Under Siege (9 October 1992)
directed by Andrew Davis
starring Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Colm Meaney, Patrick O'Neal, Erika Eleniak
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MPAA rating: Studio: Alcor Films, Regency Enterprises, Warner Brothers Script: J. F. Lawton Music: Gary Chang Running time: 102 minutes Suggested retail price: $19.98 (US) Tags: Action; battleships; Martial Arts; navy; nuclear weapons; sailors; submarines Tactical strength: [6/10]
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for strong violence, and for language and brief nudity
When terrorists decide they need nuclear weapons where do they turn? To some rogue republic in the former Soviet Union? Nah. They decide to steal them from the U.S.S. Missouri. Too bad for the terrorists that the navy has assigned Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) to the Missouri as head cook -- especially since this former Navy Seal really gets upset when the terrorists pull him away from his cooking his pies burn. Ryback has more service ribbons than Colin Powell and Norman Schwartzkopf combined but lost his Seal status for assaulting an officer. The Missouri's captain (Patrick O'Neal) takes on Ryback as head cook so Ryback can serve enough years to retire from the Navy. The terrorists get access to the Missouri disguised as the band and caterers for the captain's birthday party. Too bad the XO, Commander Krill (Gary Busey), shoots the captain before he can even show up to the party.
Under Siege has a lot of things that make it interesting and a few things that drag you away from the story. Let's start with the good things. First, Steven Seagal usually means some good martial arts, several brutal shootings, and one or two large explosions, and Under Siege delivers on all those fronts. Next, good villains. Tommy Lee Jones plays a character with at least the potential to defeat Seagal. In many Seagal movies, his opponents usually don't posses the backstory history and training needed to pose a threat to Seagal. In addition, Jones's character, Stranix, doesn't hesitate to take on Seagal himself -- although he does initially keep sending henchmen to take care Ryback.
And now for the barnacles. Of course Rybeck can't run around the ship alone. Who would receive Seagal's deadpan lines? In Under Siege, Ryback has to drag around a Playboy bunny (Erika Eleniak) with the wits of a goose. Gary Busey's character, Commander Krill, makes about the least plausible navy officer. Even as the most lax force in the U.S. armed forces, the Navy still has pretty high standards of dress and grooming. Krill's haircut alone would have lost him several promotions, yet somehow the Navy made him a battleship XO.
Under Siege provides some good bone-crunching, blood-spattering fun that mostly outweigh Seagal's bad acting and some weak plot points.
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