UNDER SIEGE 2. There's no denying that Steven Seagal is the dorkiest action star around. He only has a few expressions he can handle, so his movie's scripts always do all the work for him, writing in his sensitive side and crafting dozens of characters to admire his all-American killing prowess. That's fine. Once you have accepted Seagal for the buffoon he is, his latest film, Under Siege 2, becomes altogether watchable. Here is an action movie that works hard--really hard--to keep the audience happy, piling on cat-and-mouse chases, impossible stunts and bizarre fighting moves with uncontrolled gusto. Eric Bogosian is brilliantly cast as the baddie, who takes over a train on his way to taking over the world. And in banal Die Hard fashion, Seagal just happens to be on board to pick off the henchman--each of whose deaths are rendered in loving detail by the filmmakers. Seagal may not be the ideal American patriot, but his latest movie has a very American appeal: more bang for your buck.

Unstrung Heroes. Diane Keaton directed this quirky nostalgic tale about a young boy whose troubles dealing with the death of his mother (Andi Macdowell) are exacerbated by the cold, scientific mentality of his father (John Turturro). Ironically, the boy finds emotional release by staying with his two crazy uncles, played by Maury Chaykin and Michael Richards (a.k.a. Seinfeld's Kramer). The result is a low-key, subtly magical-realist film with a welcome European flavor. The film works very well in its modest terms, though viewers should be warned that the picture is as much a weepie as it is a comedy.

Up Close and Personal. This B-side to Broadcast News stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford as earnest TV journalists struggling to lead meaningful lives in a trivialized profession. Up Close and Personal chronicles the rise of a tough-but-unseasoned trailer-park Cinderella (Pfeiffer) and her sexist but savvy Prince Charming (Redford). What's more, the movie is a Cinderella story unto itself: What appears to be the makings of a sappy and clichéd

The Usual Suspects. An interesting first film from director Bryan Singer, this combination caper film/mystery overburdens itself with plot while letting its ensemble cast of charismatic career criminals--Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro--go to waste after a potent start. As mysteries go, this one's payoff feels inadequate, but the movie is notable for the amount of energy it puts into its ongoing exposition of details. And thanks to a couple of strong key perfomances, the film's central idea stays with you: that of a huge, fearsome mind intelligent enough to manipulate all the other characters with precision and octopus-like simultaneity.