American Siege (2022) Review

Directed by: Edward Drake

Starring: Bruce Willis, Timothy V. Murphy, Rob Gough, Anna Hindman, Johann Urb, Cullen G. Chambers, and Trevor Gretzky

Synopsis: Washed-up Sheriff Ben Watts (Bruce Willis) guards the secrets of the wealthy residents of a small Georgia town. When three outlaws take a prominent town doctor hostage in search of a missing woman, Sheriff Watts is called in to handle the situation before the FBI arrives. In a race against time, mayor Charles Routledge (Timothy V. Murphy) pressures Sheriff Watts to launch an assault on the hostage-takers and to eliminate all witnesses. When the Sheriff realizes he may be a pawn in a larger scheme, he must carve a bloody warpath to expose the truth behind the town’s dark secrets.

Review: Edward Drake reunites with Bruce Willis in American Siege!

Bruce Willis plays Sheriff Ben Watts, a Sheriff who works under the strict rule of the shady mayor, Charles Routledge – Timothy V. Murphy – who plays the role to his menacingly best. Willis seems engaged in this role, while Willis does rack up a few bodies, this is more of a crime-thriller than an action-thriller. Its good to see Drake write a great script that builds up the characters and shows us all the skeletons in their closet, every character has a murky past. The most honest people seemed to be the hostage takers – who were trying to uncover a conspiracy, this made a great twist to narrative, though its not as cut and dry as that while viewing. maybe I read into that wrong? I’m sure I’ll be corrected if that’s the case!

American Siege also features Johnny Messner who plays a supporting role to Timothy V. Murphy’s character. Messner has such a cool voice and he’s a badass, the first Bruce Willis movie he featured in was Tears Of The Sun, from there on he became a memorable face and name, Messner also featured in the TV series, Killer Instinct, it got cancelled after one season, but it was a great show! Seeing him back on screen and firing off some rounds was awesome! Get back in front of the camera, Johnny!

Timothy V. Murphy, an actor who is no stranger to playing the villainous lead, a memorable role was as Ian Doyle, a member of the IRA who kept the BAU on their toes through a few episodes of the TV series, Criminal Minds. Timothy has a commanding screen presence. His character is ruthless and cold and would trample on anyone who gets in his way, at one point he tells the Sheriff to “get the F**k outta here” which the Sheriff does quite quickly.

Overall, Edward Drake brings a solid story and passion project to life, as always he makes the most out of the time he has with Bruce and uses his supporting cast to their best.