Review of Under Siege (1986) by Josh O — 13 Jan 2014

Probably the only Stephen Seagal movie you will ever take remotely seriously, Under Siege deserves a viewing mostly because of its supporting cast. Tommy Lee Jones, and Gary Busey play hammy villians whose over-the-top performances perfectly compliment seagal's typical, "soft" style.

The always memorable Busey even dresses up in drag and dances way too enthusiastically at the pivotal party scene. It's completely unnecessary in terms of plot, but absolutely worth it. Jones manages a relatively outstanding performance given the terrible script, which for all its problems does deliver a few gems, such as one when Seagal is trying to rally the surviving crew.

As one member protests taking back the ship, Seagal reminds him, "this isn't a job; this is an adventure!" The plot is basically a generic action story that plays its hand within the opening minutes, when Busey's character orders to have the number of guards patrolling the missiles reduced.

Also, the war room features probably the most incompetent group of army generals ever in a motion picture. The plan they hatch is absurdly ridiculous and inadequate. Thank goodness the Navy staffs cooks with deep, military and martial arts experience.