Under Siege

''Under Siege'' is a 1992 action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and written by J. F. Lawton. It stars Steven Seagal (who also produced the film), Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, and Erika Eleniak. Seagal plays Casey Ryback, a former Navy SEAL, who must fend off a group of mercenaries after they commandeer the U.S. Navy battleship .

Released on October 9, 1992, ''Under Siege'' was both a critical and commercial success, receiving two Academy Award nominations for sound production and grossing over $156.6 million at the global box office. It is often considered Steven Seagal's best film to date. It was followed in 1995 by a sequel, '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'', which was not as well received.

''Under Siege'' was the final film of actor Patrick O'Neal, before his death in 1994.

Plot

The battleship arrives at Pearl Harbor, where President George H. W. Bush announces that the ship will be decommissioned in California. Casey Ryback, a chief petty officer and a culinary specialist, is preparing meals to celebrate commanding officer Captain Adams' birthday, against the orders of executive officer Commander Krill, who has arranged for food and entertainment to be brought by helicopter. Krill provokes a tussle with Ryback. Unable to imprison Ryback in the brig without the captain's approval, Krill detains him in the walk-in fridge, placing Marine Private Nash on guard. The helicopter arrives with a musical band and caterers, accompanied by '' Playboy'' Playmate Jordan Tate.

The band and caterers are mercenaries led by disillusioned former CIA operative William Strannix, who takes over the ship, killing several officers and enlisted. The takeover is aided by Krill, who murders Captain Adams. The surviving crew are imprisoned in the forecastle. Ryback hears the gunshots and persuades Nash to call the bridge. Strannix sends two mercenaries to eliminate Ryback and Nash. Nash is killed, but Ryback slays both mercenaries. He encounters Tate and reluctantly allows her to tag along.

Strannix and his mercenaries seize the ship's weapon systems, shooting down a jet sent to investigate; they plan to cover their escape with missiles to obliterate tracking systems in Pearl Harbor. Strannix's mission is to steal the ship's Tomahawks and load them onto a hijacked North Korean submarine. The Tomahawks would then be sold on the black market to an anti-American nation, likely instigating the Third World War as part of a master plan; Strannix's revenge for an attempted CIA assassination and to make Krill so rich he could "buy the presidency".

Strannix contacts Admiral Bates at the Pentagon to make demands but learns Ryback has escaped. Krill discovers Ryback is a former Navy SEAL with extensive training in counterterrorism tactics; Captain Adams had taken Ryback aboard as his cook after Ryback was demoted for striking a superior officer who provided inadequate intel for a failed mission in Panama. Strannix appears to recognize Ryback's name. Ryback contacts Bates, who says a Navy SEAL team is underway to retake the ship. Ryback, helped by Tate, moves throughout the ship, eliminating mercenaries. Krill activates the fire suppression system to murder the prisoners with water and to draw out Ryback through ambush, who will likely attempt rescue.

Ryback and Tate release 6 imprisoned sailors. They overcome the ambush and shut off the water flooding the forecastle. Ryback shuts down ''Missouri''s weapon systems to allow incoming Navy SEALs to land, but the submarine crew shoots down the helicopter carrying the team. The Pentagon orders an air strike that will sink the ''Missouri''. Strannix regains control of the ship's weapon systems and loads the Tomahawks onto the submarine. Aided by a gunner's mate who was visiting the ship he served on during World War 2, Ryback attacks the submarine using the battleship's 16-inch guns, killing the pirates and Krill.

His plan foiled, Strannix launches two retaliatory nuclear-tipped Tomahawks towards Honolulu. As the sailors retake the ship, Ryback enters the control room and encounters Strannix, who it is revealed previously served over Ryback as Ryback recognizes him. Ryback kills Strannix in a knife fight and then uses the launch code disk to destroy the Tomahawk missiles. A jet obliterates one missile, and the other is deactivated; the Navy calls off its airstrike.

The remaining crew are released as the ship sails to San Francisco harbor. A funeral ceremony for Captain Adams is held aboard the ''Missouri'', with Tate amongst the crew. Ryback salutes the captain's casket in his formal dress uniform with full decorations.

Cast

Production

Development and pre-production

The film was based on an original spec script by J. F. Lawton called ''Dreadnought'' which sold for $1 million. Warners wanted Seagal to star in the film but he turned it down at first. Seagal later said he had problems with the role of a character "who is at first a bimbo jumping out of a cake and gets paired up with me." But he said that in revisions of the script, the role became a character "who gradually reveals her intelligence."

Lawton said "We are trying to make him eagalmore mainstream...getting him out of the pure action genre and into an acting role." The writer added "I'm trying to bring the budget within a reasonable range. The original script was almost irresponsible, with things like battleships getting blown up...the way it was, ''Dreadnought'' would have cost $100 million-plus to make. Now we're looking at the $30 million range... It was Steven's idea to fit the Pearl Harbor Memorial into the film, because all these incredible ships would be there—a spectacular sight."

Director Andrew Davis had previously made '' Above the Law'' with Steven Seagal. Davis later said " Terry Semel wanted us to get back together again saying that Seagal was only in the movie 41 minutes. Tommy Lee is in the movie longer than Steven. It was fine, it was fine. It worked out well. We had a nice time down in Mobile and had a lot of fun making the movie, and that was the movie that got me ''The Fugitive'' so it was worth it."

In a 2018 interview with ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Pamela Anderson claimed that she was a contender for the role of Jordan Tate, but was dropped after refusing to sleep with Seagal. Gary Busey claimed in later interviews that Seagal sexually harassed Erika Eleniak, who co-starred with Anderson on ''Baywatch'', on set. Eleniak has stated that Seagal never acted inappropriately with her during casting or filming.

Filming

(serving as a museum in Mobile) stood in for many of the ''Missouri'' sequences, and (museum ship) portrayed the North Korean submarine. The film also featured footage of the real ''Missouri'' sailing in Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Ocean, and San Francisco Bay. The war room sequences were filmed inside of a set constructed in a local high school gymnasium.

The film makes extensive use of the Introvision process, a variation of front projection that allows realistic three-dimensional interaction of foreground characters with projected backgrounds without the heavy cost of traditional bluescreen effects. The technique was also used in the films '' Outland'', '' Megaforce'', ''Army of Darkness'' and Andrew Davis' later film, '' The Fugitive''.

"Most people are surprised that the film is as sophisticated as it is," Davis said. "It appeals to people who have a point of view about nuclear weapons and the story thrusts you into an incredible situation that is not far-fetched." When the original title ''Dreadnought'' did not test well with audiences, the marketing department wanted to give the film a three word title like other Seagal films and came up with the title ''Last to Surrender''. Lawton and Seagal both hated the title, and Seagal fought to have it changed, and the film ended up with the title ''Under Siege''.

Robert Booth Nichols, a self-described former espionage artist, alleged mob associate, and con artist, was employed by Seagal as a technical advisor. Guy Lawson (2012). ''Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street's Wildest Con''. Crown Publishing, ISBN 0307716074. He also appears in the film in a small speaking role.

Casey Ryback's signature knives were designed for the film by Gil Hibben.

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend, ''Under Siege'' made $15,760,003 from 2,042 theaters, with a $7,717 average. From there, it went on to make $83,563,139. Worldwide, it made $156,563,139. At the time, it was the most successful film that had not been screened for any critics prior to its release.

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Reviewers praised Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey's performances as the film's villains. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 83% based on reviews from 30 critics. The site's consensus states: "A well-directed action thriller that makes the most of its confined setting, ''Under Siege'' marks a high point for early '90s action—and its star's spotty filmography." This is one of the few Steven Seagal films to receive a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with ''Executive Decision'' and '' Machete'', being called "''Die Hard'' on a battleship" by film critics. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

It was also the only Seagal movie to receive an Academy Award nomination, earning two nominations for Best Sound Effects Editing ( John Leveque and Bruce Stambler) and for Best Sound ( Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Rick Hart and Scott D. Smith). It did not win in either category, losing to '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' and '' The Last of the Mohicans''. Harrison Ford saw a rough cut of the film and approved director Andrew Davis for '' The Fugitive'' (1993).

Sequel

A sequel, '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'', was released on July 14, 1995, with Seagal, Romano, Mancuso and Dye reprising their roles. The film failed to replicate the success of its predecessor.

Reboot

In November 2021, a reboot of the original was in development for HBO Max, with Timo Tjahjanto and Umair Aleem attached to direct and write the film.

See also

* List of films featuring the United States Navy SEALs

References

External links

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{{J. F. Lawton

1992 films
1992 action thriller films
American action thriller films
Films about nuclear war and weapons
Films about ship hijackings
Films about terrorism
Films directed by Andrew Davis
Films with screenplays by J. F. Lawton
Films scored by Gary Chang
Films set in Hawaii
Films shot in Mobile, Alabama
Regency Enterprises films
Siege films
StudioCanal films
Techno-thriller films
Warner Bros. films
Films about the United States Navy
Films set on ships
Films shot in San Francisco
Films shot in Hawaii
Films set in the Pacific Ocean
Films produced by Arnon Milchan
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
English-language action thriller films