Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Siege Blu-ray Movie Review

Edward Zwick: filmmaker, artisan... prophet?

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 24, 2009

If you didn't know The Siege had been released in 1998, you'd probably assume it was a thinly-veiled, heavy-handed commentary on the controversial policies authorized by the now-defunct Bush Administration in the seven years following 9/11. A vicious terrorist attack in New York City? Check. A panicked populous? Check. A hasty, problematic military response? Check. Widespread persecution based on race and religion? Check. The suspension of habeas corpus? Check. A debate about the extent and effectiveness of torture? Check. I could go on and on, but you get the point. When the film first hit theaters, it was lambasted as an overcooked thriller; a melting pot of hot-button issues that relied on so many hypotheticals it bordered on the absurd. But in 2009, it's an entirely different beast; a startlingly prophetic cinematic oddity that simultaneously examines fear, religious zealotry, prejudice, repression, terrorism, and moral fortitude. While it still gets distracted with too many tangential subplots (a minor problem a more judicious cut might have resolved), it manages to stand apart from similar '90s genre pics as a fairly well-written, well-acted, and well-rounded thriller.

"Eerily prescient" is an understatement... 'The Siege' is downright creepy...

When a multi-pronged terrorist cell unleashes a series of devastating, increasingly brazen attacks in New York City, FBI Special Agents Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington) and Frank Haddad (Tony Shalhoub) are tasked with exposing the parties responsible for organizing the bombings. But as panic and fear begins to grip the citizenry and its lawmakers, the two exasperated men quickly lose control of the situation. A shifty CIA agent (Annette Bening) arrives to shadow their investigation, but only seems to complicate their every encounter. A disastrous attack on the FBI's headquarters guts their manpower and resources. A U.S. military generals (Bruce Willis) is initially reluctant to intervene, but implements extreme measures when the President declares martial law in Brooklyn. Before long, every male of Arabic descent is herded into Yankee Stadium against their will, a prisoner is abused and tortured in an attempt to obtain information, and Haddad frantically searches the government's makeshift internment camp for his son (Helmi Kassim). It all leads to a heated clash of philosophies and wills that dares to ask if freedom is an expendable commodity in times of great crisis.

Once upon a time, circa 1998, a variety of people hated The Siege for a variety of reasons. Many were bothered by the film's assertion that America could ever forget the lessons it learned during World War II when Japanese citizens were placed in interment camps. Others accused director Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall) of fueling racism and perpetuating stereotypes. After all, Americans would never villainize an entire people or religion in the wake of a large-scale attack... right? Then there were the inevitably irritable critics who scoffed at Lawrence Wright's "perfect storm" scenario and seemingly scattershot plotlines; the prevailing logic being that no tragedy could spark the particular sequence of events, reactions, and responses portrayed in the film. Oh how naive we all were. As it turns out, the shunned filmmakers weren't too far off base. Granted, their story's disturbing developments are crammed into the unlikely space of a few short days, but Zwick and Wright's themes and speculative reasoning have since been revealed to be undeniably precise.

It helps that the film's accomplished leads deliver such solid performances. As usual, Washington is on fire, commanding every room he enters and stealing every scene he inhabits with quiet resolve and magnetic sincerity. Shalhoub (surprising many in one of his first major post-Wings outings) is saddled with the screenplay's somewhat syrupy emotional core, but handles even its most cumbersome sentimentality with the nimble composure of a more acclaimed A-lister. Likewise, Willis -- working overtime to ground what could have been little more than a paper-thin caricature -- sidesteps the pitfalls often associated with pseudo-villains of his character's ilk to produce an unnerving, disquieting, and all-too-believable antagonist. As it stands, the only bland thesp in the bunch is Bening. Despite her best efforts, her Elise Kraft is an unnecessarily ambiguous, infuriating dolt whose sole purpose is to continually keep Hubbard and Haddad off balance. Underdeveloped and entirely unsympathetic, her resident-roadblock is a frequent nuisance that, luckily, doesn't dominate enough screentime to derail the proceedings.

Ultimately, The Siege will resonate with modern viewers far more than it did with their late '90s counterparts. Zwick and Wright occasionally bite off more than they can chew, but the film's challenging premise, raw intensity, and memorable performances keep it barreling along toward an unexpectedly cerebral climax. While their story doesn't offer the endless gunplay action junkies crave, or the intellectual dexterity of the best post-9/11 thrillers, it does tackle a stunning series of topics and issues that didn't overtake American debate until three years after the film was made. Simply put, The Siege deserves the second chance at life its been afforded.

The Siege Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ah, MPEG-2... how I've missed ya. That's right, dear videophiles, Fox has daringly dipped into the encoding vaults of yore to mint a 1080p transfer of The Siege with the same, outdated codec that's cursed many a misguided release to the high definition bargain bin. Thankfully, the Blu-ray edition of Zwick's prophetic thriller doesn't suffer from the instability issues that plague other MPEG-2 releases: rampant artifacting, distracting source noise, and wavering contrast, among other distractions. All three pop up from time to time (as does some noticeable banding), but they're not nearly as distracting as I expected. In fact, compared to the bland and blocky standard DVD, cinematographer Roger Deakins' palette -- while drastically shifting from drab, colorless cityscapes to warm, inviting interiors -- is more vibrant, blacks are deeper and more fully-resolved, and delineation is more revealing. Additionally, skintones are more natural, and contrast is brighter and more invigorating.

Detail receives a boost as well... just not the sparkling upgrade I had hoped for. Object definition and overall clarity boast tremendous improvements, but an overzealous application of noise reduction viciously robs close-ups and long-distance shots of their finest textures. Waxy facial features, muddy fabrics, and smearing are in full effect, and Washington and Willis' skin is strangely squishy and unnatural. It's not an overly damning development, but it does hold the transfer back from its potential. All things considered, grain-haters are more likely to appreciate Fox's efforts, while DNR-detractors will loathe its every frame.

The Siege Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Siege features a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track as well. Dialogue, while thin on occasion, is generally crisp and clear, rear speaker activity is aggressive enough to warrant some praise, and prioritization is satisfying (albeit a bit spotty during the film's most chaotic sequences). Moreover, smooth pans and precise directionality create an enveloping soundfield (particularly for a ten-year old production) that allowed me to immerse myself in the crowded, panicky streets of Zwick's New York City. LFE support lacks some punch in the first act, but eventually grows more robust as action beats and terrorist attacks begin to dominate the soundstage. And while the film's score also tends to overpower the mix anytime Hubbard and Haddad rush to stop a bombing (haphazardly assaulting the listener from every direction), it's a negligible issue in the grand scheme of things. All in all, Fox serves up a commendable lossless offering. The DTS-HD MA track isn't consistent enough to declare it a top-tier catalog mix, and its overall dynamics aren't powerful enough to outclass other late '90s releases on the market, but it will give fans what they're looking for: a good excuse to ditch the DVD they've been holding onto all these years.

The Siege Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While the 2007 DVD re-release of The Siege included a brisk and candid filmmakers' audio commentary (with director Edward Zwick and executive producer Peter Schindler), a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a pair of theatrical trailers, the 2009 Blu-ray edition offers a lone theatrical trailer. I cry foul.

The Siege Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Siege isn't a perfect film, but it is a remarkable one. Prescient, prophetic, and perceptive, it dealt with a series of volatile topics long before they became the hot-button issues of today's political arena. Unfortunately, its high definition debut is uneven and disappointing. Its video transfer is a bit problematic, its DTS-HD Master Audio track is slightly underwhelming, and its supplemental package is missing several key features that graced its 2007 Martial Law Edition DVD release. In the end, fans of the film will be reasonably pleased with the upgrade provided, while newcomers and diehard Zwickies will be distracted by how much Fox's barebones disc reeks of the early days of Blu-ray.