This movie is from the brief period at Warner Brothers when Steven Seagal had decent budgets and good co-stars. This is an obvious ripoff of Die Hard, with Seagal in the Bruce Willis role, Tommy Lee Jones in the Alan Rickman role, and a battleship substituting for an office building. There is an inherent appeal in these movies as the badly outnumbered hero gradually knocks off the bad guys before finally confronting the head villain. Of course, Seagal can't really act, but that's not actually required here. Ex-Playboy playmate Erika Eleniak contributes a brief -- but formidable -- nude scene. (It's interesting that Erika manages to make it through all the slam bang action without breaking even one of her inch-long red fingernails.) All in all, a great popcorn movie for those who like non-stop action (with, of course, non-stop violence).

If you ask any non Seagal fan..Or even some Die Hard Seagal fans, they might tell you that Under Siege is his best movie. and according to Amazon " Seagal can consider himself lucky if he ever makes a better movie than this one" Seagal has never been an academy award wining actor, and I don't think he will ever be; but you have to give him credit for making some bone crushing good flicks (at least his early ones)

Under Siege is thought to be Seagal's best due to its similarity to Die Hard. Even at one point it was given a slogan of "Die Hard on A Battleship" Under siege is one of Seagal's best films, but I as a Segal fan don't think it's #1. I give #1 probably to Out for Justice, Hard To Kill or Marked For Death. The reason why I don't regard this as numero uno is because it feels as if they were actually working up on Die hard a bit. Also Seagal's fights are a bit short and at times in the dark; And not to mention the last fight with Tommy Lee Jones, it's too short and the violence is censored. But other than that the movie is a top notch action extravaganza, the action is great and the story too.

In the movie Seagal plays Casey Rayback...he is a cook for battleship USS Missouri. Rayback has to prepare a meal for a special surprise party for The Captain (Patrick O'Neal) but the surprise is the new arrivals, which seem like musicians and caterers but in fact are invaders that are planning to overtake the ship to steal its arsenal of nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles. The overtaking went as planned, the people on board are taken as hostage.But...they didn't plan on the cook. Aside from being a cook he is an Ex petty officer/Navy seal who has been given medals many times and is an expert in martial arts and his specialty is counter-terrorism...oh boy..The bad guys chose the wrong ship to overtake. The movie is filled with great lines, and some quirky humor. This is Seagal while he still was the champ. Worth owning, for sure.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5

Hove not yet viewed this DVD, but it arrived in a timely manner. Interestingly enough, there is no picture on the disc itself, merely the title printed around the inner circle....

Casey Ryback (Seagal) is a lowly cook aboard the battleship USS Missouri. The only reason he's the lead cook and not in jail is the fact that the captain likes him, oh, and because he's a former Navy Seal.

In the blink of an eye, the insubordinate second in command, Commander Krill (Gary Busey), has orchestrated the arrival a team of mercenaries disguised as busboys led by William Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones), and Ryback is forced to use his killing skills to save the crew, the ship, and possibly millions (the battleship still has nukes).

Seeing as how Krill and Ryback already hate one another, evident from earlier events typified by Krill spitting in Ryback's soup the morning of the siege, the tension and buildup to the eventual battle is palpable. Both Krill and Strannix are psychopaths, who kill on a moment's notice, and desire to sell the nuclear weapons to Russians with evil intentions.

The battle ensues between Ryback and the evil mercenaries, as Ryback uses the ship, his cooking tools, a microwave, some crew members he frees, and various other means to take on and kill the bad guys. Along the way Erika Eleniak makes a topless, albeit pointless appearance and contribution, providing nothing more than a couple eye-rolling moments.

Filled with nonstop action, great Seagal lines, and a satisfying ending, it may not be great cinema, but it's a wonderful action movie good for mindless, carnal viewing.

This is one of Seagal's better films (funny how it still rates only 3 stars). Not quite as hardcore as some of his early fare, and not as preachy as his later films. A good mid-ground piece by a less-than-stellar actor. Still all the action and martial arts makes up for the lack of substantial plot. Clearly worth a watch.