Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Siege

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
73K
YOUR RATING
The Siege (1998)
Trailer for The Siege
Play trailer2:06
2 Videos
53 Photos
  • Action
  • Thriller
The secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City, which leads to the declaration of martial-law.The secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City, which leads to the declaration of martial-law.The secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City, which leads to the declaration of martial-law.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
73K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Edward Zwick
  • Writers
    • Lawrence Wright(story)
    • Menno Meyjes(screenplay)
    • Edward Zwick(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Denzel Washington
    • Bruce Willis
    • Annette Bening
Top credits
  • Director
    • Edward Zwick
  • Writers
    • Lawrence Wright(story)
    • Menno Meyjes(screenplay)
    • Edward Zwick(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Denzel Washington
    • Bruce Willis
    • Annette Bening
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 307User reviews
    • 83Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos2

    The Siege
    Trailer 2:06
    The Siege
    Lance Reddick Rolls Our Dice on His Career
    Video 3:22
    Lance Reddick Rolls Our Dice on His Career

    Photos53

    Denzel Washington in The Siege (1998)
    Bruce Willis in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Tony Shalhoub in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington in The Siege (1998)
    Bruce Willis in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis in The Siege (1998)
    Annette Bening in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington and Annette Bening in The Siege (1998)
    The Siege (1998)
    Edward Zwick in The Siege (1998)
    Denzel Washington and Edward Zwick in The Siege (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • Anthony Hubbard
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • General William Devereaux
    Annette Bening
    Annette Bening
    • Elise Kraft…
    Tony Shalhoub
    Tony Shalhoub
    • Frank Haddad
    Sami Bouajila
    Sami Bouajila
    • Samir Nazhde
    Ahmed Ben Larby
    • Sheik Achmed Bin Talal
    Mosleh Mohamed
    • Muezzin
    Lianna Pai
    Lianna Pai
    • Tina Osu
    • (as Liana Pai)
    Mark Valley
    Mark Valley
    • Mike Johanssen
    Jack Gwaltney
    Jack Gwaltney
    • Fred Darius
    David Proval
    David Proval
    • Danny Sussman
    Lance Reddick
    Lance Reddick
    • FBI Agent Floyd Rose
    Jeremy Knaster
    • INS Official
    William Hill
    William Hill
    • INS Uniform
    Aasif Mandvi
    Aasif Mandvi
    • Khalil Saleh
    Frank DiElsi
    • Officer Williams
    Wood Harris
    Wood Harris
    • Officer Henderson
    Ellen Bethea
    • Anita
    • Director
      • Edward Zwick
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Wright(story) (screenplay)
      • Menno Meyjes(screenplay)
      • Edward Zwick(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Courage Under Fire
    6.6
    Courage Under Fire
    Crimson Tide
    7.3
    Crimson Tide
    Fallen
    7.0
    Fallen
    Out of Time
    6.5
    Out of Time
    The Bone Collector
    6.7
    The Bone Collector
    The Manchurian Candidate
    6.6
    The Manchurian Candidate
    The Hurricane
    7.6
    The Hurricane
    The Pelican Brief
    6.6
    The Pelican Brief
    Deja Vu
    7.1
    Deja Vu
    Unstoppable
    6.8
    Unstoppable
    The Jackal
    6.4
    The Jackal
    John Q
    7.0
    John Q

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to an interview that screenwriter Lawrence Wright gave to CBS in 2007, the film was a box-office failure upon its theatrical release, "but it was the most-rented movie in America after 9/11." Wright also claimed that the initial release bombed because "Muslim and Arab protesters picketed the theaters. They were furious at being stereotyped as terrorists."
    • Goofs
      Sheik Ahmed Bin Talal is shown the be abducted in Lebanon, and a desert is shown. Lebanon is the only Arab country without a desert.
    • Quotes

      Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard: [upon learning Devereaux's plans to torture Tariq] Are you people insane? What are you talkin' about?

      General William Devereaux: The time has come for one man to suffer in order to save hundreds of lives.

      Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard: One Man? What about two, huh? What about six? How about public executions?

      General William Devereaux: Feel free to leave whenever you like, Agent Hubbard.

      Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard: Come on General, you've lost men, I've lost men, but you - you, you *can't* do this! What, what if they don't even want the sheik, have you considered that? What if what they really want is for us to herd our children into stadiums like we're doing? And put soldiers on the street and have Americans looking over their shoulders? Bend the law, shred the Constitution just a little bit? Because if we torture him, General, we do that and everything we have fought, and bled, and died for is over. And they've won. They've already won!

      General William Devereaux: Escort him out.

    • Alternate versions
      Some post-2001 versions have the World Trade Center digitally removed from the New York skyline.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Living Out Loud/Unmade Beds/American History X/John Carpenter's Vampires/The Celebration (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      First You Cry
      Written by Buddy Flett and David Egan
      Performed by Little Buster And The Soul Brothers
      Courtesy of Rounder Records
      by arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

    User reviews307

    Review
    Top review
    The Siege raised questions that we should have been asking before the tragedy of 9/11.
    I seem to remember that this film was looked down upon by the Arab Americans. I don't understand that considering the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and some of the perpetrators who were eventually apprehended. My husband and I found The Siege frighteningly entertaining. Once more Denzel Washington gave a tour-de-force performance. The rest of the cast was excellent. The script was prophetic. The writer understood what might happen if the war on terror resided in New York City. Where is Lawrence Wright now?
    helpful•60
    18
    • mlhenry-1
    • Aug 5, 2003

    FAQ4

    • Who played the man that delivered the pizza bomb (the guy who acted as a decoy)?
    • So, was Brooklyn locked down under martial law?
    • How was subway service affected by martial law?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 6, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arabic
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Martial Law
    • Filming locations
      • Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Lynda Obst Productions
      • The Bedford Falls Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $70,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $40,981,289
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,931,285
      • Nov 8, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $116,672,912
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Siege (1998)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Siege (1998) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.