Terrorism, But No Terror
The Siege Stalls

Americans sometimes forget that terrorism is not something that occurs only overseas. We only have to think about Oklahoma City, Centennial Park, or the New York City World Trade Center to be reminded our country is vulnerable to terrorist attack. The new movie, The Siege, reaches into the dark corner of our collective psyche and brings the horrible reality to the big screen.

Denzel Washington (He Got Game) plays Anthony Hubbard, an FBI agent tracking a potential terrorist threat in New York City. Along with his partner Frank Haddad (Tony Shalhoub, The Imposters), he and the Bureau find themselves powerless to stop a series of random bombings in New York City.

Helping - and interfering - in matters is a CIA operative named Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), whose expertise in the Middle East has her chasing after the FBI in an effort to protect some of the Agency's dirty laundry. When the Bureau becomes powerless to stop the bombings, the public cries out for protection and the President authorizes the United States military to deploy on American soil.

To its credit, The Siege makes people think about terrorism on an emotional level. Some of the scenes of destruction and the aftermath of the bombings are shocking. Unfortunately, it all pales in comparison to the images on the evening news. Where the movie fell short was in making every day Americans see themselves as the victims, both of terrorism and of the anxiety of martial law.

The movie failed to get inside the lives of the everyday person, in the way movies like The Day After did. There was never a defining moment when I felt moved to think, "It could happen here." As much as I hate to say it, I also failed to identify with the Arab Americans being persecuted by the military.

Washington does a wonderful job of playing an agent dedicated to his country. His patriotism is infectious. When he speaks of American rights, he could sway the right wing to vote Democrat. Shalhoub provides a good second to Washington, and provides a strong Arabic character. Bening is hardly passable as a CIA spook, even if the role was very two-dimensional. Even Bruce Willis, who has been typecast a general, manages to convey something beyond his wooden character.

The Siege is a good movie, but it falls short of being as good as it could have been. Thankfully, it never degenerates into an action movie, but it also fails to overcome its limitations as a post-summer blockbuster entry.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 116 min.

Terrorism, But No Terror The Siege Stalls

Terrorism, But No Terror
The Siege Stalls