Under Siege Information

Under Siege is a 1992 American action film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Steven Seagal as a former Navy SEAL who must stop a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, on a U.S. Navy battleship. It is Seagal's most successful film in critical and financial terms, including two Academy Award nominations.

Under Siege was followed by a 1995 sequel, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

The film has received a MPAA rating of R for strong violence, and for language and brief nudity.

Plot

The battleship arrives at Pearl Harbor, where George H. W. Bush announces that the ship will be decommissioned in California, making the trip her final voyage. Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal), a Chief Petty Officer assigned as a cook, is preparing meals in celebration of the birthday of Captain Adams (Patrick O'Neal), against the orders of Commander Krill (Gary Busey), who is having food and entertainment brought by helicopter. Krill provokes a brawl with Ryback. Unable to imprison Ryback in the brig without clearance from the captain, Krill detains Ryback in a freezer and places a Marine, Private Nash (Tom Wood), on guard. A CH-46 helicopter lands on the ship's deck with a musical band, along with Playmate Jordan Tate (Erika Eleniak) and a group of caterers who are really a band of mercenaries led by ex-CIA operative Bill Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones).

Strannix' forces seize control of the ship with the help of turncoat Krill. Several officers are killed, including Captain Adams. The rest of the ship's company are imprisoned in the forecastle, except for some stragglers in unsecured areas. Strannix intends to steal and sell the ship's Tomahawks by unloading them onto a submarine he had previously stolen from North Korea. The CIA had tried and failed to assassinate him prior to the events of the film. Strannix and his men take over the ship's weapon systems, shooting down an F/A-18 Hornet sent to investigate, and plan on covering their escape by using missiles to obliterate tracking systems in Pearl Harbor.

Krill realizes they forgot about Ryback and learns the kitchen is an unsecured area. Strannix sends mercenaries to eliminate Ryback and Nash. Nash is killed, but Ryback manages to kill the mercenaries. He begins killing off terrorists with the limited help of Jordan Tate. Ryback also gets in contact with Admiral Bates (Andy Romano) at the Pentagon by using a satellite phone, whereupon the Navy plans to send a SEAL team to retake the ship. Krill discovers that Ryback is really a Chief Petty Officer and former Navy SEAL. To keep the missile-theft plan in place, Krill activates the fire sprinklers in the forecastle, leaving the crew members to drown. The terrorists expect that Ryback will try to save his colleagues, and set up an ambush. Ryback locates a group of sailors in hiding and along with them engages a successful counter-strike, turning off the sprinklers and eliminating several terrorists. Ryback shuts down the Missouri's weapon systems, in order to allow the incoming Navy SEALs to land.

The submarine crew shoots down the helicopter carrying the Navy SEALs with shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. The Pentagon responds by ordering an air strike that will sink the Missouri. Strannix regains control of the ship's weapon systems and Tomahawks are loaded onto the submarine, departing with Krill on board. With the aid of Jordan and his fellow sailors, Ryback uses the battleship's guns to sink the submarine, killing Krill and everyone on board.

Strannix suffers a major concussion from being in the proximity of the Missouri's guns as they are fired. He launches two nuclear-tipped Tomahawks towards Honolulu. As the sailors recapture the ship, Ryback finds his way into the control room, where he is captured by Strannix. Strannix and Ryback realize they know each other from their past covert experiences. Ryback states that both of them are disillusioned and were "used" by their government; Strannix says Ryback still believes in his country, whereas Strannix does not. Ryback and Strannix then engage in a knife fight wherein Ryback kills Strannix. Ryback then takes the launch codes needed to self-destruct the Tomahawk missiles. One of the two missiles is destroyed by an F/A-18 Hornet. The codes are dialed in and the second Tomahawk missile is deactivated, blowing apart before it would have destroyed Honolulu. The Pentagon calls off the air strike.

The remaining crew members are freed as the ship sails towards San Francisco harbor. Ryback is checked by a Navy doctor, kisses Jordan and the crew looks on and cheers. The film ends with a funeral ceremony for Captain Adams being held on the deck of the Missouri, showing the Captain's casket with a flag draped over it and Ryback saluting in his formal dress uniform with full decorations.

Cast

• Steven Seagal as Chief Casey Ryback, a former Navy SEAL who lost his security clearance after a botched mission in Panama and now serves as the personal cook for the captain of the USS Missouri.
• Tommy Lee Jones as William "Bill" Strannix, a renegade, embittered ex-CIA operative who leads the team of terrorists who took over USS Missouri.
• Gary Busey as Commander Krill, a corrupt, psychopathic Executive Officer of the USS Missouri who serves as Strannix's right-hand man.
• Erika Eleniak as Jordan Tate, a Playboy Playmate model who came on board to entertain the ship's personnel.
• Colm Meaney as Daumer, Strannix's main henchman.
• Patrick O'Neal as Captain Adams, the captain of the USS Missouri.
• Andy Romano as Admiral Bates, a high-ranking member of the Joint Chiefs who takes charge of the situation of the USS Missouri.
• Dale Dye as Captain Nick Garza, Admiral Bates' advisor.
• Nick Mancuso as Tom Breaker, the sleazy CIA director and Strannix's former boss who tried to kill Strannix when he went rogue.
• Damian Chapa as Tackman, a sailor on board the USS Missouri.
• Tom Wood as Private Nash, a naive US Marine.
• Troy Evans as Granger, one of the officers in the USS Missouri.
• Dennis Lipscomb as Trenton, a civilian member in the Pentagon situation room.
• David McKnight as Flicker, one of the officers on board the USS Missouri.
• Dale Payne as Seaman #1
• Lee Hinton as Cue Ball
• Glenn Morshower as Ensign Taylor, one of the ship's high-ranking officers.
• Leo Alexander as Lieutenant Smart, one of the high-ranking officers on the USS Missouri.
• John Rottger as Commander Green, the Operations Officer on board the USS Missouri.
• Raymond Cruz as Ramirez, Ryback's assistant cook on board the USS Missouri.
• Dru Ann Carlson as Captain Spellman, Admiral Bates' aide.
• George Cheung as a commando (credited as George Kee Cheung)
• George H. W. Bush as Himself (archive footage, uncredited)
• Barbara Bush as Herself (archive footage, uncredited)

Production and distribution

The USS Alabama museum ship stood in for most of the Missouri sequences, and the USS Drum portrayed the North Korean submarine.

Based on an original screenplay by J. F. Lawton, Under Siege was rated 'R' ('Restricted') by the MPAA. The UK release was edited for violence to get a more commercial 15 certificate. Ten seconds were removed from the film, chiefly from the workshop fight and a shot of Seagal ripping out a man's throat.

The film makes extensive use of the IntroVision process, a variation of front projection that allows realistic three-dimensional interaction of foreground characters with projected backgrounds without the heavy cost of traditional bluescreen effects. The technique was also used in the films Outland, Megaforce, Army of Darkness and Andrew Davis' The Fugitive.

Critical and box office reception

On its opening weekend, Under Siege made $15,760,003 from 2,042 theaters, with a $7,717 average. From there, it went on to make $83,563,139. Worldwide, it made $156,563,139. At the time, it was the most successful film ever that had not been screened for any critics prior to its release.

The movie was also a critical success, with many hailing Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey as the villains. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 75% based on reviews from 24 critics. This was the only Steven Seagal movie to be certified fresh on Rottentomatoes.com, prior to 2010's Machete. It's also the only Seagal movie to receive an Academy Award nomination (though it did not win).

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; Best Sound Effects Editing and for Best Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Rick Hart and Scott D. Smith).