a frequent error is the categorization of a terrorist as a soldier or a common criminal .
a soldier commits acts of violence sanctioned by one nation - state against another .
a common criminal commits acts of violence for personal gain .
a terrorist employs random violence as a means to a political end .
if the target nation does not affect the desired change in policy , the violence continues .
it is the fear resulting from the fact that the terrorist may strike at anyone ( even total innocents ) , anywhere , at anytime that gives the figure his label .
edward zwick 's the siege explores the possibility of this kind of violence taking place right here in the united states .
you 'd think the opening bit was ripped right from the headlines .
arab terrorists kill american citizens abroad , and the u . s . responds by retaliating against the sheik whom supposedly ordered the attack .
however , unlike the real - life tomahawk cruise missile strike against bin laden 's camp and manufacturing facility , the film version depicts special operations troops kidnapping sheik ahmed bin talal .
in retaliation , the terrorists bring the fight to the new world .
unwittingly involved is fbi assistant special agent - in - charge anthony hubbard ( denzel washington ) , who works out of the bureau 's new york office at one federal plaza .
while investigating a series of bombings in the big apple , he encounters cia agent elise kraft ( annette bening ) , also trying to uncover information .
generally , the fbi is charged with problems inside the u . s . , while the cia takes care of problems in the international realm .
even spies from other countries are off limits to the cia as long as they are in our country .
hubbard therefore finds it highly unusual that an agency spook is nosing around what he considers his territory , but as the two form a tentative professional relationship , hubbard becomes more and more aware of an increasingly complicated series of allegiances and possibly illegal actions involving terrorism and the united states government .
the original tagline for patriot games was , " there has never been a terrorist attack on american soil . " however true , it was pulled before the movie 's release because it sounded too much like a dare . revisiting the scenario of foreign terrorists committing acts of violence in the united states , the siege is almost an invitation in itself , because it shows just what kind of turmoil could be produced if an effective terrorist network were to set up operations here in america .
admittedly , the terror wrought upon new york is a bit excessive ( who 's going to believe that a few bombs are going to cause new yorkers to jump at the backfire of a bus or to curtail their shopping by two - thirds ? ) , but the basic premise is still valid .
i liked the fact that this film rises above the basic action - thriller fare of good guy g - men against bad guy terrorists by exploring some of the effects on society and law and order .
it provides a very possible hypothesis that violent activity on the part of a few arabs would escalate into a series of hate crimes against the arab - american population , and that in an effort to find the terrorists , the civil liberties of the minority may be violated by the government itself .
in fact , about halfway through the film , when the president authorizes the declaration of martial law within new york city , the liberties of all americans are put at risk .
although it may actually be a side effect of a terrorist campaign , the demise of social order in america is a scary thought and a goal which would not be beneath many international terrorist groups .
throughout , the film maintains a conflict between hubbard , who wants to use the fbi to pursue the terrorists within the letter of the law , and general devereaux ( bruce willis ) , who is in command of the army and of the mind that the greater good would be better served by suspending the law and pursuing the terrorists more forcefully .
what results is a fascinating debate over the appropriateness and constitutionality of the declaration of martial law and the invocation of the war powers act , utilizing philosophy and historical examples to make points on both sides .
it actually gets rather heady at times , but it 's a credit to screenwriters
zwick , lawrence wright , and menno meyjes that they do n't underestimate the intelligence of the audience .
i do n't know if it 's his tone or inflection or something else , but denzel washington has a way of spitting out dialog that makes whatever he says sound great .
this , combined with his innate acting ability and his experience in playing the mid - level authority figure , makes his performance in the siege convincing and enjoyable .
annette bening gives one of the more assertive portrayals of a female character i 've seen recently , and the chemistry she shares with washington is palpable .
it 's somewhat unfortunate that her character 's fortitude is broken at a certain point , but it allows us to watch bening play a little more range .
bruce willis is pretty much relegated to a tough - guy role , always standing straight , and with a permanent scowl fixed upon his face .
however , the tension that exists between devereaux and hubbard is a major drive behind the film 's development .
notable is tony shalhoub who plays fbi agent frank haddad , a lebanese immigrant .
the role calls for evidencing both a kind of filial pride for his heritage , and contempt for those of his own race who might interfere with his integration into the american society .
difficult to say the least , shalhoub does it with a naturalness you can almost reach out and touch .
perhaps best known for his role as antonio the cab driver in the nbc sitcom " wings , " shalhoub gained notoriety for his dramatic abilities in the wonderful film big night .
whereas denzel washington seems to be edward zwick 's favorite actor ( he directed washington in glory and courage under fire ) , james horner seems to be his favorite composer .
i therefore found it odd that zwick chose the prolific score - writer graeme revell ( seven films this year already ) over horner for the siege until i realized that this film contained a lot of arabian - themed music , and horner 's record has shown more of a propensity for scores either neutral in ethnicity or irish - sounding at most .
revell
does a good job at providing appropriate music to punctuate key scenes and allowing the score to enhance the movie as a whole .
it 's nowhere near as intrusive as in some of the other films we 've been getting throughout the year .
missteps in the siege can be found in a couple of the excesses it takes .
for example , it 's pretty clear throughout that the film is meant to be more of thriller than an action flick .
unfortunately , there 's a scene where the army just cuts loose against some arab immigrants in a blatant display of firepower and explosions , obviously meant for the sole purpose of being eye - catching .
in the middle of the city ( and against no real opposition ) , zwick even has the army use a cobra attack helicopter to shoot rockets into a building no farther than 50 feet from friendly troops .
verisimilitude really goes out the window at that point .
the film also gets a little preachy toward the end , focusing on the ability of different races to get along .
a noble gesture , the film just puts the message across a bit too obviously .
these flaws are glaring , but they do n't detract too much from an otherwise good film that makes you think about issues you may not have considered since history class .
an otherwise good film a credit to screenwriters does a good job a fascinating debate one of the more assertive portrayals convincing and enjoyable