1683 and an Islamic force of three hundred thousand Turks lay siege to Vienna and the fate of Europe lies in the hands of Capuchin friar called Marco d'Aviano and a Polish knight called Jan Sobieski In a mood for a historical epic I watched DAY OF THE SIEGE with some apprehension . It's got lukewarm feedback on this site and not long in to the film I can see where the complaints are coming from . It has a good cast and costume and production design are impressive but it's impossible not to notice the musical score is awful . It's intrusive and used badly and by trying to create mood it effectively destroys every scene when it is heard . Noticing music when it's good really enhances a scene and much of my enjoyment of the trashy thriller GONE GIRL was simply down to the Reznor / Ross soundtrack and is one of my favourite scores of recent cinema . DAY OF THE SIEGE must just be my least favourite one As the story continues there's another element that is a spanner in the works - bias . This is a heavily religious film and in the opening scene we see a supposed miracle . Obviously this miracle happens on the Christian side with Marco present . He's a pious man don't you know and the more pious someone is due to their service to God the better they are . Marco is good and King Louis the king of France is a philistine who wants to stab the Holy Roman Empire in the back . It's the bias against the Islamic Turks that does jar . I did think Kara Mustafa Pasha might be painted in a neutral light but as the story continues it's obvious this film might be having an agenda that there was no difference between the Muslims seen here and hardcore violent terrorists and mass murderers seen today in Iraq and Syria . Words like "Jihad" and "Infidel" are thrown about with gat abandon and the Muslims are not to be trusted . One reason the religion of Islam was so popular in those times was because in the zeitgeist of those days was it was relatively liberal . Now it wasn't liberal as we understand the word in the 21st Century but an enemy of Islam was offered the choice of either dying or converting where the defeated enemy would be allowed to keep his land and property which in the spirit of the time was quite a good deal . You wouldn't really know that from watching this and every opportunity to equate 17th Century Islam with the present day ISIS and Taliban where women are kept as sex slaves gets wheeled out at several points . Even the film's other title ELEVEN September 1683 has an unhidden agenda of sorts . I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a racist film but it is one that is heavily biased which works against it . I'm an anti-theist with a Greek name and even I thought the portrayal of Muslim Turks was ugly

Good storyline and a historical representation of events that shaped Europe. Most of the actors are excellent in their acting. However, the CGI effects are not on par with a multi-million dollar flick. You need to remember, this was a very low budget movie that actually engages you with a proper story. This movie, for acting and storyline alone, deserves at minimum a 6 rating. It should be seen to allow all to understand the mindset of what the middle east has in store for the rest of the current world. Centuries ago Poland stood up, will it take invasion to open the eyes to the rest of the world? "Misunderstanding of the present grows fatally from the ignorance of the past." Marc Bloch

Really I would give a 5.5 since the ratings are 3.4 which is lower than it should. It's clear people want gory battles but this historical drama lacks that. Like some, I just saw it on netflix and that's where it belongs, quite an average film. Most epics are good films and few go wrong but this one falls short. Acting is average. F. Murray Abraham is overbearing as Marco D'Aviano. He just spends a bit too much time shouting. Did the real Marco D'Aviano shout? I doubt it since he was revered as a skill negotiator. Enrico Lo Verso plays Kara Mustafa which is fine since the real Mustafa was Albanian. A pleasant surprise appearance was Jerzy Skolimowski as Jan Sobieski, the King of Poland. He wrote the screenplay for Knife in the Water, a 1962 Polish gem by Roman Polanski. He also directed some unusual cult films like Moonlighting and Torrents of Spring. Personally I take a liking to his bizarre King, Queen, Knave and Adventures of Gerard (mostly due to Gina Lollobrigida and Claudia Cardinale). But yes, you get the point. Day of the Siege is an Italian-Polish production that falls into a sort of cult-like realm. A more religious cult-like realm.So complaints by modern standards: No blood, special effects do look like a war video game at times, the sky never seems to be real, dialogue is stiff and formal, acting is over the top or stiff except a few moments where Lo Verso and Skoliminowski shine. Direction is very average, nothing special and predictable. The low ratings may be due to expectations that this would be a gory film about the battle. Battle choreography falls short by today's standards. Polish nationals might be disappointed that King Jan Sobieski's appearances are limited. People are not going to cheer for a monk unless it's Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose. Some of the low ratings may be due to turn- off with a religious tone. Some don't like the references to September 11 and the concept of defending the faith. So some complain about historical inaccuracy.But actually, in researching this interesting siege of Vienna, the film could focus on King Jan Sobieski but Marco D'Aviano was a real key character. Perhaps he was made too zealous in the film with a weak script and direction - how could a monk win a battle? This part of the film was a bit fictional. But in reality Marco was a key diplomat who was a skilled negotiator in bringing the remnants of the Holy Roman Empire back together against the encroaching Ottomans. The real Marco had quite high standards and even several hundred captured Turks went to him to beg for mercy knowing his skills in helping others. But in terms of filmmaking, it's not that interesting and may involve deeper character development. Another person complained that Kara Mustafa prostrated before the Sultan and in Islam, one never prostrates unless before God. Actually that is incorrect, as it is traditional to prostrate before very high rank. And it is tradition that a failed Grand Vizier is executed by strangulation by a silk cloth. So some feel it makes the Ottomans look evil or inhuman. But on the other hand, the only family we see in the movie is Kara Mustafa's. Therefore he is a central figure who has a human touch.It is an average film but below average for an epic. It lacks the excitement that a bloodier epic might have, such as Braveheart or the Last Samurai. But it is far more accurate than people suggest especially compared to most epics.The strengths of the film was as some say, soundtrack was fairly strong, costume design was good. Just a bit too glorious and shallow. Like a nice piece of cake that looks good but a bit bland.

As Vienna never fell, there should be no spoilers possible; but it does contain drama so I'll skip that.As usual, the the Ottomans want to roll up Europe like they did the formerly Christian nations of the Middle East and North Africa. Only Vienna stands in their path. They bring a huge army. Their siege is working to perfection. And yet, they fail.How? It's great to watch the movie. You might even see things that remind you of Lord of the Rings (Large army out of the East, city without a strong enough defense to survive alone, weak, decadent leaders who can't agree about what to have for lunch, and a few surprises.This is worth watching (I saw it on cable in Korea) and buying. But only if you like movies where the good guys win.