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The negotiator - Samuel L Jackson, Kevin Spacey, F Gary Gray

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Police choppers circle as swat marksmen target Danny Roman (Samuel L Jackson). he is holding the chief of the Internal Affairs Department at gunpoint. Roman's world has been destroyed by false charges of murder and embezzlement. He knows that people listen when lives are at stake; he understands this implicitly because Danny Roman is a Chicago police officer and the best negotiator in the department.

Now Roman is a hostage-taker - he needs someone who will listen. Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), a negotiator from another precinct is brought in to mediate. The cool, cerebral Sabian squares off with his formidable and furious opponent as he attempts to understand and defuse the explosive situation. Ultimately, Sabian is driven to ask the same question that is obsessing Danny Roman. Who's behind the frame-up? In a riveting climax that goes all the way - the truth is revealed.

Based on a true story.

Persons of interest

Samuel L Jackson .... Lieutenant Danny Roman
Kevin Spacey .... Lieutenant Chris Sabian
David Morse .... Commander Adam Beck
Ron Rifkin .... Commander Grant Frost
John Spencer .... Chief Al Travis
JT Walsh .... Inspector 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
Doug Spinuzza .... Tonray
Leonard L. Thomas .... Allen
Stephen Lee .... Farley
James DeMonaco .... Screenwriter
Kevin Fox .... Screenwriter
F Gary Gray .... Director

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

A tightly woven good-cop/bad-cop action drama.

The negotiator is structured according to The rules of Hollywood police films, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. This film does what the original films (which were badly copied, thereby creating the stereotype) did: entertain and enthral. There is more than the requisite amount of violence and police-babble, lots of high-tech, lots of running around, lots of murky betrayal and tension and that. Of course, we all know that Danny is innocent, that's not the point: this movie is about the lengths to which he must go to prove his innocence. In that respect it's a bit like Job (you know, the guy in The bible).

Samuel L Jackson handles the lead role very well; he has a great range of emotion to cover and he does it very well. Kevin Spacey's role is a lot tighter - we don't get to learn much about him, but what we see is well done. Regina Taylor brings a delightful playfulness and a stirring intensity to the (too) few scenes her character (Karen Roman) has been allotted. The cop types and FBI types are cop types and FBI types.

The negotiator is a nice, tight domestic hostage drama with plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your sofa. Watch and enjoy.

PS: For hostage drama aficionados, The siege will be released in June 1999.

Security censorship classification

MA 15+ (Medium level violence, medium level coarse language)

Surveillance time

139 minutes (2:19 hours)

Not for public release in Australia before date

VHS rental: 13 April 1999

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