for Death and Hard to Kill in my youth I had come to expect a tougher movie than the what we were given though the tyrannical BBFC cut the film to shreds and denied me what I wanted to see . I was dismayed at the lousy 15-rating and not even Erika Eleniak's boobs could cheer me up she's blonde-not my thing .Flash forward to July 1995 and the awesome poster for Under Siege 2 started showing up in cinema lobbies. It featured the impassive one clinging to the side of a burning train hurtling through the countryside and featured, quite frankly, the best subtitle of any sequel ever 'Dark Territory'. This time it was rated 18 which meant I could look forward to all the blood and gore that the first Under Siege lacked. Obviously I couldn't see this film in the cinema, being only 15 and all, so I had to wait until the video came out in early 1996. By that point the BBFC those people from the dark-ages again had censored every last bit of red stuff to the point where it could be shown on the friggin' Disney Channel if it weren't for the swearing.I would have to wait until 1999, when I bought the uncut US version on DVD, to see the film in it's entirety. And when I did it was like watching a brand new movie.Casey Ryback, now the head chef of the Mile High Cafe in Denver, had retired from the Navy but still works for the government doing the odd secret mission here and there. When his brother is killed in a plane crash he takes his niece Sarah the lurvley Katherine Hiegl on a trip to LA on the Grand Continental, but that particular train just so happens to be hijacked by crazed computer genius Travis Dane and his band of menacing mercenaries featuring dead-eyed Everett McGill and the sleazy Peter Greene. He has a beef with the government and is only too happy to use his skills to blow the Pentagon off the face of the Earth and collect a nice paycheck from the Saudis.Luckily for Ryback, he was momentarily absent when the hostages were rounded up as he nipped into the kitchen to bake a cake. He teams up with naive porter Bobby Zachs Morris Chestnut, bringing life to an otherwise ordinary sidekick role and begins his skulking, lurking mission through the shadows and voids of the train to pull the brake and free the hostages. Do these nasty people really think that they stand a chance against Ryback's awesome power and apparent invincibility? Sit back and watch them get annihilated with a variety of improvised mêlée weapons and other gruesome tools.The train is a better setting than the boat. This time instead of a plain black backdrop we've got lots of pretty scenery and the constant forward motion of the loco gives the movie a nice momentum. Basil Poledouris' score soars miles above Gary Chang's bland notes of the first one and it honestly ends up being one of the best scores ever and a perfect example of how action music ought to be. And don't worry about this one being slow as the first. Under Siege 2 is edited so quickly that coherence is almost lost. You have to pay quick attention and perhaps watch the film a few times just to catch everything.The comic-book nature of the plot, the cliffhanger feel of the ever-escalating mayhem and cartoonish villains might normally result in a campy movie but Under Siege 2 is as hardcore and sadistic and mean-spirited as the come. That's probably the reason the BBFC chose to cut it, claiming that it featured 'gloating and pervasive violence'. Well, I never found it to be that evil, just entertaining. Which is why I don't like narrow-minded institutions telling me what I can and cannot watch.No one could possibly have a bad time watching this film unless it's the UK version and if you've had enough of Shane Meadows doing pretentious black and white stuff or Keira Knightely in a frock to last you a lifetime then the brainless and breathtaking action of Under Siege 2 is just what you need.

then you will be disappointed. But if you expect that from any all out action film I expect you are a fool. Totally over the top, totally unbelievable but a total blast.

perfectly designed. Now, in conclusion, to all you Steven Seagal fans who haven't seen this great action movie that takes place on a train, I highly recommend it.

is almost in a comic-book or video game style, that is one the reasons why i like Under Siege 2.You can watch it even if you haven't watched the first Under Siege, because there are no real "connections" from the first movie, just the character played by Seagal.

roller-coaster ride and it does move fast. No boring moments in this one. Great villains that you can't wait 'til they get theirs! Kudos to the stunt men and Seagal for some rip roaring action and I have to salute director Geoff Murphy for a job well done. If you enjoy a good action film, this one's for you.

distraction to the hijacker. Great cast, great action, and a great plot I say. I don't care for the critics' opinion, I just liked this movie the way it is! Rating 3 out of 5 stars. 8 out of 10!

off with Seagal making his appearance in civilian clothes to dramatic music. We learn the grim news that his character's only brother and sister-in-law were killed in a plane crash, leaving his only relative, a niece, still alive. He accompanies the teenager on a train ride from Denver to LA. He has the bad luck, but good for his Country, to be on the train that is attacked by terrorists bent on destroying Washington, D.C., and the US eastern coast for profit only. The maniacal would-be killer of millions is character Travis Dane, recently fired by a Government agency. The terrorist method is a high-tech powerful new weapon orbiting the earth and the train moving through lonely mountains provides the screen, as in "Dark Territory". Seagal seems somewhat lucky to avoid being killed early on, but then becomes a locomotive of destruction for the bad guys. Andy Romano returns as the full admiral, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and provides a continuity from the first Under Siege movie. This is all action showing Seagal as a dedicated and deadly force of protection for the train hostages and the citizens to the east. The action moves, and some of the death blows are right out of the military manual. Watchable over and over and still exciting.

Dane Eric Bogosian , is a high-tech mastermind, who fakes his own death in order to gain control of a top-secret nuclear satellite... For this crazy technical genius, technology can be used for beauty or debasement, and 'until you plug it in, you just can't tell.'Dane's henchman Penn Everett McGill is a soldier of fortune freak, whose relationship with his boss resurfaced during Desert Storm...Morris Chestnut's focus is on humor and breath-taking sequences...Geoff Murphy's film is incredibly entertaining, combining action, martial arts, and dark sense of humor...

codes for a powerful particle beam satellite weapon known as Grazer One developed by ATAC & the CIA, financed by middle eastern bad guy's they intend to destroy the Pentagon & the American eastern seaboard with Grazer One. Sounds simple eh? Well, they hadn't counted on Casey 'f*cking' Ryback who is used to this sort of thing...Directed by Geoff Murphy this is my favourite Die Hard 1988 clone, it is a top action flick in it's own right & is easily Seagal's best film, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory remains one of only two sequels Seagal has appeared in although I'm not really sure what that mean in itself & is superior to the original Under Siege 1992 which was also one of Seagal's better efforts. The script by Richard Hatem & Matt Revees moves along like a rocket, it's action packed, has some quotable one-liners & has that trademark Seagal brutality that was apparent in his early films. In fact sometimes Seagal's character is more brutal & violent than the bad guy's which I must admit didn't quite sit right with me at times but at least it makes for some ultra violent fights & action scenes. The story itself is decent too, the hijacking of a train is a neat idea on it's own & well realised while the particle beam satellite adds a little something different as well, the character's are good with the jokey Bogosian & the deadpan McGill working well off each other & providing a nice contrast in the villain department. However while Seagal comes across as a mean mother his porter sidekick is there for comedy relief & he irritates although not enough to ruin things & then there's Katherine Heigl who is a total babe & her presence is most welcome.Director Murphy keeps things moving along, he keeps the jokey quips & one-liners to a minimum & he serves up some brutal action scenes & fights. From bad guy's being shot in the face, to Seagal making a home made bomb & letting it blow up in someones face, someone is kicked in front of a train & ran over, people fall from cliffs, wrists are cut, necks snapped, bones broken, knives are stuck in people throats & there is a massive body count. Unfortunately not in any of the British Video or DVD versions though which are heavily cut, in fact almost every violent scene is trimmed in some way & is an absolute travesty. I can't stress enough not to invest in any British version of Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, I got an uncut Dutch DVD from Amsterdam for about 3 quid & the difference is immeasurable. This film also has more action scenes than most Seagal films & isn't just fights, there are some nice explosions as various things are blown to pieces & there's a nice truck chase as well.With a supposed budget of about $60,000,000 this had a big budget & it shows with really good production values, it has, for the time, good special effects which still look alright & the action scenes are just bigger & better with that big budget Hollywood over-the-top feel to them. There's a decent cast here although Seagal lets it down as he mumbles his way through the part, at least he's gotten rid of the ponytail for this & I think Kurtwood Smith would have been better as a baddie like he was in Robocop 1987 .Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is another excessively violent & brutal Seagal action flick, personally I think it's his beast & just a damned fine film in it's own right. It has a good cast, good villains, good action set-pieces & a decent story, what more do you want?