Review of Under Siege

Introduction

Steven Seagal’s first big budget film, “Under Siege” is effectively Die Hard on a ship and very entertaining in the process. Tommy Lees Jones, Gary Busey and Steven Seagal give good performances as Seagal tries to prevent Jones and Busey stealing the assorted weaponry aboard the USS Missouri. The unique setting aboard the battleship leads for some close-quarters combat and plenty of action throughout the film

Video

The picture is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is excellent throughout and the picture is sharp, stable and without any noticeable compression problems. There are plenty of explosions, lots of gunfire and sparks along with numerous night shots, all of which look fantastic.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack on this movie is excellent. From the opening flypast of the USS Missouri when your subwoofer get its first workout to the excellent use of the stereo and surround channels for incidental effects the sound is top-notch from start to finish. There are plenty of gunshots, explosions, rockets, helicopters etc to keep your sound system busy. Despite all this going on, the dialogue is clear and precise at all time.

The sound really adds an extra level of enjoyment to the film over and above the VHS version this DVD has replaced.

Features

A typical Warner Brothers release with no extras – not even a trailer! All on offer is scene selection. This film surely could have benefited from a making of documentary or some historical footage of the USS Missouri in action over her long career.

Conclusion

I already own this film on video so this was an “upgrade” purchase and I really was surprised at how good the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack mix is - and how much it has added to the film.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Under Siege again and would recommend that anybody who has the VHS version upgrades it to a DVD and any action film fan who hasn’t seen it goes and buys/rents it immediately!