Under Siege - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Under Siege

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
​

Movie
OK, for all the crap that Steven Seagal (rightfully in many cases) gets in his later years, the first decade of Seagal’s career was actually really fun. He was fresh and exciting in the action movie scene, with a novel form of martial arts that made him stand out visually from the rest of the Karate/Kung-Fu bunch. And let's not forget his receding hairline, which is almost a centerpiece in every film he’s in. But I digress, back in the VERY early 90s Warner was pumping out Seagal movies left and right, and his biggest hit HAD to have been his Die Hard on a boat clone that is Under Siege.

Like all Steven Seagal movies, he’s a tough guy in disguise. Ex special forces operative Casey Ryback (Seagal) is working as a cook aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, which is about to be decomissioned after 50 years of service. Everything is on board for the going away party, with a skeleton crew of the most seasoned Navy vets left on board to send her off to her retirement in the Naval shipyards. However, things go awry when a band of terrorists led by ex CIA spook William Stranix (Tommy Lee Jones) hijacks the boat with the help of the XO, Commander Krill (Gary Busey). You see, while the Missouri is set to be decommissioned, it’s still got several heavy duty Tomahawks on board and our friendly neighborhood terrorists have a bit of a vendetta that can only be cured by bombing the living daylights out of several military bases and cities.

And as we all know, the cook is going to save the day. Initially being held in the meat locker by Commander Krill to get him out of the way, Ryback wages a one man war against the terrorist by kicking, punching, flipping, and generally shooting every bad guy he comes across. With the help of a young “party favor” named Jordan Tate (Erika Eleniak), the ex SEAL does what he can to mitigate the terrorists damage, and end William Stranix’s plans before he can blow up the Eastern Seaboard.

Lets face it, Under Siege is not some legendary action movie that will rival the likes of Predator, Die Hard, or Terminator 2. But it is a fun ride nonetheless, and about on par with Van Damme’s Time Cop for quality. Meaning, it’s a perfectly fine action movie, and has just enough late 80s/early 90s charm to be a whole heap of fun. And lets not forget the fact that this was during the time period where Seagal could pull off an intimidating ex special forces guy who could beat the tar out of your while capping a hundred bad guys with his G.I. 1911 (Seagal, much like Stallone, is an avid 1911 fan).

But the real pull of Under Siege is some of the over the top performances by both Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones as the two major villains. Gary Busey is sort of legendary for his bizarre performances, but he goes balls to the walls with this one, blending his traditional intense performances with some psychological damage (that was most likely real at the time) that fit the character of an XO on the edge. And Tommy, oh my goodnesss. Tommy Lee Jones steals the show as William Stranix, bouncing between cold & calculating, to unhinged and on the very razor’s edge at a moment’s notice. He’s brilliant and crafty, yet barely holding onto his marbles at the same time, which gives him a sort of unpredictable edge that is delightfully bonkers. Yeah, Seagal is still the same cardboard cutout he always has been, but he gets REALLY into role of Ryback, giving his performance an almost comical edge.




Rating:

Rated R for strong violence, and for language and brief nudity




4K Video: Video:

As usual, Under Siege has been restored by Arrow and presented in it’s original OAR (instead of 1.78:1 like the aging Blu-ray), and scanned in at 4K 16bit at Warner’s MPI using the 35mm OCN (Original Camera Negative). QC was done by Pixelogic, and director Andrew Davis oversaw the entire restoration.

Under Siege is never going to look AMAZING, but Arrow’s 4K UHD disc looks very organic and natural for the time period. Most of the film was shot in low light conditions inside of dark galley’s and cramped ship corridors. The few daylight sequences out there are nice, but slightly overblasted with white levels (something that I’ve seen in every iteration of the film, including the 35mm print I saw back in 2010). But aside from that, this looks fantastic in 2160p. Fine details are great, ranging from extra pimples on the side of the cadet officer’s faces, nice and crisp uniforms that really stand out, and a complete lack of banding and crush that was present in my old WB Blu-ray. Colors are a bit warm and ruddy, with some really cool Sepia tones when Seagal is throwing bad guys around the ship. Black levels are impeccable, with only a few moments where I noticed MAYBE crush in the command center. But all in all, this is a really nice looking example of the early 90s action movies, and is probably the best I’ve ever seen the film look.









Audio:

While I don’t mind the Atmos upgrade over the 5.1 mix that we have had for years on the WB Blu-ray, the real benefit comes from upgrading to lossless vs. the ancient 5.1 Dolby Digital Lossless track Warner put on their early Blu-rays. This disc not only comes with Atmos, but a 2.0 LPCM lossless mix as well, and while I like the 2.0 mix for what it is, the Atmos track opens up the mix a good bit and just gives us an enhanced upmix of the 5.1 mix. Dialog is well done and placed firmly in the middle, while the surrounds are wildly active with all of the ambient pings, ticks, and echoes of the enclosed underbelly of the ship. Gary Chang’s score rings with authority, and the LFE even brings us some impressive bass. ALMOST perfection.







Extras:

• Brand new audio commentary with director Andrew Davis and writer J.F. Lawton
• I'm on a Boat (With a Bomb), a newly filmed interview with director Andrew Davis
• One of the Guys, a newly filmed interview with actor Erika Eleniak
• A Tight Ship, a newly filmed interview with actor Damian Chapa
• The Introvision Files, a newly filmed interview with visual effects supervisor William Mesa
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Vern and a serial fiction by Martyn Pedler

Final Score: ​

Silly, fun, over the top? Sure, but Under Siege is one of those early '90s guilty pleasures that I just love to watch (though not as guiltily as the sequel). Arrow Video has given us a GREAT 4K remaster to replace our aging Warner Bro’s Blu-rays, and a nice new Atmos track as well. Extras are healthy and welcomed for sure, but at the end of the day, you just want this so we can see that cake scene in glorious 4K. Fun watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Steven Seagal, Gary Busey, Tommy Lee Jones, Damian Chapa, Glenn Morshower, Erika Eleniak
Directed by: Andrew Davis
Written by: J.F. Lawton
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English: LPCM 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Arrow
Rated: R
Runtime: 102 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 6th, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Epoxy1]

Pretty much a carbon copy of what I wrote up in my review.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Love seeing this getting the 4k treatment. Fantastic!

 

[Michael Scott]

Love seeing this getting the 4k treatment. Fantastic!

you want more glorious cheese? I have Snakes on a Plane 4K coming out next lol