Despite being some of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis he collaborated only once in the late 90s, with his film being the center of great controversy. The siege it was the first and only film the two made together, with each having major successes before and after finally appearing in a film together. His films have lasted for decades and will continue to do so.
Denzel Washington has a particularly strong filmography in the 90s, with Malcolm X, Philadelphia, He got the gameand Much Ado About Nothing. Bruce Willis was considered one of the best action stars of all time that decade, starring in films such as Die Hard franchise, The Fifth Elementand Armageddon. When they finally collaborated The siegefailed to live up to the heights of the two stars' other films, with the most talked about aspect of the film revolving around the controversy.
The Siege was Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington's only joint film
There really should have been more
Despite being some of the biggest action stars on the planet and, at the same time, Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington only made one film togetherwithout either of them reuniting after that. The siege was released on November 6, 1998, featuring Washington and Willis starring alongside Annette Bening (Being Julia) and Tony Shalhoub (Galaxy Mission). The film was an action thriller directed by Edward Zwick, known for his films such as Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samuraiand Blood Diamond.
Even with a significant amount of talent both in front of and behind the film, The siege It received relatively poor reviews and failed at the box office, grossing just US$75 million against a budget of US$70 million. The film's narrative explores a fictional scenario in which several terrorist groups carry out several attacks in New York City. It's a shame that the only film with Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis didn't live up to high expectations, with the only legacy it left behind being a controversial reception surrounding the film's story.
Why the siege was so controversial
The thriller has been accused of reinforcing dangerous stereotypes
After its initial release, The siege was quickly met with controversy over the depictions of Arab terrorists in the film, which was released just five years after the al-Qaeda bombing of the World Trade Center. In fact, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee spoke out against the film when it was released with Hussein Ibish saying, “The Siege is extremely offensive. It's beyond offensive. We're used to offensive, it's become a daily thing. This is really dangerous.” as in truth “reinforced stereotypes that lead to hate crimes.”
ONE 1998 CNN report discusses Edward Zwick's feelings on the controversy, with him saying: “There have been bombings by extremists. They are not representative of Islam, they are not representative of the vast majority of people who love this country, but nevertheless they exist. The answer to that is what interests me.” Zwick went on to talk about a meeting with the Council on American-Islamic Relations with just a few weeks left in filming to discuss changing the film's premise, which Zwick said he was unwilling to do, moving forward with the planned story in The siege.