The Negotiator
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Movie Reviews of The Negotiator
Movie Review: I was entertained. But not blown away.
Summary: 3 Stars
Another "hostage scenario with twists" thriller. In it, Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey both play police hostage negotiators, operating on opposite sides of the law. Jackson is forced to take hostages in a bid to prove his innocence after he is framed for the murder of his partner. As part of his strategy for exposing the conspiracy of corrupt cops resposnsible for framing him and killing his partner, Jackson calls in the impartial Spacey to act as his negotitator and buy him the time he needs. Meanwhile the corrupt cops are trying to find excuses for killing Jackson while making it look like a neccessary part of the hostage-freeing operation.
Jackson does his usual powerful action hero stuff but think more Danny Glover in lethal weapon than Jules in Pulp Fiction (less cool and swagger). Spacey (surely a true acting god) is somewhat restricted in this role (lets face it the material doesn't really allow him to showcase his full talents), but does a great job of bringing to life the rather pedestrian script.
I was entertained. But not blown away.
Movie Review: JACKSON AND SPACEY SAVE THE DAY
Summary: 4 Stars
Powerful performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey fuel this intense, often excellent crime thriller. Jackson plays an ace negotiator who finds himself framed for the murder of his partner and extorting funds from the policeman's disability pensions. Overwrought with a desire to prove his innocence, Jackson takes several people hostage in the Internal Affairs division and requests fellow hotshot negotiator Spacey to deal with him on his terms. Gary Gray directs the fine cast with professional aplomb and elicits commendable performances from a fine supporting cast including David Morse, Paul Giamatti, the late J. T. Walsh, Ron Rifkin and Regina Taylor. The movie climaxes in a compelling confrontation where the viewer isn't sure what's going on.
THE NEGOTIATOR is a fine example of good performances compensating for a sometimes derivative script.
Movie Review: An action flick with a plot!
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is a good blend of the acting styles of Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. Spacey plays a subtle, intelligent hostage negotiator trying to talk police officer Jackson down from holding several hostages while he attempts to prove his innocence after having been wrongly fingered for offing his partner. There's enough action in the film to keep anyone's attention, but the plot is interesting enough that the discerning moviegoer isn't disappointed. The ending is a little neat, but in all a fine way to spend a couple hours. Movie Review: Stellar cast and tight script make for a tense thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Lt. Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson), a police negotiator, and his partner Nate Roenick (Paul Guilfoyle) discover that someone has been embezzling money from the police retirement fund. When Nate is killed, Danny is set up with planted evidence to take the fall on the embezzlement charges.
When Danny confronts Inspector Terence Neibaum (J.T. Walsh), who works in Internal Affairs, trying to find out why he is being set up, things get out of hand and Danny winds out taking Neibaum and his entire office hostage. Danny insists on speaking only with Lt. Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), a police negotiator from a west side precinct who is unknown to their department. Danny's hopes are that with Chris being an outsider, he can help him discover the truth behind the bad cops in his department that killed his partner.
What follows is a tense thriller as step by step, Danny gets closer to the truth behind the very people he has known and worked with for over ten years, building up to a rather predictable and yet intensely climactic ending.
The performances by Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey are as good as it gets, backed by terrific supporting roles from David Morse, J.T. Walsh, Siobhan Fallon, Paul Giamatti, and Michael Cudlitz.
The Negotiator stands out amongst other movies of it's genre because of it's tight scripting, excellent editing and photography, and the obvious fact that the actors involved were working as a close team. This is a great thriller, tense from beginning to end, and a definite addition to your DVD collection.
I like the fact that it is definitely enjoyable even after the second and third viewing, knowing who is who the second time around and watching the interaction from the "I know who's guilty" angle, and appreciating the performances all over again. Enjoy!
Movie Review: Entertaining Film but Not Especially Memorable
Summary: 3 Stars
When I saw there was a cop movie starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey (that I did not remember hearing about when it came out) I figured this was a sure fire hit. Well, not quite.
I can't say it's a bad film, but it's not really great either. I think the problem is with character development. As flambuoyant as Jackson is, his character was frankly not all that likeable. And Spacey's character was not developed well enough to form a cogent opinion. It was as if Spacey did not have enough substance to sink his teeth into. He was certainly no Kaiser Sose in this film.
Another problem is that the plot was rather predictable. How many times does the hero's closest confidant or trusted superior end up being the main bad guy - just like in Minority Report. Sorry if I spoiled the ending for you, but if you are an astute viewer, you would have figured it out in the first ten minutes.
Overall a decent three star movie, but not worth owning in my opinion. Rent it before you buy is my recommendation.