The filmmaking and acting career of disgraced controversial 1980s
action movie star Steven Seagal which began with Chuck Norris director
Andrew Davis with Above the Law was one that always curiously passed me
by. A Michigan native who trained as a
black belt in aikido who later moved to Los Angeles where he taught aikido and
made his screen debut in the first film to feature aikido onscreen, the martial
artist’s acting abilities and screen persona never struck me despite amassing
huge box office successes.
Following Hard
to Kill and Out for Justice, Seagal’s and Davis’ respective careers
kicked into high gear with the 1992 U.S. Navy battleship set action-thriller Under
Siege. A sizable action thriller
with a few tricks up its sleeves including the powerful supporting performance
of Tommy Lee Jones who upon reteaming with director Davis copped an Oscar for
his turn in The Fugitive, it remains the most well regarded and
successful Steven Seagal vehicle to date.
Back in 2006, the film got a rather bare bones entry-level
Warner Brothers Blu-ray disc with lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and zero extras
beyond a trailer. Not to praise Under
Siege as high art or anything like that, but considering the budget and
accolades including garnering two Academy Award nominations for Best Sound and
Sound Editing you would think more care and attention would be paid to preserving
the film’s innovative and immersive soundscape.
While Warner Brothers repurposed that lousy disc release in late July of
last year, Arrow Video in their ongoing deal making with Warner Brothers saw
the writing on the wall and realized they needed to take action.
Following the recent 4K Dolby Atmos upgrade
of Andrew Davis’ The Fugitive, the boutique label have created a new 4K
restoration of the original camera negative for Under Siege under the
supervision of the director with both the original 2.0 theatrical mix and, get
ready for it, a brand new Dolby Atmos remix that breathes all manner of life
and fire into the already explosive soundscape.
Moreover, unlike the Warner Blu-ray, this Arrow disc is jammed with
extras including new interviews with Andrew Davis, two of the supporting actors
and a running commentary with Davis and his screenwriter J.F. Lawton.
Pretty much a ‘save the world’ movie chock full of Schwarzenegger
one-liners and ass kicking, the story involves a group of mercenaries disguised
as rock band performers hijack the USS Missouri during a farewell voyage. Spearheaded by William Strannix (Tommy Lee
Jones) a former CIA operative gone rogue and aided by his unhinged toadie
Commander Peter Krill (Gary Busey), the goal is another one of those plans to
steal nuclear warheads and hold the world hostage. The trouble is they didn’t account for the
ship’s cook Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) who is in actuality John Rambo in
hiding just waiting for the hair trigger release of testosterone and blowing
butts to kingdom come.
In the mix is Playboy
Playmate Jordan Tate (Erika Eliniak) who starts out as a sexy damsel in
distress who pretty quickly takes up arms and fights alongside Casey
Ryback. The Commando stage is set
for Steven Seagal to make mincemeat of his adversaries while doling out corny
one-liners that’s a bit of a check-your-brain-at-the-door exercise, but Tommy
Lee Jones gets so wildly sociopathic in it you can see not only why he was
instantly cast in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever as Harvey Two Face
but how committed he was to even the most insignificant of parts. Yes he’s chewing the scenery and somehow
shining brightly at the same time in this.
While I can’t get behind the Steven Seagal movie with ever
increasing controversies swirling around the actor pouring out following his
eventual warming up to Vladimir Putin, as an early 1990s action film it tracked
the point in which Seagal and his recurring director would part ways. Though Davis’ own career is checkered at
best, the high watermark is most certainly his next project The Fugitive
and watching Under Siege is perhaps a bit like watching a dress rehearsal
for that Harrison Ford action thriller epic.
Seagal went on to do another sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory without
the oversight of Andrew Davis and though a success it pointed to gradual diminishing
returns on the actor’s films before his own downfall. All things said, if you’re ever going to sit
down with a Steven Seagal flick in all seriousness, watch this one which is
less about his screen persona and more about the lunatic antics waged by Gary
Busey and particularly Tommy Lee Jones who even after Eyes of Laura Mars and
Batman Forever has never been crazier.
--Andrew Kotwicki