The Siege

Rating: *** 1/2
Date Seen: 1998-11-20

The Siege portrays what could happen if conflicts between the US and the Middle East flare up to the point of a covert war, in which governments of both sides publicly deny any wrongdoing, while parties "acting independently" proceed to massacre the populations. What's scary about this movie is that this could really happen. What if Arab terrorists were to strike New York (or any other American city) with a rash of bombings? What if, rather than one isolated group, there were several units acting independantly and ignorant of each other's locations or plans? This scenario, while frightening, is very plausible. But the most important question this movie asks is, how would we, as a nation, react?

If history is a guide, we might look at our treatment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II; taken from their homes, deprived of their property, their constitutional rights, and in some cases, their families. It's a sick reality, the darker side of a country which idealizes freedom and individual rights. When the situation becomes desparate, so do the measures.

The instituting of martial law, troops with tanks and guns marching down city streets, while residents and shopkeepers stand by in horrified awe as their neighborhood becomes a war zone. These images seemed bizarre to me. It's been so long since the United States fought a war on its own soil, the whole notion of an army occupying New York registers as unthinkable.

Denzel Washington did an excellent job playing the FBI agent responsible for investigating the bombings. Actually all the acting was supurb; Bruce Willis as the army general, Annette Bening as the mysterious CIA agent. A good movie indeed.