This title is currently available on Blu-ray from Severin Films.
While Canada has a relatively small film industry in comparison with the US, the country isn’t without its major share of artfully crafted efforts. And, there are just as many smaller genre titles have been released, although over the years many have gotten lost and faded into semi-obscurity. For the past few years, Severin has been attempting to rectify this problem by remastering fascinating “Canuxploitation” titles like Sudden Fury (1975), as well as unusual family fare like The Peanut Butter Solution (1985). They have now focused their efforts on Siege, an extremely tense and effective thriller shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The movie holds up remarkably well and, thanks to the efforts of the distributor, can now be enjoyed by viewers all over the continent and beyond.
The title isn’t likely to sound familiar to most readers and that is because it has been very hard to track down for decades. This reviewer managed to watch it on VHS decades ago and the transfer did the title no favors. The movie looked dark in spots and it was hard to make out what was going on in certain scenes. Severin have given the film a 2K scan from the recently discovered camera negative that was hidden away in a Halifax archival site. The image looks absolutely stunning and the presentation is a revelation that will do nothing but add to the film’s unique allure.
The story is loosely based on a police strike that actually occurred in Halifax in 1981 (although nothing horrible actually occurred in the city, besides a few broken windows and some street racing). This narrative uses newscasts that aired during the actual protest, showing officers walking from the jobs. However, instead of what actually occurred, in this tale the creeps immediately take to the streets. The story follows a group of militaristic, right-wing extremists who decide to take advantage of the situation.
Four dimwits led by Goose (Jeff Pustil) arrive at a LGBTQ bar and threaten the clientele. When they accidentally murder the owner, the frightened members call in their leader, Cabe (Doug Lennox). He begins executing the patrons to remove any witnesses. One customer named Daniel (Terry-David Despres) escapes and makes his way to a very quirky, run-down building by the port. Inside are Horatio (Tom Nardini), Barbara (Brenda Bazinet), neighbor Chester (Daryl Haney) and a few friends (Keith Knight and Jack Blum from the comedy classic, Meatballs). When the residents refuse to give Daniel up, the entire group come under attack by the gun-toting mob and must resort to elaborate tricks to avoid being slaughtered.
This story still feels relevant today and the initial raid is appropriately harrowing. The pacing is excellent as Daniel flees and it’s extremely tense to watch the protagonists hunker down to avoid gunfire and try to protect themselves. While the low-budget might initially be seen as a big problem for the filmmakers to overcome, it actually adds authenticity to the proceedings, as well as a layer of tension. The leads certainly adapt some creative defense methods in their bohemian abode, including traps involving electricity and homemade explosives. However, Cabe is a clever leader and things don’t always go as planned for the overwhelmed heroes.
Viewers certainly have to accept a few eccentric elements, like a vintage medicine cabinet that opens into the adjacent apartment (which doesn’t seem very practical for the resident, but provides a great action set-piece after the complex is invaded). Still, these little abnormalities make the real apartment seem like a character in and of itself. The movie is incredibly well-edited, unique and compelling from beginning to end. It is a remarkably effective low-budget genre picture that delivers the exploitation goods and should have reached a much wider audience.
Beside the stunning image upgrade, the film includes a commentary track with co-director Paul Donovan moderated by Jason Eisener, the man behind Hobo with a Shotgun. The track is incredibly informative and a real asset to anyone interested in learning more about low-budget filmmaking. Donovan explains that he was inspired by independent production of the era like Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13 (the latter movie’s influence is very evident). He describes how he managed to raise about $200,000 for the production from small, international distributors on the hunt for B-movies. At this time in history, home video was exploding and many companies wanted extra product to eventually release on VHS and Beta formats.
Donovan wrote the movie in 10 days with his girlfriend at the time, Maura O’Connell (who co-directed the finished product). They literally struggled to keep the movie in focus shooting at night with limited focal-length lenses and nominal film supplies. In fact, the shooting ratio was about 3.5:1, which means that there wasn’t much a lot of footage shot that didn’t end up in the finished product. He talks about techniques used to pull off the elaborate effects and also goes into detail about his experiences with distributors.
When the movie was picked up in various territories, the title was often altered. Donovan mentions that he hated the various moniker invented for the film, including the US release title, Self Defense. Perhaps one of the most interesting points he makes is about working with actors, expressing his dislike for filmmakers who spend all of their time behind a video monitor and relay messages to the actors from a distance or through an assistant director. He describes ways of getting around this problem and working with the cast more closely to get the best out of them. The two also discuss the movie’s influence and growing fandom, with the pair noting that they heard the makers of The Purge were in part inspired by this film. It certainly makes sense given the similarity of the concept.
Another fantastic extra is the “Japanese version” which is included on this disc. After the film was sold, the distributor from this country insisted on a longer running time. Donovan and the crew shot a couple of added prologue sequences exclusively for Japan to push the movie over 90 minutes. They include a scene with Goose abusing his wife and an introduction to the heroes of the story. Neither scene is essential and this longer version isn’t favored by those on the commentary track or this reviewer, but it is great to finally see these bonuses and a slightly altered cut of the movie.
Donovan enjoyed a successful film career in Canada, going to write and direct films like DEFCON-4 (1985), Norman’s Awesome Experience (1988) and George’s Island (1989) (which is a personal favorite of commentary moderator Eisener). But Donovan may have ended up earning the most notoriety for producing the cult 90s science-fiction TV series, Lexx.
Siege is a really remarkable low-budget feature that is far more successful than one would expect and served a great calling card for the filmmaker. Severin have once again delivered a superior Blu-ray product that fully displays just how impressively shot and crafted the movie is. This new release comes highly recommended and the film is certain to win over new fans who appreciate genre films. Check it out!