1998, 1 hr 55 min., Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity. Dir: Edward Zwick. Cast: Denzel Washington (Anthony Hubbard), Annette Bening (Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger), Bruce Willis (Gen. Devereaux), Tony Shalhoub (Frank Haddad), Sami Bouajila (Samir Nazhde), Ahmed Ben Larby (Sheik Ahmed Bin Talal), Mark Valley (Mike Johanssen).

Before I give my review, I'll let you know that the movie had already ticked me off before it started. Why? Because there weren't any trailers! BOOOOO!!!!!That's worth half the ticket many times!

And then it didn't help that at the beginning of the movie there were actual quotes from our pres., Slick Willie, about the bombing of the army barracks in Saudi Arabia. That sucked. I didn't like it in Contact, I don't like it now. Of course, if it was Ronnie Reagan, it'd be different since I respected him as a leader.

Now on to the movie....Is this movie an action movie or a message movie? Many times it's got great action sequences, then turns on a dime and gives us moral messages of U.S. ideals of freedom. Personally, I prefer the action; that's what I want paid to see.

The Siege presents us with the question, "What would we do if the terrorism seen around the world in Beirut, Athens, London, Israel, etc., was in full-force in New York City?" Apparently, our government would declare martial law and send in the "evil" military men to squash our rights. Ah, Hollywood. That's what this movie has too much of, the thoughts of the guys making it. There is the ra-ra FBI agent Hubbard (Washington), the alliance-questioning CIA agent Kraft (Bening) and the bad military man who wants complete control of the city (Willis).

Denzel is the star, and should be in every movie he does, because the talent he possesses is astounding. Bening is a fine actress, but a bit too old and haggard to be the sexpot she must play. Let her shine as a spy, but leave out the sexuality. Willis is not needed in the film; there should've been a lesser-known actor play the General because it wasn't a major part. There is a confrontation between Hubbard and Gen. Devereaux that will remind viewers of Denzel and Gene Hackman's face-off in Crimson Tide, a better movie about military morality and the better scene.

The FBI is so cool. I still carry my dream of being in an agent some day. That would be awesome! (Ugh, did I just say that sentence? I'm like, totally, a valley guy)

Cool! Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) of the tv show "Wings" is Hubbard's partner Frank. He is a good comedic sidekick, and given some dramatic parts as well. And I'm almost ashamed to admit noticing this, but the old Jack (Mark Valley) from Days of Our Lives is also an FBI agent.

The acting is above par which it should be with the lead three actors, but the action and plot are typical Hollywood cliches, so there aren't really any surprises.

The Siege does give us some gripping tension, awaiting what the terrorists do next. The seen with the bus kept me chewing my nails, seeing the innocent victims up against the window shielding the terrorists. The children are freed, and the seniors are let go...it made me jump.

I can see why some Arabs would be offended with this movie, portraying many of them as terrorists, and as disposable citizens. Of course, it also gave the supporting view of how evil the U.S. was for rounding up the 2,000+ men to root out the few (a message to remind us of how in World War II the government ran Japanese-American camps). .

It's the same argument I have as a pro-lifer in the abortion debate. I don't want to be portrayed as an extremist who wants all doctor who perform abortions to be killed. But I also can't hide the fact that those people are out there. Just because you believe in the same basic idealistic principles, doesn't mean you agree with their methods.