Review of Under Siege (1992) by Adam F — 22 Jul 2013

Steven Seagal is an action star that's definitely fallen on some hard times but 1992's "Under Siege" proves that with the right script and director the guy can be an action all-star. The premise is pretty familiar to fans of action films but it's directed with a lot of energy and genuine joy: Seagal plays "Casey Ryback", a cook on a nuclear battleship that's about to be retired. There's a surprise party planned for the captain by "Commander Krill" but there's more to the party than just music and a hot lady busting out of the cake. Enter Tommy Lee Jones as "William Strannix" who, along with his crew, is masquerading as entertainers so that they can commandeer the ship, steal it's nuclear arsenal and sell it to the highest bidder. All of the sailors are either killed or captured and it's up to Ryback, along with "Miss July", the playboy playmate brought on board (Erika Eleniak as "Jordan Tate") to save the day.

So obviously just from this set-up there are a couple of things you can predict. 1) A conclusion featuring a man-to-man combat sequence with Tommy Lee Jones and Steven Seagal. 2) A love plot as Ryback and Tate bond between the battle sequences 3) a lot of bad guys who can't aim very well. Well, you'd be right but a significant portion of the entertainment you'll get out of "Under Siege" is just that, seeing those elements that you want to see in a good action movie play out. Rising the film above the basic formula on which it was written are a couple of memorable elements. First of all, the villains are really terrific. The big mastermind is Tommy Lee Jones who plays an intelligent, greedy and totally off-the-wall ex-CIA agent. There's a sequence where he convinces everyone that isn't on the ship that he's just a mad dog, looking to blow up the world with his new-found arsenal and you realize that this guy is a brilliant strategist, setting up his crew to contain the threats instead of just killing them all (possible hostages for later), concocting an elaborate plan that's pretty ingenious and would succeed easily if it wasn't for that one rogue element that's wandering through the ship picking off his men one by one. There's also Gary Busey, who plays a terrific creep. He's always getting under your skin, making you fantasize about this guy getting a bullet in the head for every time he talks down to our hero and for all of the aggravating things he does. At times he's funny and the next scene you see his genuinely cruel and sadistic side and it gets tense.

So you've got your bad guys, but what about the heroes? Well you've got the previously mentioned Seagal, who definitely has the chops to pull off the demanding stunts and combat sequences in the film. His character is decently fleshed out and he's got some good charisma. He's exciting to watch because his character really knows what he's doing. Ryback is always setting up booby traps, ambushing the goons after him and using his brain to get out of a jam. Not only does it reduce the cliche that the bad guys can't shoot very well (because often they don't even have the chance to pull the trigger) but he also genuinely seems like a threat to the hijackers because of his ingenuity. Jordan Tate stands out quite a bit as well. She's the only woman in the movie and she is smokin' hot. There's more to her than her than eye-candy though, her character actually grows throughout the film to become a competent fighter herself. At first she's just following Ryback because she doesn't want to be alone but eventually she starts carrying her own weight and turns out to be a critical asset for the good guys. This is not a character that becomes strong and is later reduced to a useless damsel in distress during the climax; she's a strong, sexy woman.

The hand-to-hand combat in the film is terrific and well edited so you can always tell who's fighting who and what the killing blow looked like. Actually the whole movie is well shot and the sets are amazing. The movie's production is first rate because they actually placed the actors on a real battleship (or if they had sets they definitely fooled me). It helps the whole movie feel that much more authentic. There's some pretty surprising "oh snap!" moments when the mooks get taken out by Ryback and some good moments of tension when he gets stuck in a jam or injured. Some of the events in the film happen with some awfully convenient timing (a bomb in the kitchen for example) and the movie is missing some great, memorable one-liners unfortunately. Like all great action films there are some funny moments, one of the best being an exchange between Ryback and Tate, where she complains that she has to carry all the gear, to which Ryback replies "Tell you what, I'll carry everything, you kill anyone we run into". Funny stuff.

Ultimately what "Under Siege" is lacking in originality it makes up in production and enthusiasm. The villains are strong, the female lead is a real delight to follow and although Seagal isn't a great actor he makes for a hero you're excited to see. There are some sequences that will genuinely surprise you. J.F. Lawton's script knows what your expectations of these types of films are and plays with them. Want a solid action film that's a lot of fun to watch? Check out "Under Siege" it's Seagal's best film. (Dvd, June 23, 2013).