what if one of our cities became the target for terror ?
what can we do ?
what can america really do about the increasing threat of terrorism ?
what basic human rights are we willing to sacrifice to prevent another oklahoma city disaster ?
so far america has been the leading nation , opposing the fundamentalist terrorists around the world .
it is the land of opportunities .
it is the land of freedom .
but what if it became the new target ?
this dark fantasy has unfortunately a very strong grounding in reality .
when a special branch of the united states military , under the command of general william devereaux ( bruce willis ) , takes prisoner suspected terrorist mastermind sheik ahmed bin talal , islamic fundamentalists across the world take notice .
the only warning the fbi receives is a single , cryptic message : " release him .
"
then all hell breaks loose in new york .
a bus is destroyed , killing 25 civilians .
a broadway theater is bombed .
hostages are taken at a school .
as the wave of terrorist activity crests , the president must consider if the only way to save the city and break the grip of fear is to declare martial law .
devereaux argues against that eventuality , but is nevertheless ready to lead 10 , 000 men into action on american soil .
another person not in favor of martial law is anthony hubbard ( denzel washington ) , the fbi agent in charge of investigating the terrorist activities .
his staff is comprised of smart , energetic , intelligent men and women very much unlike the usual group o !
f moronic feds we 're used to seeing in movies .
hubbard develops an uneasy alliance with cia agent elise kraft ( annette bening ) , whose department knows more about the situation than they 're willing to reveal .
but the attacks escalate .
the fbi are helpless , chasing an invisible enemy .
the land is under siege .
they have lost control . .
a terror is coming from within . .
what 's great about this film is that it is made as if holding up a mirror to life .
it reflects reality .
and that 's why it makes such an impact
.
edward zwick has created a clever , well written and terrifying thriller that may very well be one of the best films of the season .
the director manages to tell several stories simultaneously .
and so his film plays on several levels , never loosing focus on its main objective .
he is exploring the abuse of power , the distrustful relationships that exist between various segments of the u . s .
government ( the army , the fbi , and the cia ) .
he takes a look at the complexities inherent when so many secrets and lies are involved .
the palestinian community in 1998 new york is treated exactly as japanese americans were during world war ii .
there are concentration camps and unlawful interments , all in the name of the " greater good .
" in the latter part of the film the land of opportunities looses its heart and soul -- freedom .
was that what the terror !
ists really wanted ?
this film has evoked protests and objections from the arab - american population in the u . s .
and n .
y .
especially .
but to me these protests seem unnecessary .
zwick is careful to not step over the line and make the palestinians typical hollywood bad guys .
the script is therefore wonderfully balanced . agent hubbard 's best friend and loyal colleague frank haddad ( tony shalhoub ) is lebanese - american .
and it is quite often
you hear lines such as " my first boyfriend was palestinian .
they seduce you with their suffering " or " they love this country as much as we do .
"
but no matter how you twist this matter , you wo n't get away from the fact that when it comes to world wide terrorism
it is arab - speaking population who are in the great majority .
more to the point , the siege demonstrates the injustice of blanket condemnation of any ethnic group by depicting the unfair treatment of all arab - americans by the u . s .
military .
and thus this film does not serve as a source for discrimination in any ! way .
denzel washington is dashing as always .
in this role he is much more determined and stronger than usual .
anette bening is enjoyable and believable
as a shadowy cia operative who prefers espionage , a network of snitches and seduction to gather information . .
bruce willis is terrifying as the sadist , hungry for power , that never looses his connection with the audience , since his point of view is not too hard to understand .
the film is elegantly shaped .
the scenes are easily floating into each other and the film never seems overlong .
zwick knows exactly how to provoke tension , horror and emotions and
does it with a rarely observed professionalism .
he tightens the intensity as the events progress .
and when a plot twist comes , it actually is surprising .
it is not a film drained in patriotism , like the work of roland emerich .
nor is it a film that portrays explosions purely for entertainment values .
it is a daring picture that has courage enough to undertake such a risky story and difficult journey .
it has courage enough to get involved in politics .
it questions our foreign policies , mentality and defense .
i must admit that it ends rather disappointing , as the director turns the patriotism way up and innovation down .
but despite of that , it is certainly an intelligent and thrilling film that provokes emotions and thoughts ;
a virtue that few summer films can boast of .
"
this is the u . s . army .
it 's a broadsword , not a scalpel .
believe me , you do not want us in an american city " - gen .
william devereaux , " the siege "
Output: P