Under Siege (1992)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writer (WGA):

J.F. Lawton (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It's not a job...It's an Adventure!

Plot:

A former SEAL, now cook, is the only person who can stop a gang of terrorists when they sieze control of a US Navy battleship.

Plot Keywords:

Cook | Battleship | Navy Seal | Warhead | Playmate

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Steven Seagal	...	Casey Ryback
Tommy Lee Jones	...	William Stranix
Gary Busey	...	Cmdr. Krill
Erika Eleniak	...	Jordan Tate
Colm Meaney	...	Doumer
Patrick O'Neal	...	Capt. Adams
Andy Romano	...	Adm. Bates
Nick Mancuso	...	Tom Breaker
Damian Chapa	...	Tackman
Troy Evans	...	Granger
David McKnight	...	Flicker
Lee Hinton	...	Cue Ball
Glenn Morshower	...	Ens. Taylor
Leo Alexander	...	Lt. Smart
John Rottger	...	Cmdr. Green

Also Known As:

Dreadnought (USA) (original script title)
Piège en haute mer (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:16+ (Québec) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (VHS rating) | UK:15 (uncut) (cinema release) | UK:18 (uncut) | Norway:15 (cut) (cinema rating) | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (uncut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:R (Certifitcate #32058) | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Fairhope, Alabama, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The events in the movie take place in mid-to-late December 1991. The opening scenes mention that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place 50 years earlier on December 7, 1941. In addition, President George Bush's real-life order to remove nuclear missiles from U.S. Navy surface ships was issued in 1991.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ryback's machine gun changes from one Heckler and Koech model to another and then back again from the moment he meets Jordan until he uses the megaphone to call Admiral Bates.

Quotes:

[Tate runs after Ryback during a gunfight]
Jordan Tate: The safest place on this ship is right behind you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Chimera (#5.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

THE POWER

This Seagal Flick Took The Cake

This was a fast-moving Rambo-style action flick (good guys never get hit despite 10,000 rounds of ammunition fired at them) that was very popular. It spawned a very weak sequel, par for the course. Several reviewers here wrote that it is Steven Seagal's "best movie," and I wouldn't argue with that..

"Under Siege" probably was more popular than the normal Segal action flick because of several aspects: 1 - the interesting story featuring the "lowly cook" (as Seagal described himself in this film) beating a bunch of terrorists taking over a U.S. Navy vessel; 2 - the over-the-top villains portrayed by fun-to-watch actors Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, and 3 - the fabulous looks and body of Erika Eleniak, who pops out of a cake topless in a sight that every guy who saw this film remembers.

Jones was just about hitting his acting career peak as he demonstrated the following year with his Oscar-winning performance in "The Fugitive." Busey was the opposite, nearing the end of his run after a starring role as singer "Buddy Holly" made him famous.

This film might be Segal's most successful, or at least in the top three. His star has faded since the new century. Eleniak never made it far past the cake. She played "Elly May" in "The Beverly Hillbillies" the following year and nothing but 'B' films after that.

The first part of this movie is far better than the second. It gets out-of-control by the end, as most of these action films do with the violence overdone and with little credibility. But watching the three leads, and ogling Eleniak, always make this film fun to watch for a little while, at least.