The Siege (1998/I)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Lawrence Wright (story)
Lawrence Wright (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

On November 6th our freedom is history

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | New York City | Martial Law | Abduction | CIA

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard
Annette Bening	...	Elise Kraft / Sharon Bridger
Bruce Willis	...	Major General William Devereaux
Tony Shalhoub	...	Agent Frank Haddad
Sami Bouajila	...	Samir Nazhde
Ahmed Ben Larby	...	Sheik Achmed Bin Talal
Mosleh Mohamed	...	Muezzin
Lianna Pai	...	Tina Osu
Mark Valley	...	FBI Agent Mike Johanssen
Jack Gwaltney	...	Fred Darius
David Proval	...	Danny Sussman
Lance Reddick	...	FBI Agent Floyd Rose
Jeremy Knaster	...	INS Official
William Hill	...	INS Uniform
Aasif Mandvi	...	Khalil Saleh

Also Known As:

Against All Enemies (USA) (working title)
Blowback (USA) (original script title)
Martial Law (USA) (working title)
Untitled Ed Zwick Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:16 | Philippines:G | Brazil:14 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-re-rating) | Singapore:PG (original rating) (heavily cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Hungary:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bedford Falls Productions

Trivia:

While negotiating with the bus bombers, Hubbard offers to exchange himself for the hostages. In Ricochet (1991), Denzel Washington's character makes the same offer while negotiating with another criminal holding a woman hostage.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Sheik Ahmed Bin Talal is shown the be abducted in Lebanon, and a desert is shown. Lebanon is the only Arab country without a desert.

Quotes:

Elise Kraft: It's easy to tell the difference between right and wrong. What's hard is choosing the wrong that's more right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in JCVD (2008)

Soundtrack:

First You Cry

One of the Effects of Cinematic Media: Reaction

Watching the 1998 THE SIEGE in 2007 and then rolling through all the reviews of this film from the time of release to the present is a lesson in the power of the cinema. The obvious initial response was less about the film as a film than about the manner in which the FBI, CIA, Military, Terrorists, and public responded to the unimaginable: shouts of protests about 'glorification of occult terrorists', the Hollywood idea of the impossible happening, and the criticism of the fine cast of actors who steeped into roles 'beyond swallowing' are all here in these reviews.

Now, six years after 9/11 reviewers are taking a different view, though most still find the film pompous and obnoxious. Offensive versus defensive. And after viewing the movie as a movie it is gratifying to know that people feel strongly and are vocal about the depiction of the 'war against terrorism' we continue to lose. Movies that make people think and talk are valuable, and in that light the film is more successful than initially considered.

Yes, there are gaping holes in the script and the plot and the concept, but as a little thriller it maintains our attention throughout and offers some fine moments from actors such as Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Tony Shalhoub, Bruce Willis, Sami Bouajila, Ahmed Ben Larby, Aasif Mandvi among others. And then there are the panoramas of New York City under siege with the Twin Towers standing mightily in the cityscape... It begs the question: if scriptwriter Lawrence Wright and director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Courage Under Fire, Glory, Leaving Normal, Legends of the Fall, etc) were thinking along these lines and finding flaws in our intelligence forces, why weren't the leaders in Washington, DC in tune with 'absurd possibilities'? It makes one think - and that is the best thing about this film. Grady Harp