Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- paranoid
- urgent
- grim
- political thriller night
- 1990s movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an ambitious but clumsy political thriller whose crowd scenes and topical urgency were undermined by heavy-handed execution and stereotyping concerns.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The government declares martial law and deploys troops into New York City as terrorist attacks escalate.
Arab and Muslim communities are treated as presumptive sources of terrorism, a framing central to the film's political controversy.
Crowd scenes, bombings, and attacks across New York City make metropolitan scale a source of suspense.
Anthony Hubbard investigates terrorist cells while the government response develops into a separate danger to civil liberties.
Films like The Siege, and why
Arlington Road
Shares urban terrorism, political paranoia, escalating emergency response, and morally conflicted law enforcement protagonists.
Enemy of the State
Both are tense political thrillers about domestic terror, government power, and the erosion of civil liberties.
Patriot Games
Shares an urban manhunt, institutional corruption, and a serious thriller tone shaped by national-security fears.
Body of Lies
Both depict terrorism and state violence through grounded, confrontational political action filmmaking.
Movie Details
- Director
- Edward Zwick
- Release Date
- 1998-11-06
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1558)
Cast
- Denzel Washington
- Annette Bening
- Bruce Willis
- Tony Shalhoub
- Sami Bouajila
- Aasif Mandvi
- Mark Valley
- Jack Gwaltney
- David Proval
- Lance Reddick
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Siege about?
- An FBI counter-terrorism chief races through a besieged New York while terrorist violence and martial law threaten to destroy the city’s civil liberties.
- What is The Siege like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Siege as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Siege violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Siege as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Siege?
- Critics broadly found the film an ambitious but clumsy political thriller whose crowd scenes and topical urgency were undermined by heavy-handed execution and stereotyping concerns.
- Which films are like The Siege?
- Films with a similar feel include Arlington Road, Enemy of the State, Patriot Games, and Body of Lies.
- How long is The Siege?
- The Siege runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Siege?
- In United States, The Siege streams on Starz Apple TV channel.
