Movie Description
When the U.S. military abducts a Muslim leader, New York City becomes the target of several terrorist attacks in this gripping political thriller ripped from newspaper headlines. Denzel Washington stars as Anthony "Hub" Hubbard, the head of the FBI terrorism task force who is charge of investigating the bombings. Ironically, Hub's partner, Frank Haddad (Tony Shalhoub), is Arab-American and must fight for his family's rights as the citizens of New York become increasingly paranoid about the Arab-American population. Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) is an undercover CIA official and Middle East expert who is also investigating the terrorist attacks and joins Hub and Frank as they search for the terrorists. As Hub, Elise, and Frank work to uncover the source of the terrorism, the city erupts in escalating madness, spiraling out of control until the government sends in General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis), who takes over the city and declares martial law. Ultimately, the government seizes the male Arab-American population of New York in makeshift internment camps in this incredibly relevant and cautionary thriller that examines the real dilemma of how a democratic society can uphold the rights of its citizens while under military protection. Director Edward Zwick's film features excellent performances from an all-star cast and includes real footage of President Clinton addressing the problem of terrorism.
| Credits | | Producer: | Edward Zwick, Lynda Obst | | Cast: | Bruce Willis |
Editorial Reviews
"...A provocative, incendiary subject....Points the way for Bening as a soulful nerotic siren of the Faye Dunaway school..."
Entertainment Weekly - pp.47-50 - Owen Gleiberman
"...Denzel Washington is fun to watch..."
USA Today - p.6E - Mike Clark
"...Washington is perfectly cast as the film's conscience and voice of reason. Shalhoub, in a more dramatic turn than usual, is believable and effective..."
Box Office - Wade Major (12/01/1998)
"...THE SIEGE is a political thriller with more plausibility -- and yes, more thrills -- than most....It's a pleasure to have actors of this caliber working together....THE SIEGE also benefits from being well-crafted..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (11/06/1998)
3 stars out of 4 -- "A film that was an interesting concept in 1998 and quickly became astoundingly prescient after 2001
Premiere (06/15/2009)
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