☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ebert gave three stars; Siskel and Ebert gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.
In the discussion (2)
- Ebert called the formula obvious but said the movie started working for him.
- Siskel called it one of the best moviegoing times of the year.
The segment was effectively skipped: no casting what-ifs were found beyond Seagal almost not starring.
In the discussion (1)
- No substantive casting alternative was located.
Samuel L. Jackson replacing Gary Busey was the main proposal; Joey Pants joining the Fugitive-linked cast was the alternative.
In the discussion (2)
- Joey Pants was suggested to deepen the film’s Fugitive DNA.
- An early-career Samuel L. Jackson was proposed for Krill/Busey’s role.
Research covered Erika Eleniak’s E.T. appearance, Alabama shooting locations, budget-saving rewrites, Seagal’s Pearl Harbor idea, and the film persuading Harrison Ford to make The Fugitive.
In the discussion (7)
- Eleniak’s first feature role was the girl Elliott kissed in E.T.
- USS Alabama stood in for USS Missouri.
- Mobile-area locations and framing made the limited water appear to be open ocean.
- The script was reduced from an estimated $100 million version to a roughly $30 million production.
- Seagal proposed incorporating the Pearl Harbor memorial and gathered ships.
- Harrison Ford reportedly joined The Fugitive after seeing an Under Siege rough cut.
- The production used a blackout barge and visual blocking to conceal the Alabama’s surroundings.
The takeover plan, surprise-party cover, one-woman entertainment plan, haircuts, accents, cake logic, pills, injury continuity, ovens, and payment were all questioned.
In the discussion (12)
- The ease with which armed terrorists boarded a nuclear battleship was the central nit.
- A surprise party was judged too flimsy a cover for activity on a nuclear battleship.
- Flying in only one entertainer for the party seemed implausible.
- Several sailors lacked expected military haircuts.
- Colm Meaney’s American accent disappears in later scenes.
- Jordan apparently slept inside the cake without hearing the gunfire.
- It was unclear whether Busey drugged Jordan or she simply took too many seasickness pills.
- Ryback’s water injury disappears in the next scene.
- The galley uses a gas-style oven even though the Navy reportedly uses electric appliances around shipboard weapons.
- Jordan’s exact job in the attack plan remained unclear.
- The amount Jordan was promised for the cake appearance was debated.
- Whether Jordan was ever paid remained unanswered.
The panel asked whether Ryback or Seagal could cook, whether Seagal needed a ponytail, and how his action-hero physique worked.
In the discussion (3)
- Was Casey Ryback actually a good cook?
- Did Seagal need his trademark ponytail?
- How did Seagal’s unusual action-hero body coexist with total fight dominance?
The Fugitive was the consensus anchor; U-571, The Package, and Code of Silence were alternatives.
In the discussion (2)
- The Fugitive was the obvious pairing because Under Siege led directly to it.
- U-571, The Package, and Code of Silence were also proposed.
Roger Ebert's review