Under Siege
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Synopsis
Action icon Steven Seagal serves up his signature brand of bone-crunching justice in Under Siege, the ultimate 90s action spectacle from director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), co-starring Tommy Lee Jones (Black Moon Rising) and Gary Busey (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) at their most unhinged.
When a gang of mercenaries hijack the USS Missouri during its farewell voyage, their plan is simple: steal the ship's nuclear warheads and hold the world to ransom. But they've overlooked one tiny detail - the ship's cook. Unfortunately for them, Casey Ryback (Seagal) isn't just any cook... he's a one-man army with a taste for mayhem.
Packed with explosions, knife fights, and more one-liners than you can count, Under Siege is a gloriously over-the-top blast of 1990s action, now available in a stunning new director-approved restoration that packs a hell of a punch!
Picture 8/10
Arrow Video presents Andrew Davis' Under Siege on 4K UHD, delivered on a triple-layer disc with Dolby Vision in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The 2160p/24hz presentation comes from a new Arrow-supervised restoration, sourced from a scan of the 35mm original camera negative.
I was oddly eager for this release, a shock given that I don’t think I’ve liked any other Steven Seagal film outside of this and Executive Decision (the latter largely thanks to a memorable moment about twenty minutes in). Still, once I had the disc in hand, I couldn’t get it into my player fast enough. So imagine my dismay when I was greeted with a surprisingly underwhelming presentation that ends up being shockingly average, and only marginally better than what a solid high-definition could do. It’s possible I had built up a very specific expectation in my head, which may be contributing to my disappointment, but it’s also clear that some choices—one in particular—have negatively impacted the final result.
This isn’t a bad presentation by any means, but it is really, really average. I know this is a ’90s action film, and I'm sure many have tempered expectations, but the photography here, heavy on nighttime exteriors, dimly lit ship interiors, and enhanced by bursts of fire and explosions, is actually quite good, and it’s the sort of material that should benefit meaningfully from a 4K upgrade. And to an extent, it does. HDR is doing most of the heavy lifting and genuinely enhances several sequences, whether in the shadowy corridors of the ship or the nighttime exteriors, where light dissipates beautifully through the frame. Whatever other shortcomings the presentation may have, the expanded dynamic range delivers as expected, with strong black levels, well-resolved shadows, and nicely rendered highlights contributing to a handful of genuinely gorgeous moments.
And yet, despite all of that, the image still feels oddly flat. This seems to stem largely (if not entirely) from what appears to be noise reduction and grain management. That’s a surprising misstep given Arrow’s usual consistency in this area. It’s not the most egregious example I've ever come across on disc as grain is still present, but it has a slightly scrubbed quality. Textures rarely come through as they should, finer details never really pop, and there’s often a faint haze over the image that robs it of much of the depth that I feel should be there.
Colors are pleasing, and the restoration has cleaned up print damage, but the latter is more or less a baseline expectation for modern restorations, particularly for a film from the early ’90s. In the end, the image remains disappointing. I strongly considered a final grade of 7, ultimately nudging it up a notch because HDR does still make a meaningful contribution here (had I designed a half-point score system, this would land squarely at a 7.5). As it stands, it’s fine; clearly an improvement over Blu-ray, including Warner’s old and dated release, but this presentation had the potential to be so, so much better.
Audio 8/10
Arrow presents both the original 2-channel surround mix and a newly created Dolby Atmos option. Both are perfectly serviceable, though neither left much of an impression. The Atmos track in particular was a disappointment, as I couldn’t really discern any advantage over what a standard 5.1 remix would have offered. My setup is a 5.1.2 configuration with the height speakers positioned at the front, which may be a factor, but I’ve heard plenty of impressive Atmos tracks through it; this just isn’t one of them.
That said, the basics are handled competently. Action effects are clearly directed across the soundstage, explosions have reasonable weight, and bass is used effectively where appropriate, with a few satisfying low-end rumbles during the louder sequences. Gary Chang’s score is also worked into the mix nicely, and dialogue comes through sharp and clean with solid range and clarity. Still, nothing here rises much above what you’d expect from a decent modern remix of an ’80s or ’90s action film.
The original 2.0 surround track is likewise fine, though understandably less dynamic, with the surround information working in unison as expected. Its overall range is more limited, and effects like explosions and gunfire lack the punch and impact found on the Atmos track. In the end, both options serve the film well enough, but neither stands out as anything particularly special and I didn't find either any better than the 5.1 mix on the old Blu-ray.
Extras 7/10
Previous DVD and Blu-ray releases of Under Siege were essentially barebones affairs, offering little more than the trailer, which is also included here. Arrow, however, has managed to assemble a respectable slate of new material, starting with director Andrew Davis, who contributes both a new interview and an audio commentary. Davis is joined on the commentary by screenwriter J.F. Lawton, and together the two focus primarily on the film’s development and production.
They don’t shy away from the elephant in the room, the oft-repeated “Die Hard on a boat” label, though they do get a little defensive about it. Still, they emphasize that their goal was to make a strong action film that could stand on its own, which meant getting the script right and casting the right people, particularly when it came to the villains. Casting Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey was key, and even smaller roles, like bringing in Colm Meaney as one of the henchmen, were treated as important decisions.
The pair discuss how the script evolved over time, sometimes tightening character motivations, sometimes expanding (or even reducing) backstory, as well as changes pushed by Steven Seagal, who by this point had a great deal of control. Some of those changes sound unfortunate, though others were probably for the best (such as the decision to make Erika Eleniak’s character no longer a villain). Studio interference also comes up, including demands for more martial arts and nearly cutting the scene where Busey’s character appears in drag. They briefly touch on concerns about media influence and violence, with Davis admitting he didn’t take the issue too seriously at the time, though he now seems less certain.
The commentary starts off strong and I found the material mostly engaging, but as the film progresses, the discussion thins out and eventually devolves into the occasional generic interjection (“great editing!” or “nice sets!”). Still, the early portions are worthwhile. Amusingly, you also get a sense that Davis wasn’t especially fond of working with Seagal by this point. While clearly restraining himself, he makes a few pointed, passive remarks about Seagal’s ego (and weight), which had apparently become a touchy subject by then.
Davis expands on this more directly in his newly recorded 19-minute interview, noting that while Seagal was pleasant to work with on Above the Law, he had changed significantly by the time Under Siege came along, following his rise to stardom. Davis also alludes to his discomfort with some of the “dark characters” Seagal befriended during production. In contrast, he heaps praise on the rest of the cast and crew, singling out Busey and Jones in particular (noting that they needed strong, seasoned actors to play opposite Seagal, because reasons), and speaks warmly about the work put into the film’s photography and effects. He also reflects briefly on how the landscape of big event movies has changed over time and you could never recreate something like Under Siege now. It’s a genuinely engaging interview and, refreshingly, not just a rehash or summary of the commentary.
Arrow also includes new interviews with Erika Eleniak and Damian Chapa, running roughly 17 and 18 minutes respectively. Eleniak, the only woman in the film, discusses her experience on set, which she describes as largely positive thanks to a welcoming cast, though she notes that Seagal himself wasn’t particularly approachable. Chapa, amusingly, is the lone voice here with anything overtly positive to say about Seagal, describing him as approachable and even crediting him with teaching him some martial arts moves. Both speak very fondly of Davis as a director, praising his accessibility and support throughout production.
One of the more fascinating inclusions is a new interview with special effects supervisor William Mesa, who discusses his “Introvision” system and how it was used on the film. In a nice archival touch, Arrow has also unearthed what appears to be an old promotional VHS explaining the Introvision process, complete with an interview with Mesa. The system allowed for live, in-camera composite shots combining foreground, midground, and background elements—mixing mattes, models, and live action—while avoiding blue screen, optical printing, and the obvious seams and image degradation those techniques often produced. The archival video highlights its use on films like Stand by Me, and the system would later be employed for sequences such as the train derailment in The Fugitive. Mesa expands on all of this in the newly recorded material, discussing the system’s development and pointing out specific sequences in Under Siege that used it, with test footage included as well. It’s genuinely interesting stuff, and the effects still hold up remarkably well.
Film critic and author Vern, writer of Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal, contributes an essay in the included booklet examining the film’s place within Seagal’s career and its influence on later action films. Arrow also includes a reprint of a piece by Martyn Pedler cataloguing every on-screen death in the film, complete with invented backstories and even “regrets” for each character, whether crew or bad guy. Yes, that even includes Strannix and Krill. It’s a darkly amusing addition that becomes oddly depressing the deeper it goes, complete with timecodes for each kill (and, as Davis notes elsewhere, the film is only this violent because it’s a Seagal picture and the violence was basically a requirement).
All told, it’s not a groundbreaking set of supplements, but it’s a fairly entertaining and often informative package that offers more depth than one might reasonably expect for Under Siege.
Closing
I never thought I’d find myself disappointed by a release for a Steven Seagal film, but here we are. At best, it’s fine, with a presentation that never quite lives up to its full potential. Still, it’s a clear improvement over Warner’s old disc, and the supplemental material is at least fairly fun to work through.
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