It’s Die Hard under martial law!
This week, hosts Phil and Liam are taking on one of the most provocative and eerily prescient action-thrillers of the ‘90s - The Siege (1998) - with special guest Jason Bailey, the esteemed film critic, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in The Playlist, The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, Slate, and more. Not only is Jason a brilliant film thinker, but he might know our show even better than we do!
Released three years before 9/11, The Siege follows Denzel Washington’s no-nonsense FBI agent as he tries to stop a wave of terrorist attacks in New York, while navigating political interference from Annette Bening’s enigmatic CIA operative and the creeping authoritarian overreach of Bruce Willis’ hardline general. Meanwhile, Tony Shalhoub delivers one of the film’s most deeply human performances, grounding the story’s complex, often unsettling politics.
We dig into the film’s depiction of New York City, what it gets right, wrong, and unexpectedly prophetic, and how it reckons with issues of surveillance, civil liberties, and national security in ways that still feel shockingly relevant today. We also break down the performances of the four leads, the film’s tense, procedural thriller mechanics, and where it sits in the broader landscape of '90s action films that flirted with real-world geopolitics.
So strap in for one of our most in-depth, thought-provoking episodes yet!
Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!
THE SIEGE trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dDVppzDwJA
At the time of release, THE SIEGE is streaming on the Starz app and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango and all the usual platforms!
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