The Negotiator (1998)

Very slow moving and predictable. So many things in here that would never happen to the point of ridiculousness. Especially at the end when a gun is shot out of someone's hand... with the area surrounded by cops. And no one got the ricochet? Really?

The Negotiator (1998): Dir: F. Gary Grey / Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, J.T. Walsh, Ron Rifkin: Everything about this film has been borrowed from other films. The plot is every bit as familiar as a Jehovah witness coming up the walkway. We know at first glance that this film is about the kind of compromise that runs deeper than your run of the mill deals. Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey play negotiators who must rely on each other. Jackson's partner is shot dead in his car and he arrives in time to be arrested. He knows that he is being set up so he takes some people hostage in the precinct. He demands that Spacey be the negotiator. Pure formula to the highest degree of amateur screen writing, but well directed by F. Gary Grey who can only hope that his next project has a more ambitious screenplay. Spacey and Jackson are two fine actors typecast. Jackson played a role similar to this in A Time to Kill where he was also on trial for murder. The two leads are deserving of material that compliments their abilities better than what is given here. In dreary supporting roles are David Morse and J.T. Walsh. Sometimes the film establishes effective dialogue regarding negotiations before resorting to the standard run of the mill action scenes. Perhaps the filmmakers should have negotiated something without the clichés. Score: 2 / 10

This one is gonna be easy...First off, WHY in God's name has this director not either done more films or why is he not more recognized...??? I had to look him up here because I didn't know him; imagine my surprise when I saw that he also directed the excellent 'LAW ABIDING CITIZEN' & 'THE Italian JOB'(2003)This guy is GOOD!Just that simple. I'm REALLY puzzled why we haven't heard more about him. I mean, this was one of his earliest and biggest films, starring two iconic actors among many other excellent supporters, and the guy has only done ONLY 3 really big, recognizable films in 16 years...???!! We're talking like Antoine Fuqua quality here people. So WHERE the hell has this guy been...?Oh well, who am I to unravel the dastardly machinations of Hollywood? Probably better off not knowing... : )Anyway, the acting is excellent all around and the story itself is very well done. It seriously GRABS you right from the beginning, and it does NOT let you go until it is done with you. That is really all you need to know...Needless to say... DAMN good film!

Going into this movie, you shouldn't really have such high expectations. You should look at it for what it is: a good, solid action thriller. Even though you probably wouldn't have very, very high expectations going into this movie, I think you would have gotten much more than what you were looking for! I think that the best aspect of the movie would probably be the performances given by Samuel Jackon ("Pulp Fiction", "Die Hard with a Vengeance"), and Kevin Spacey ("Seven", "The Usual Suspects"), as well as a solid performance by David Morse (who, in the following year, gave another solid performance in "The Green Mile"). I thought that they were all great.The reason I say that you might have gotten much more than what you were looking for is because of the movie's unpredictable scenarios and how well they were handled. During the course of the movie, I didn't really expect that Frost (played by Ron Rifkin) was going to be behind it all.Overall, this should definitely please fans of the genre and anyone who is a fan of Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey should definitely check this movie out, as it is going to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time!8/10