SummaryA Navy cook is the only person who can stop a group of terrorists when they seize control of a U.S. battleship.
Directed By:Andrew Davis
Written By:J.F. Lawton
Under Siege
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
35% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
59% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
88
For its first hour is as exciting an action picture as the Die Hard films. The tension and humor level tail off a bit toward the conclusion, but Steven Seagal and Chicago director Andy Davis clearly declare themselves as top-flight talent.
70
Under Siege is an immensely slick, if also old-fashioned and formulaic, entertainment. Steven Seagal fans and action buffs should eat up this taut suspenser, which is set entirely on board a battleship.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
60% Positive
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
40% Mixed
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
May 3, 2026
8
Greetings from Lithuania.
"Under Siege" (1992) is an action film that I watched many times as a kid and liked it very much. Revisiting it in 2026 on newly released 4K UHD disk by Arrow Videos was a blast from a past. It looks and sound great on **** of 2026, this is without a doubt the best film with Steven Siegal, and will remain so. It a slick action film directed by Andrew Davis, who a year later created his masterpiece "The Fugitive". "Under Siege" features a first hour so excited, so captivating and involving that in comparison the last 40 min or so felt a bit rushed and to much fast paced. Still, as an action thriller that is basically a "Die Hard" rip off it delivers. Sound is great here, there is plenty of action and a great performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey who both delivered great and over the top performances. They are very entertaining to watch and are very memorable villains that elevated "Under Siege" to another level. Overall, "Under Siege" is a memorable action film from the 90's. It is a "Die Hard" rip off but on of the best ones.
May 17, 2023
8
One of the better Die Hard rip-offs, I like the setting, the villains and ofcourse Erika Eleniak. Compared to todays action movies its a masterpice
63
This is the best Seagal yet - written by J.F. Lawton, who also did Pretty Woman, oddly enough. But let's not go overboard. The convoluted plot treads water far too long as the good guys on land discuss strategy in a Dr. Strangelove-style conference room. The violence is way too graphic as Seagal treats the hijackers as if they were cheap cuts of beef. And Erika Eleniak's centerfold bimbo may be played for laughs, but it's no joke when she's the token woman. Then again, it's too much to expect an action top dog to learn too many new tricks. [09 Oct 1992, p.8D]
60
As wild as the premise is, Under Siege is almost guiltily enjoyable.
50
Under Siege is never at all convincing -- everything about the battleship (except the exterior shots) seems small and understaffed. There are supposed to be 30 bad guys, but they appear to outnumber the crew, and the interior scenes of the battleship's command stations are barely more ambitious than Star Trek's bridge. [12 Oct 1992, p.C3]
50
During its opening scenes, Under Siege threatens to achieve something like Die Hard's blend of wit, ingenuity and action, with Jones and Busey making highly entertaining, creepy-funny villains. Once the stolid Seagal takes over, however, we settle into a predictable high-tech groove of explosions, gunplay and gore.
38
Under Siege is dumb formula stuff, sensory jolts by the numbers. [09 Oct 1992, p.89]
Dec 1, 2021
8
Under Siege, all of Steven Seagal movies always outstands me for what a colossal hold and a colossal mess it is both at the same time. The result is all of them but not this one. I know all of you people are gonna say, you all going to say that Steven Seagal is crap cause I know I've heard my dad said it. But for me, I'm a big Steven Seagal fan. This film is good, very underrated. It might be worth a watch.
Feb 11, 2025
7
Here it is the only true/actual good Steven seagal film this film is a lot like die hard on a ship the martial arts from seagal are the best he has done, the acting is solid, and we have a decent villain I know the film is still not perfect and doesn’t exactly have the intelligence or bold profound storytelling that die hard, terminator , the rock, Rambo, robocop raiders of the lost ark, but it’s still a solid action film from the early 90s and you can imagine how Steven seagal actually is a good film as all his other films have run from mediocre to downright atrocious and dreadful. Here he actually puts in effort to give a decent if not great performance.This is the seagal film worth watching skip everything else
Jun 10, 2025
6
A shameless Die Hard clone with an incredibly overqualified Tommy Lee with no character to work with acting circles around the rest of the cast. My first experience with Segal, and yea, he is an unintentional comedy machine.
Feb 23, 2025
6
Die Hard on a ship. Not with Bruce Willis, but with Steven Seagal, probably the most boring (and vain?) action hero of the 80s/90s. We don't get Hans Gruber aka Alan Rickman, who combines elegance and menace, but Tommy Lee Jones, who is apparently already practicing for his role as Two-Face in "Batman Forever" - and Garey Busey in **** of this is pretty trivial, but not quite as boring as Seagal's other films. The reason for this is the solid production, the ship as a setting, a few good kills (jigsaw) and the obligatory boob shot is also not missing. The highlight is certainly Garey Busey, my fascination with him is slowly becoming worrying. The final image of the film is the icing on the cake.
Mar 20, 2022
6
Some people say this movie is a rip-off of Die Hard. But I see it as Die Hard with less interesting characters, and a hero with no emotions or personality. But somehow it isn't a bad movie. Maybe it has the ability to be solely entertaining, or it is protected by the power of nostalgia.
Production Company:
- Warner Bros.
- Regency Enterprises
- Le Studio Canal+
- Alcor Films
- Arnon Milchan Productions
Release Date:Oct 9, 1992
Duration:1 h 43 m
Rating:R
Tagline:It's not a job...It's an Adventure!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
BMI Film & TV Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
