The Siege

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2:06

The Siege

R

1998

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

After terrorists attack a bus in Brooklyn, a Broadway theater and FBI headquarters, FBI anti-terrorism expert Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington) teams up with CIA agent Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) to investigate. Soon, martial law is declared in New York City, and General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis), a sadistic racist, is put in command. When Devereaux begins rounding up Arab-Americans and forcing them into a detention camp, Hubbard and Kraft must fight back in the name of freedom.

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Critics Consensus

An exciting, well-paced action film.

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Ken Hollings

Sight & Sound

The Siege attempts to update the bluffs and counterfeints of the Cold War spy thriller, not to advance any ideological point but to obscure the fact that it doesn't have one.

Mar 5, 2002

Full Review

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

It's difficult to sustain a responsible subtext when you're delivering the jolts required to keep butts in the seats.

May 11, 2001

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Even at its most unbelievable, The Siege has the performances of Washington and Bening to fall back on, and a theme that understands that what's difficult is not choosing right from wrong but 'choosing the wrong that's more right.'

Rated: 3/5

Feb 14, 2001

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Zaki Hasan

Zaki's Corner

Unfortunately, the movie's ignorant portrayals of other cultures while espousing a message of brotherhood comes across as not a little hypocritical.

Rated: B-

Feb 16, 2019

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a solid concept in search of a consistent (and engaging) execution.

Rated: 1.5/4

May 29, 2016

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Ryan Cracknell

Calgary Movies

More political than entertaining, The Siege is a reflection of our heightened awareness and sensitivity to terrorism and the price of freedom.

Jun 21, 2007

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 56 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $40,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

Sheldon K

Excellent movie. It is especially relevant today (2025).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/12/25

Full Review

Farah R

I enjoyed watching Denzel Washington give another brilliant performance like he always does, but The Siege isn’t a good movie. The story is ridiculous.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

M H

Classic Denzel performance in a film that asks many questions we still deal with in 2024. My one criticism is that you have to suspend disbelief for much of the 3rd act to remain compelling. That being said, the movie was entertaining and enjoyable

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/26/24

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mark g

Benning and Willis are terrible. Washington does not give one of his best performances. These things indicate the real problem here, just not very well written.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/26/24

Full Review

Kim P

The character actors (Valley, Reddick, Shaloub and Proval) far outshone the stars' performances in this dull, clumsy, plodding movie. That's not ideal.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/24

Full Review

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Edward Zwick

Director

Denzel Washington

Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard, Assistant Special Agent-in-charge FBI Counter-intelligence Task Force

Annette Bening

Elise Kraft

Bruce Willis

Major General William Devereaux

Tony Shalhoub

Agent Frank Haddad, Counter-intelligence Task Force

Sami Bouajila

Samir Nazhde

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The Siege: Trailer 1

2:06

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Synopsis

After terrorists attack a bus in Brooklyn, a Broadway theater and FBI headquarters, FBI anti-terrorism expert Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington) teams up with CIA agent Elise Kraft (Annette Bening) to investigate. Soon, martial law is declared in New York City, and General William Devereaux (Bruce Willis), a sadistic racist, is put in command. When Devereaux begins rounding up Arab-Americans and forcing them into a detention camp, Hubbard and Kraft must fight back in the name of freedom.

Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Lynda Obst, Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Lawrence Wright, Lawrence Wright, Menno Meyjes, Edward Zwick
Distributor: Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Bedford Falls Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.9M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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