The Siege (1998/I)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | 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 | Martial Law | Abduction | New York City | Bombing

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:

George F. Miller broke the right-hand side of his jaw in two places while working on this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sharon's hand on Samir's chin during first scene in Samir's apartment.

Quotes:

Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard: [to General Devereaux] You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to a fair trial. You have the right not to be tortured, not to be murdered, rights that you took away from Tariq Husseini. You have those rights because of the men who came before you who wore that uniform. Because of the men and women who are standing here right now waiting for you to give them the order to fire. Give them the order, General.
General William Deveroux: Do you think that I would hesitate to kill you, or every Federal Agent in this room, if I thought it was in the best interest of my country?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

First You Cry

Proven possibe TODAY

Today was the day the terrorist attack on the PENTAGON and the WORLD TRADE CENTER and other places which was more sunbstancial and incredible compared to the attacks depicted in this movie which looks amateurish in comparison to the real attacks.A good wake up call to all who snickered and dismissed this film as UNLIKELY and HOLLYWOOD FANTASY.Nothing is impossible and I also would like to say that most media ART IS A REFLECTION of reality.The CIA and other world intelligence branches can only do so much.Most of their work comes AFTER the attack.Preventing an attack is next to impossible if freedom is to be had by the masses.See this film and learn.Great film although a ittle improvement with screenpay would have taken this movie to classic status.Only for people who are interested in spy films and politics.The fans of the lead actors will enjoy this film as well for their performances as adequate,particularly Washington.......