Looking a little like "Die Hard on Board," Under Siege really delivers as a slick fast-paced ocean-going take on the "one man against the terrorists" theme. Ably challenged by Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey and Colm Meaney (before he headed off for Star Fleet), Steven Seagal proves that he’s more than a match for the baddies and handles the set pieces with great aplomb.
Battleship Missouri is on its way to be decommissioned and on board Captain Adam’s personal cook, Casey Ryback (Seagal), is once again mixing it with the short-tempered XO Commander Krill (Busey). On the Captain’s birthday, Krill has arranged a surprise party, along with a rock band who fly in by helicopter. Engineering another spat with Ryback, Krill has him locked in the freezer. During the party, the "rock band" are revealed as mercenaries. Their leader, William Stranix (Jones), is an ex-CIA operative, and is working with Krill to steal the ship’s nuclear warheads. The hijackers lock the crew in the forward hold and Stranix sends two of his men to take care of Ryback. But Ryback escapes and quickly despatches the two thugs. He is a former Navy SEAL, who was demoted after an incident in Panama, and he is the only man that stands between Stanix and his nuclear pot of gold.
* Under Siege, Channel 4, 11.05pm Friday 9 February
Worth a look:
* Notting Hill, Channel 4, 9.05pm Saturday 3 February
* The Silence of the Lambs, ITV2, 12.35am Sunday 4 February
* Pale Rider, ITV4, 9.30pm Friday 9 February
* Muriel’s Wedding, UKTV Gold, 10.20pm Friday 9 February
Avoid:
* Lake Placid, Sci-Fi, 10pm Monday 5 February – almost as boring as ‘Perfect Storm’
