Overview
A gripping exploration of political turmoil and human resilience in the face of oppression.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- austere
- confrontational
- serious film night
- political cinema discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a forceful, politically committed thriller whose interrogation framework exposes the brutal mechanics of counterinsurgency and state repression.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The kidnapped AID official is presented as part of a US-linked system training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods.
The guerrillas' questioning of Philip Michael Santore provides the film's central dramatic framework.
Curfew, martial law, torture, and government retaliation shape the conflict between the Uruguayan state and Tupamaro guerrillas.
The film treats urban guerrilla warfare, interrogation, and state crackdown as concrete social processes in early-1970s Uruguay.
Films like State of Siege, and why
The Battle of Algiers
political thriller focused on state violence, insurgency, and ideological conflict
Z
Costa-Gavras political thriller exposing covert state power and institutional repression
Missing
tense political drama about revolutionary struggle, counterinsurgency, and moral compromise
Movie Details
- Director
- Costa-Gavras
- Release Date
- 1972-12-30
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (121)
Cast
- Yves Montand
- Renato Salvatori
- O.E. Hasse
- Jacques Weber
- Jean-Luc Bideau
- Maurice Teynac
- Yvette Etiévant
- Gloria Laso
- Harald Wolff
- Evangeline Peterson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion 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 State of Siege about?
- A kidnapped foreign official becomes the focal point of a merciless confrontation between Uruguay’s urban revolutionaries and a repressive state.
- What is State of Siege like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of State of Siege as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is State of Siege violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in State of Siege as graphic.
- What did critics think of State of Siege?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a forceful, politically committed thriller whose interrogation framework exposes the brutal mechanics of counterinsurgency and state repression.
- Which films are like State of Siege?
- Films with a similar feel include The Battle of Algiers, Z, and Missing.
- How long is State of Siege?
- State of Siege runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch State of Siege?
- In United States, State of Siege streams on Criterion Channel.
