A Solid Flick With a Potential Future Action Hero



A Solid Flick With a Potential Future Action Hero

Saban Films, the company responsible for distributing recent successful films such as The Girl with All the Gifts (2016), Power Rangers (2017), Guns Akimbo (2019), and Fatman (2020), is releasing a brand-new action-thriller film this month, simply titled The Siege. The new action movie is directed by Brad Watson (Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop and Hallows Eve), is written by Nicole Bartler (You & Me), and stars Daniel Stisen (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Lauren Okadigbo (Black Widow), Yennis Cheung (Skyfall), Byron Gibson, and Michael Geary (Outlander).

The story of The Siege follows an assassin named Walker (Stisen), who after becoming compromised during a hit, must return to a reassignment center to receive a new identity. While taking shelter at the center, a hired team of killers attempts to infiltrate and murder one of the tenants. Walker must team up with assassin Elda (Okadigbo) and the hired team’s target, Juliet (Cheung), to fend off the attackers and escape the center with their lives.

Daniel Stisen, Future Action Hero

Saban Films

Though the Norwegian actor is most known for his small, side-character roles in films like Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Fighting with My Family, Stisen is given a true chance to shine as an action hero in The Siege, and he does just that. Aside from just being a massively-built protagonist that can punch and kill his way through waves of bad guys, Stisen has an almost David Harbour-style of charm to his acting, which does well in the lead role of an action movie. Having a protagonist you can root for is important, and the viewer connects with Stisen’s Walker from the very first scene. He’s certainly joined the ranks of likable cold-blooded killers in the action genre. His intimidating size compliments his snarky and quick-witted attitude quite well, and he never crosses over into the area of action hero that you feel bad cheering for.

Related: Exclusive: Daniel Stisen Is Ripped and Raring to Go in The Siege

Respectable Gun-Fu

Saban Films

The Siege takes a lot of inspiration from more modern action films, like the John Wick series, and Netflix’s Extraction. Like the “gun-fu” in those movies, the fighting and gun-battle choreography is extremely fast-paced, well-done, and memorable. This type of choreography can be challenging and can be ruined quickly if too many edit points are used in the filming. Luckily, The Siege doesn’t suffer from this, and using actual stunt performers like Stisen and Lauren Okadigbo really turns these scenes in the movie’s favor. The one-on-one fights are brutal, expertly crafted, and add an even higher sense of jaw-dropping action to the film as a whole.

Related: John Wick: Chapter 4 to Be Longest Installment of the Franchise Yet

A Backstory More Suited For a Series

Saban Films

On the surface, The Siege kind of falls into the run-of-the-mill… well, siege movie category. However, there are some nuggets of backstory regarding Walker’s character that just simply aren’t explored enough throughout the film. These little tidbits of Walker’s past are what connects him with the audience, and separates him from being your typical cold-blooded killing machine protagonist. While the specific focus on the siege is well-suited for a 90-minute movie, the overall backstory is much more suited to be explored in a more extended fashion, like a miniseries or series. The Siege just kind of gives us the baseline minimum of learning about Walker and the type of character he is, and in a world full of well-developed action heroes, the minimum isn’t enough.

Forgettable Villains

Saban Films

The biggest issue with The Siege comes in the form of its extremely forgettable villains. Good villains are such an important puzzle piece when it comes to action films, as some of the best villains in cinematic history have been found within them. Hans Gruber from Die Hard, Castor Troy from Face/Off, and T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day are just a few examples. Casting a great and memorable villain would have brought The Siege from a decent-to-good action move up to a great one. Obviously, this isn’t a big-budget movie, but even bringing in mid-tier talent like Peter Stormare or Ted Levine in a small, but recognizable role could have made all the difference in the world, as it would give the film a little more star power, while also having a familiar face for the audience. Unfortunately, the villains in The Siege come off as faceless assassin thugs, and even the big bad doesn’t get enough screen time or lines.

Overall, The Siege is a rock-solid action flick, and definitely worthy of 90 minutes of your time. While it doesn’t match up against many of the larger-budget action movies of our times, there are still plenty of things to enjoy about it, including a transitional film for Daniel Stisen, who could someday be Hollywood’s much-needed next big action movie star.

You can view the original article HERE.

Kim Kardashian Shows Off Long Legs in Revealing Skirt on ‘All’s Fair’ Set
Kim Kardashian Shows Off Long Legs in Revealing Skirt on ‘All’s Fair’ Set
Original ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Chuck Woolery Dead at 83
Original ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Chuck Woolery Dead at 83
‘Wicked’ Moviegoers Dress Up in Outfits Inspired by Characters
‘Wicked’ Moviegoers Dress Up in Outfits Inspired by Characters
Khalid Comes Out As Gay, Says He Was Outed
Khalid Comes Out As Gay, Says He Was Outed
Love Actually Filmmaker Says He’ll Never Direct Again
Love Actually Filmmaker Says He’ll Never Direct Again
Ted Danson Stars in Lovely, Moving “A Man on the Inside” | TV/Streaming
Ted Danson Stars in Lovely, Moving “A Man on the Inside” | TV/Streaming
Every ‘Karate Kid’ Actor Who Came Back for ‘Cobra Kai’
Every ‘Karate Kid’ Actor Who Came Back for ‘Cobra Kai’
The Finale Sets Up a Wild Season 2
The Finale Sets Up a Wild Season 2
SZA confirms new album will release “before the year is over”
SZA confirms new album will release “before the year is over”
Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock on being asked to play bass for “boring” Oasis and why he never found Johnny Rotten’s lyrics “sincere”
Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock on being asked to play bass for “boring” Oasis and why he never found Johnny Rotten’s lyrics “sincere”
Sean Ono Lennon says he started making music to “fill the void” after John Lennon’s death
Sean Ono Lennon says he started making music to “fill the void” after John Lennon’s death
Watch Jon McClure recreate ‘Love Actually’ cards sequence in Reverend and the Makers Christmas Number One bid
Watch Jon McClure recreate ‘Love Actually’ cards sequence in Reverend and the Makers Christmas Number One bid
Wemby scores 25 in return as Spurs sink Warriors
Wemby scores 25 in return as Spurs sink Warriors
Nuggets use strong 2nd half to dominate Lakers
Nuggets use strong 2nd half to dominate Lakers
Pacers’ Haliburton after loss to Bucks: ‘I’ve got to be better’
Pacers’ Haliburton after loss to Bucks: ‘I’ve got to be better’
49ers’ Purdy, Bosa out vs. Packers due to injuries
49ers’ Purdy, Bosa out vs. Packers due to injuries
John Candy’s Last Movie Was in Michael Moore’s Only Fiction Film
John Candy’s Last Movie Was in Michael Moore’s Only Fiction Film
10 Best Big-Budget Sequels Coming in 2025
10 Best Big-Budget Sequels Coming in 2025
TV Shows Doing Nostalgia Right (Without Making It Cringe)
TV Shows Doing Nostalgia Right (Without Making It Cringe)
‘Arcane’ Poster With AI Enhancements Slammed By Fans and Removed by Netflix
‘Arcane’ Poster With AI Enhancements Slammed By Fans and Removed by Netflix
Inside The Alexis Bittar Dinner at The St. Regis
Inside The Alexis Bittar Dinner at The St. Regis
New CEO’s at Saint Laurent & Balenciaga, Massive Editor Exits, & More Moves To Peruse!
New CEO’s at Saint Laurent & Balenciaga, Massive Editor Exits, & More Moves To Peruse!
Hearst Layoffs Backlash, Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday Windows
Hearst Layoffs Backlash, Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday Windows
Luxe Resorts We Love For A Winter Getaway!
Luxe Resorts We Love For A Winter Getaway!