‘Under Siege’

Starring: Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey and Erika Eleniak

Rated: R for strong violence, language and brief nudity

Released: 1992

Running time: 103 minutes

Twenty years ago if you were to mention the name Steven Seagal you would get a friendly nod and a comment along the lines of, “Oh yeah, I loved him in ‘Hard To Kill’” or “He was great in ‘Above the Law.’”

Nowadays, as unfortunate as it is, you’re more likely to get a “Who?” in response, followed by an, “Ohhhh, you mean the guy in all those bad movies in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.”

Bad movies like “Urban Justice” and “Today You Die.”

I haven’t seen those, and I don’t have to. Those are movies you don’t have to watch to know automatically that a root canal would be more enjoyable.

Personally, I quit watching after 1997’s “Fire Down Below,” but I’m sure that if I were to watch his new stuff I could at least get some kind of enjoyment out of them simply because I’m a Seagal fan, no matter how old or bloated he gets.

I know that opinion is not shared by many of you.

That’s why I was thrilled to death when his show, “Steven Seagal: Lawman,” premiered on A&E this past season. (For you other fans, it’s been renewed for a second.) It’s an absolutely fascinating show, and it’s nice to see him get some decent work.

And speaking of, the movie I’m talking about this week happens to be his finest work of all time, “Under Siege.”

Seagal plays Casey Ryback, a cook aboard the USS Missouri. I know what you’re thinking and, believe me, hearing Steven Seagal telling someone to go get his pies out of the oven is hilarious.

It also happens that he’s an ex-Navy Seal. Make sense now?

There’s a party taking place aboard the Missouri in honor of the battleship’s last run at sea, but the party doesn’t really begin until it’s discovered the entertainers brought on board are actually a group of mercenaries led by an ex-CIA agent, William Stranix (Tommy Lee Jones).

With the help of one of the ship’s officers-gone-bad (Gary Busey), they take the crew hostage and overtake the vessel, with plans of selling off its nuclear weapons to the highest-paying client.

Ryback will have to figure out a way to stop the terrorists and free the captive crew. In action movies there’s only one way to deal with bad guys and, believe me, he deals with them.

And it’s bloody fantastic.

While there is a plot that’s decent, at the end of the day it’s not much different from the plot of other action movies. Bad guys take over something, they want money, good guys have to stop them. The end.

So while one could argue that it’s the usual design (although there’s nothing usual about a movie with Gary Busey, and he’s crazier than ever in this one), it doesn’t necessarily feel like that.

What makes “Under Siege” stick out above others of its variety is its sense of humor and the fact that Jones could give credence to an episode of “The Hills,” and that’s no easy feat.

When you have an actor of his caliber in the villain role of an action movie you almost always have gold. Everyone knows playing a bad guy is more fun because you can let loose. And does he ever let loose.

Thanks to the veteran Jones and the volatile Busey, you feel like you have villains who are actually worthy of taking on an action icon like Seagal. Much like Alan Rickman was in “Die Hard.”

But don’t think they completely make the movie. Steven Seagal’s name gets top billing for a reason. Although the direct-to-DVD fare he has out now would beg to differ, he’s a very competent actor.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s Philip Seymour Hoffman, but in a movie like this he does very well. Add to that the fact that “Under Siege” had a very capable director (Andrew Davis, “The Fugitive”) and you have a very nice combination.

Bottom line, if you’re a fan of action movies, you’ll be a fan of “Under Siege.” If you’re a fan of action movies that have a bit more of an edge than the rest, you’ll be a fan of “Under Siege.” Finally, if you’re a fan of Steven Seagal, then I don’t need to tell you that you’ll be a fan of “Under Siege,” because you all ready are. Do yourself a favor and check it out again.

The Movie Dude, Joe Altomere of Fort Myers, grew up in his parents’ video store in Plantersville, Texas. He owns close to 2,000 DVDs and Blu-ray discs and considers that only the start of his collection. E-mail him at jaltomere@yahoo.com