Selected cast credits · Film reference
Ebert gave three stars; Siskel and Ebert gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.
The hosts chose different comic-action peaks: the missile-launch hug, the final kiss, and the broader Ryback/Tommy Lee Jones action passages.
Entrances, Seagal’s accidental comedy and hand technique, the supporting character design, war-room celebrations, ruthless villains, and the Navy look were praised.
Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” was the emphatic choice.
The Ryback menu won; Busey’s loogie was the alternative, and the fake cake was ruled ineligible as food.
The ocean was selected, while the discussion focused on the missed opportunity to see Seagal swim in a wide shot.
The emotional final salute was the choice.
Lieutenant Krill was the main choice for failing to neutralize Ryback; Ryback’s actual cooking skill became the counter-question.
The panel split between Jordan’s implausible rapid competence and Seagal disappearing into the refrigerator for too much of the movie.
George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush were the playful choices for playing themselves.
Seagal’s conduct and final kiss, gratuitous nudity, Casey Ryback’s name, a visibly living dead captain, indoor smoking, body doubles, and Busey’s later public image were discussed.
Under Siege remained preferable to the proposed marketing title The Last to Surrender.
“I do have 50 gallons of bouillabaisse that I could prepare for tomorrow” was the choice.
Two takes were preserved: Seagal would improve The Fugitive as Richard Kimble, and Tommy Lee Jones gives essentially the same performance in both movies.
The segment was effectively skipped: no casting what-ifs were found beyond Seagal almost not starring.
Gary Busey was the decisive choice.
Dwayne Davis, remembered as Alvin Mack from The Program, was selected from a deep field.
The unnamed war-room officer who calmly describes Honolulu reaching 10,000 degrees was the accepted choice.
Samuel L. Jackson replacing Gary Busey was the main proposal; Joey Pants joining the Fugitive-linked cast was the alternative.
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.
Under Siege was identified as Seagal’s apex; other cases included Busey, Eleniak, the 1989 Playboy issue, Voodoo Child, and movie cooks.
The takeover plan, surprise-party cover, one-woman entertainment plan, haircuts, accents, cake logic, pills, injury continuity, ovens, and payment were all questioned.
A prestige-series remake was rejected.
Philip Baker Hall as the captain was the favored addition.
Tommy Lee Jones was the immediate choice.
The panel asked whether Ryback or Seagal could cook, whether Seagal needed a ponytail, and how his action-hero physique worked.
Two dark speculative futures for Casey and Jordan were offered; neither was treated as fact.
The panel is imagining how this might look in the future.
The Ryback menu and Tommy Lee Jones’s aviators/leather jacket were the choices.
“Don’t underestimate the cook” was the lesson.
Tommy Lee Jones won for carrying the film into The Fugitive and an enduring career.
Double Feature
The Rewatchables · aired February 6, 2024
The Package / Under Siege / Presumed Innocent / Enemy of the State
