Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in!

September 20, 2007 3:15 PM

What are the best movies in which the action revolves around protagonists under siege in an enclosed space?

More specifically, I’m looking for movies that feature people inside some kind of fortification fighting off attempts by baddies to gain access. So for example, Assault on Precinct 13, or Panic Room rather than Under Seige or The Siege. Something like Rio Bravo would be okay but would suit this question better if John T. and Dude had spent more time holed up in the jail with Stumpy.

posted by beautifulstuff to media & arts (44 comments total)

Lots of these.
posted by ND¢ at 3:16 PM on September 20, 2007

Aliens.
posted by tomcooke at 3:23 PM on September 20, 2007

What he said. In particular Dawn of the Dead (both the original and the re-make). But you probably knew that already.
posted by hot soup girl at 3:25 PM on September 20, 2007

Serenity.
posted by nkknkk at 3:28 PM on September 20, 2007

Straw Dogs.
posted by fish tick at 3:31 PM on September 20, 2007

IMDB keyword: siege.
posted by doublesix at 3:32 PM on September 20, 2007

Dog Day Afternoon

Assault on Precinct 13 (either version)


For television, The Kill Point is actually a pretty nifty show.
posted by elendil71 at 3:36 PM on September 20, 2007

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Home Alone.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:38 PM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Kurosawa's The Seven Samourai.
John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven.
posted by bru at 3:42 PM on September 20, 2007

300
posted by The World Famous at 3:43 PM on September 20, 2007

For part of the movie, The Negotiator.
posted by jmd82 at 3:47 PM on September 20, 2007

How does 300 count?

Die Hard 1

Under Siege (and the sequel)

(these might be more trapped in space trying to free everyone then what you're looking for)
posted by bitdamaged at 3:51 PM on September 20, 2007

Panic Room
posted by porn in the woods at 3:52 PM on September 20, 2007

(D'OH!)
posted by porn in the woods at 3:52 PM on September 20, 2007

Inside Man
posted by Durin's Bane at 4:04 PM on September 20, 2007

I can see 300. the Spartans find a place to make their stand through which the baddies want/need access.
posted by jmd82 at 4:04 PM on September 20, 2007

It's not really an action or fighting movie, but I think "The Others" pretty much fits your criteria.
posted by LionIndex at 4:08 PM on September 20, 2007

Titanic (if water could be construed as a "baddie.")
Apollo 13 (if space could be construed as a "baddie.")
Evil Dead
The Shining (for part of it ... and Jack even quotes 3 Little Pigs!)
posted by macadamiaranch at 4:08 PM on September 20, 2007

Oh! And Cujo!
posted by macadamiaranch at 4:10 PM on September 20, 2007

The Birds.
posted by fish tick at 4:16 PM on September 20, 2007

These are awesome suggestions (some of which I'm a little embarrassed to have overlooked). Thanks everyone!
posted by beautifulstuff at 4:26 PM on September 20, 2007

Taps
posted by culberjo at 4:34 PM on September 20, 2007

Starship Troopers has a big battle piece with Space Marines fighting of zillions of giant bugs in a very flimsy looking fortress.

Both The Two Towers and Return of the King have big finales where this is happening obviously.

The Road Warrior.
posted by Scoo at 4:55 PM on September 20, 2007

The Gauntlet

ah, that bus.

Night of the Living Dead and remake Night of the living Dead
posted by Megafly at 4:57 PM on September 20, 2007

The Three Amigos.
posted by Tixylix at 4:58 PM on September 20, 2007

Phonebooth
posted by daviss at 5:08 PM on September 20, 2007

would Cube count?
posted by softlord at 5:13 PM on September 20, 2007

Zulu.
posted by iconomy at 5:20 PM on September 20, 2007

Predator
posted by Operation Afterglow at 5:38 PM on September 20, 2007

As a kid one of the most terrifying movies I saw was Westworld with Yul Brynner. A robot filled resort gets ugly when the robots turn on the guests. What I remember from that film, and what scared me the most, wasn't the slaughter of tourists by the bots, but the helpless admins who sealed themselves in the control room but then died when the oxygen ran out. I was never claustrophobic until I saw that. Looks like they're doing a re-make.
posted by Toekneesan at 5:49 PM on September 20, 2007

Onibus 174 (Bus 174) - A documentary.
posted by cocoagirl at 5:59 PM on September 20, 2007

When the last Harry Potter film comes out, in 2010...
posted by ethnomethodologist at 6:02 PM on September 20, 2007

Waterworld...sort've.
posted by pilibeen at 6:30 PM on September 20, 2007

Oh, and Speed.

and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. (or any sub movie)
posted by pilibeen at 6:34 PM on September 20, 2007

Do the movies have to be good?
because Deep Blue Seaqualifies, and the baddies are superintelligent sharks.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 6:50 PM on September 20, 2007

This is definitely more of a horror theme than an action one, so I'd lean that way when looking for films. For some reason it really shows up often in horror-comedies.

On the line of zombie movies, certainly don't miss the bar scene in Shawn of the Dead.

This is also a really common theme in vampire movies. Off the top of my head, From Dusk Till Dawn is a good match.
posted by onalark at 6:58 PM on September 20, 2007

Cube 2
posted by banished at 7:03 PM on September 20, 2007

Last Man on Earth / The Omega Man

For something completely different: Sahara Hare ("Great horny toads!")
posted by SPrintF at 7:12 PM on September 20, 2007

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (only one scene like this, but its the one scene that I like. I'm not a fan of the movie, but I LOVE that scene.)

"Signs"

"2001" has an interesting twist on this, in which the story is told from the vantage point of the guy who is trying to get in. ("Open the pod bay doors, Hal).
posted by grumblebee at 9:06 PM on September 20, 2007

Hitchcock's Lifeboat.
posted by Wolof at 12:22 AM on September 21, 2007

Saw?
posted by electroboy at 6:11 AM on September 21, 2007

This theme occurs in a number of westerns, e.g. Rio Bravo and Bad Day at Black Rock.
posted by pasici at 6:35 AM on September 21, 2007

Mad Max 2
posted by BigLankyBastard at 6:40 AM on September 21, 2007

Das Boot (and presumably other submarine movies, but Das Boot is _Great_).
posted by Jahaza at 9:42 AM on September 21, 2007