
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 15, 1995                   TAG: 9507180007
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SEAGAL NEEDS HELP IN THIS `SIEGE'

"Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" is proof, as if more were needed, that Stephen Seagal is no better than the people who are working on the other side of the camera.

This sequel to his 1992 sleeper hit isn't nearly as enjoyable as that guilty pleasure, but it's marginally better than "On Deadly Ground," his embarrassing vanity project. Once again, the villains steal the show, though Eric Bogosian and Everett McGill are pale shadows of Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey.

Bogosian is Travis Dane, an insane CIA techno-whiz who, with his henchman Penn (McGill), hijacks a train in the Rockies so he can take over a "Star Wars" satellite in outer space and zap the Pentagon.

The story is not as confusing as it sounds, just silly. Yes, the plot could have come from a late-'60s spy spoof but, with the exception of Bogosian, who sounds like a demented radio talkshow host, everyone plays it straight - much too straight.

Seagal is his usual beady-eyed, greasy-haired self as Casey Ryback, Navy SEAL turned cook, who's also on the train and leaps into action to save Western Civilization as we know it. Giving him dubious support are Katherine Heigl, as his tough-cookie niece, and Morris Chestnut as Bobby, a black porter.

Chestnut's role involves racial stereotypes and humor that are so broad they border on insult. Given the general tenor of the rest of the film, it's probably more a matter of ignorance and incompetence than racism, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable.

For an action film, this one falls short on a much more serious level.

Despite the fact that virtually all of the action takes place on board the train, director Geoff Murphy never uses his sets and sound effects to fully re-create the experience for the audience. And after a laborious introduction, setting up the gimmicks that are going to be important later, he gets sloppy with the action scenes. It's impossible to tell where the characters are in relation to each other, or who's about to do what to whom. This kind of movie can't work unless the audience understands what's happening.

The special effects aren't very special either. Most of the satellite destruction happens off screen or inside computer graphics, and the big train crash finale is done with models. Add in the sadistic edge that much of the violence contains and "Under Siege 2" can be recommended only to Seagal's most devout fans. And after seeing it, some of them may decide to rethink their status.

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

1/2*

A Warner Bros. release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall 6. 98 min.

Rated R for graphic violence, strong language.

by CNB