The Negotiator (1998)

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers (WGA):

James DeMonaco (written by) &
Kevin Fox (written by)

Release Date:

29 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Chicago's two top negotiators must face each other. One of them is holding hostages. The other is demanding surrender. And everyone's holding their breath.

Plot:

In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.

Plot Keywords:

Negotiator | Police | Hostage | Murder | Corruption

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Lt. Danny Roman
Kevin Spacey	...	Lt. Chris Sabian
David Morse	...	Cmdr. Adam Beck
Ron Rifkin	...	Cmdr. Grant Frost
John Spencer	...	Chief Al Travis
J.T. Walsh	...	Insp. Terence Niebaum
Siobhan Fallon	...	Maggie
Paul Giamatti	...	Rudy Timmons
Regina Taylor	...	Karen Roman
Bruce Beatty	...	Markus
Michael Cudlitz	...	Palermo
Carlos Gómez	...	Eagle
Tim Kelleher	...	Argento
Dean Norris	...	Scott
Nestor Serrano	...	Hellman

Also Known As:

Verhandlungssache (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #36071) | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

77 W. Wacker Drive, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

The movie was originally written to star Sylvester Stallone and Kevin Spacey. Spacey was supposed to be the hostage-taker and Stallone playing opposite him. When Stallone turned down the part, Spacey decided he wanted the other part and had his original part recast. (Samuel L. Jackson got the role.)

Goofs:

Factual errors: Police negotiators and entry teams conduct their activities independent of one another so that the negotiator doesn't inadvertently let the hostage taker know what the entry team is doing.

Quotes:

Lieutenant Danny Roman: You want my blood? Take my blood!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hostage (2005/I)

Soundtrack:

Cotton-Eye Joe

An intelligent, taut thriller

Just when you think he's cornered, he thinks of a new strategy. Samuel L. Jackson portrays Lieutenant Danny Roman, police hostage negotiator. When he's framed for a crime he didn't commit, against his fellow police officers no less, he knows that the only way out is to bring in an equally tough negotiator, Lieutenant Chris Sabian played by Kevin Spacey, who's from another precinct and who therefore could not have been contaminated by the bad elements within his own force, which buys him the necessary time to bluff and blindside while he finds the clues he needs to prove he's innocent. Chicago is taken hostage along with the few people he retains as bargaining chips, and we are taken along for the ride. This was a masterful job of film-making from beginning to end. The characters and story were flawlessly developed. We don't precisely know who's guilty or who's innocent. Roman conducts his interrogation and trial while he negotiates with the police outside, some of whom are working overtime to eliminate Roman before he figures it all out. This all occurs right under the noses of the FBI who are in way over their heads and don't have a clue who's guilty or innocent, just like the rest of us watching. Along the way, we get to witness Roman lecture his underlings about the finer points of negotiations while he himself has just become a hostage taker. "Never say no!" he barks with effective zeal. And he tests his bewildered pupils continuously, who fail continuously. Only Sabian is smart enough to understand what's going on in Roman's mind. The strategy is shared by two men who think alike, who are under stress, and have an innate instinct for lie detection. The screenplay was terrific. The cinematography was effective. The acting of Jackson and Spacey exceptional. And the supporting cast, particularly bad-guy-turned-good-guy Paul Giamatti who provides great comic relief, was outstanding. If you're in the mood for an intelligent, taut thriller, The Negotiator delivers... 9/10.