edison. You need to take better care of your military personnel, gentlemen Americans, “a psychiatrist for every retired Marine!” And besides head-bashing, please add money so that they can sit quietly and peacefully in retirement, rather than taking hostages and bargaining with the government.

The only downside to the film is that the final fight between Raebeck and Strangis seems somehow cramped and cut short; it starts off so great, so beautiful, but just when you're ready to enjoy the spectacle, the duel between two pros, it all ends! Not enough, I tell you! This episode should have been stretched out to give the audience a full thrill.

Under Siege is a powerful, dynamic, and beautiful action movie, filmed in the best traditions of the genre. It's old-fashioned in a good way and enjoyable to watch again and again.