Review: Under Siege Isn't Quite A Classic.
- Mar 26, 2017
- 2 min read
Steven Seagal was always that guy who tried to overtake the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger but never had the star power to do it. As of writing he has 55 credits to his name, almost all of which a B action movies and, at the age of 64, has more on the way. And to think I, someone who loves B action movies, has never seen one of them...until now.
Casey Ryback (Seagal) can kill a man with a single karate chop, wield any weapon with the utmost proficiency and whip up a pie the likes of which you've never tasted. Aboard the battleship Missouri he serves as the cook and last line of defence after the ship is attacked and occupied by a group of terrorists led by William Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones) and the traitorous Commander Krill (Gary Busey).
Steven Seagal is a truly awful actor. He has zero charisma, zero character and not even a hint of depth and yet, in what amounts to Die Hard on a boat, he manages to entertain. Maybe it's his ability to precisely time microwave bombs or navigate battleships swarming with enemy troops without being noticed but whatever it is that makes him who he is, its difficult to deny that his dry delivery of every line suits his character. Tommy Lee, appearing just two years before he became a household name in The Fugitive, is easily the best part of the movie and should definitely play more villain. He's manic, obsessed and totally enjoyable to watch. It probably doesn't hurt that he makes everyone that surrounds him considerably better.
Speaking of The Fugitive, Under Siege is directed by the same man, Andrew Davis. He has an eye for action and makes creative use of many of the elements on the ship. Bandsaws, i-beams and more are used to dispatch the disposal goons that plague Seagal and his pony tail. It's pretty damn fun to watch.
Steven Seagal will never be remembered in the same light as the Stallones and Schwarzeneggers of the world and its easy to see why. But for my first foray into his cinematic library, I certain I could have picked worse than Under Siege. Die Hard on a boat is hardly a "bad" movie, at least in the sense that its a blast to watch. Besides, even it it failed as an action movie, Gary Busey's cross dressing couldeasily make the most terrifying horror film ever made.
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