SIEGE: FASCISTS IN CANADA

  

Who would have thought that a movie about gay bashing fascists killing a group of gays in a bar and then facing off against a group defending them would take place in Canada? This is a country known for tolerance and acceptance, not violence. And yet it was made in 1983. Maybe there was more of this going on back then.

SIEGE takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during a police strike. With no law protected the streets the city is a free for all. A group who call themselves the New Order (a fascist group not the band) enter a small gay club and threaten the patrons, telling them there is no place for them in their world. Armed to the teeth, which seems a bit overkill, they accidentally kill the manager. Deciding it’s best not to leave any witnesses they begin shooting everyone in the bar. And yet one person escapes.

The lone escapee heads to the streets followed by the vicious gang. He holds up in an apartment house where those inside decide to help him. The gang follows him there demanding the apartment dwellers send him out. Instead this group comes together to defend this single man from the marauders outside and the siege of the building begins.

The gang calls their boss Cabe who brings them more weaponry. Apparently groups like this have easy access to weapons in Canada or at least in Halifax. One member takes to the rooftop across the street with a high powered scoped rifle. The others are armed with machine guns and try to enter the building. But the residents are resourceful and have laid out traps worthy of a HOME ALONE film for adults. 

Among the defenders of this poor victim there is dissension in the ranks. Some want to help him and others to toss him out and save themselves. As a few of them are taken out the decision to carry on is taken and with what little they have in the way of defenses are laid out and they do their best to maintain their safety.

Around this time a number of films were coming out like this that had everyday citizens taking up arms to defend themselves from different attackers. Perhaps the most famous was DEATH WISH in 1974 with Charles Bronson taking on criminals in New York. FIGHTING BACK in 1982 had Tom Skerritt forming a Guardian Angels type group to protect his neighborhood. And 1976s ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 presented a similar situation to what we see here. All are solid films and this one is no exception. 

You can tell that the budget on this film was small for most movies and yet it takes what funds they had a puts them on the screen. The acting ranges from mediocre to good and the cinematography is better than most. Far too many low budget films that take place at night make you wish you had night vision to see what was transpiring. Not so here. 

The cast for me at least was made up of unknowns but in looking at their credit listings on IMDB most had long careers, perhaps not in lead roles but plenty of supporting items. The only name I recognized was Tom Nardini as the main hero in the apartment. Nardini had a major role in CAT BALLOU and a few TV series but then seemed to disappear. 

The end result here is a movie that’s entertaining and a great example of the genre from that time period. Severin has done a great job with this one too beginning with a 2k scan from the original negative recently discovered in a Nova Scotia archive. Extras include an audio commentary track with co-direct Paul Donovan and filmmaker Jason Eisner, two cuts of the movie: a theatrical 84 minute cut ad a 93 minute extended cut, the trailer for the film, a limited edition slipcover and reversible artwork. 

Fans of the film who might remember it as NIGHT WARRIORS or SELF DEFENSE, to other titles it was released under, or who know the film as SIEGE will be delighted to see this one now available in the best way possible. Kudos to Severin for resurrecting this one from the vault.

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