THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200042
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
`UNDER SIEGE 2: Dark Territory'' is sunk by a plot that is totally unbelievable and a leading man who is nearly inert. In a summer that has been blessed by several action flicks that were fun even though they didn't make a lot of sense, here is the one that goes over the edge.
The first ``Under Siege'' got points for its colorful villains and Navy setting. This one gives up the ship for a train loaded with stock heavies.
Steven Seagal whispers and frowns as he heavily moves from the caboose to the engine, eliminating foes in a predictable and gory way as he goes. Seagal seems bored with the whole thing. His casual approach provides for no tension. As an actor, he isn't. As an action star, he's so slow that the train almost comes to a stop when he's called upon to pantomime dashing atop the cars.
His delivery, which resembles Clint Eastwood's on a quiet day, does manage to get one laugh - when he whispers to an enemy, ``Don't make me raise my voice.''
The convoluted plot involves a disgruntled former CIA wacko who takes over an orbiting death star satellite and threatens to blow up both Washington, D.C., and the entire Eastern Seaboard if he isn't paid $1 billion. It's a nice round sum, but the ruse would best be played for laughs.
That's the problem with ``Under Siege 2.'' It derails itself when it insists that we take it seriously. Both the current edition of ``Diehard'' and the deadpan ``Judge Dredd'' seemed to know that their plots were nonsensical fun. In both cases, there was a little wink to let us know we could relax and flow with the action. With ``Under Siege 2,'' the embarrassed actors seem to have been directed as if they were playing ``Hamlet.''
It is, indeed, embarrassing to see an actor as talented as Eric Bogosian sink to playing the stock villain. Bogosian was a good deal scarier in his tough one-man shows Off-Broadway. He gave the best screen performance of its year in ``Talk Radio,'' a film that never quite got its just due and should be caught on TV or video. Here, he attempts the usual villain-comic overtones but simply isn't given the lines. As he derails the train, he says something like, ``And they claimed I had a one-track mind.''
The rest of the cast is obviously balanced to touch all bases. Katherine Heigl is the teenager, as Seagal's niece who exists only to be taken hostage. Morris Chestnut is the black, assigned a mincing role as a porter who is just as racially stereotyped as was Stepin Fetchit in his day. This characterization is shameless.
The resident tough guy, a Nazi-like militarist who, in the movie's typically stereotyped manner, has ties to Alabama, is played by Everett McGill. He has the routine finale battle with Seagal - a fight that is so carefully choreographed that it looks dangerless.
The film does have a rousing musical score, composed by Basil Poledouris, and a great finale.
``Under Siege 2'' will get what's left of the Seagal fans in the first week. After that, it will quickly fade to video. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Under Siege 2: Dark Territory''
Cast: Steven Segal, Eric Bogosian, Katherine Heigl, Everett
McGill
Director: Geoff Murphy
Screenplay: Richard Hatem, Matt Reeves
MPAA rating: R (gore, language)
Mal's rating: One 1/2 stars
Locations: Chesapeake Square, Greenbrier in Chesapeake; Circle
6, Main Gate in Norfolk; Columbus, Lynnhaven Mall, Surf-N-Sand in
Virginia Beach
by CNB