UNDER SIEGE 2: DARK TERRITORY

US, 1995, 100 minutes, Colour.
Steven Seagal, Eric Bogosian, Katherine Heigl, Everett Mc Gill, Nick Mancuso.
Directed by Geoff Murphy.

Under Siege 2 is more of the same. The first film, a star vehicle for Steven Seagal at the beginning of the 90s, was tension aboard a ship. It involved espionage, conspiracies as well as a great deal of action. With sequel, the action goes onto a train going across America. This time the action seems rather farfetched and not as engaging as the action on the ship.

The original film was directed by Andrew Davis who had directed a number of Chuck Norris films as well as Seagal's first film, Nico, Above the Law. Davis went on to make interesting films like The Package with Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones as well as the remake of Dial M for Murder, A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. This film is directed by New Zealander, Geoff Murphy, who made a name with The Quiet Earth and Utu, then went to Hollywood to make popular films like Young Guns 2. By the end of the 90s, Seagal was becoming older and heavier - but this did not prevent him from starring in a great number of action features.

1. The popularity of Under Siege, the films of Steven Seagal in the '90s? Action, adventure, strong hero? This film as a sequel?

2. A train film: the train itself, interiors and exteriors? The journey? Action within the train, on the roof of the train, the train crash? The popularity of the train action genre?

3. The military background? The Pentagon and NASA? Secret spy satellites? Rogue terrorists? The clashes?

4. The city locations, the open spaces of the countryside, the mountains? Musical score?

5. Steven Seagal as action hero? The background of Under Siege? His skills? As cook on the ship? His presence on the train - and his niece? Their clashes? His present? Their getting along? The discovery of the trouble, his going into action, the train official and their collaboration? Telecommunications with the authorities? The confrontations, the shootouts, going off the train, driving, getting back on the train? The explosions? An icon and a symbol of action rather than a character?

6. The niece, memories of her father, clashes with her uncle? Her toughness? Being taken, the confrontation with the terrorists? The hand grenade and the finale?

7. The authorities, computers, the spy satellite? Its being tested? The authorities, their secrecy? The results of the terrorism? The confrontation, the two agents aboard the train and their being tortured? Giving the information? The authorities and their decisions? Deciding to send the bomb? The issue of the hostages?

8. The terrorists, the head and his madness? His staff, computer skills? Spy satellites? Business deals? Hostages, dropping bombs as signs for capitulation? His henchmen and their brutality? The torture? His motives - the final confrontation, his death?

9. Conventional material? Formula style? Popular action of the '90s?