Andrew Davis makes a brisk, satisfying battleship thriller from a familiar siege plot. Steven Seagal supplies the resistance; Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey supply most of the pleasure, with performances cheerfully larger than necessary.
Under Siege is an entertaining siege thriller that knows the value of an unreasonable villain. Andrew Davis gives Steven Seagal a battleship, nuclear weapons to protect and terrorists to resist, then leaves much of the showing off to the opposition. The premise makes immediate sense: the raiders want something dangerous, and Casey Ryback stands in their way. We recommend it for the action and the bad company, even if its leading man supplies less of the fun than his billing might suggest.
Steven Seagal’s stillness is useful up to a point. He gives Ryback the assurance of someone who expects to deal with the problem, which suits a film built around one man resisting an armed takeover. But assurance becomes monotonous when it gives us so little doubt, surprise or pleasure to read in his performance. J. F. Lawton’s screenplay supplies an adequate objective and keeps the threat easy to grasp; it does less to make us interested in Ryback when he is not dealing with it.
Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey give the film the disruptive energy it needs. Their William Strannix and Commander Krill seem determined to be the least sensible people aboard, and the exaggeration suits a story about stealing nuclear warheads. We laughed at their excessive performances; the pleasure they take in behaving badly makes the threat enjoyable without making it disappear. There are stretches when we would happily leave the hero to his work and spend longer with the men making it necessary.
Frank Tidy’s cinematography gives the battleship a physical presence that the story needs. It looks like something worth taking seriously, even when the people trying to seize it do not. Bill Kenney’s production design supports that impression, giving the action a solid setting rather than asking the dialogue to convince us that something important is at stake. Andrew Davis keeps the ship central to the film’s appeal, and its imposing scale helps make a lone man’s resistance seem an unreasonable undertaking.
The editing by Don Brochu, Dov Hoenig, Robert A. Ferretti and Dennis Virkler gives the action a brisk, dependable pace. At 102 minutes, the film has enough room to enjoy its villains without making their company feel like an obligation. Gary Chang’s score keeps the pressure on, although it contributes less to the pleasure than the performances do. The film rarely lingers long enough for its thin characterisation to become a serious obstacle to enjoying the action.
Within the contained action thriller, this is a capable, uncomplicated piece of work. The screenplay remains predictable, and its leading man gives us too little to care about beyond his ability to get things done. Those are real limitations, but they do not cancel the enjoyment of a clearly stated threat, energetic action and opponents who are allowed some personality. If a charming hero is essential, choose something else.
