Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A disgruntled ex-CIA operative, his assistant and their assembled group of terrorists seize a battleship with nuclear blackmail in mind. They've planned for every contingency but ignore the ship's cook, former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback—an error that could be fatal.
Under Siege is a competent and entertaining 'Die Hard on a battleship' action thriller that delivers solid genre thrills without reinventing the wheel. The plot is a functional but highly derivative riff on the lone-hero-vs-terrorists formula, with Seagal's cook/SEAL premise offering mild novelty. Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey chew scenery entertainingly, elevating the acting above typical B-action fare, while Seagal is serviceable in his physical role. Cinematography is workmanlike and claustrophobic in a functional rather than artful way — the ship setting is used adequately but not cinematically distinguished. Novelty is low given how closely it follows the post-Die Hard template. The climax delivers satisfying payoff but nothing surprising.