Powerhouse
actors Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey give terrific performances in this cliche-riddled
action thriller. Jackson is a hostage negotiator who may or may not be guilty
of a crime. When he goes off the deep end and takes Internal Affairs hostage,
fellow negotiator, Spacey is called in to put an end to the situation.
The
Negotiator is a competently made thriller and offers great performances and above
average production values. But at a running time of almost two and a half hours,
it just doesn't have the slam-bang pace a film of this type should have. It's
also quite predictable with a storyline comparable to The Fugitive.
It
was directed by 28 year old F. Gary Gray who got his start on music videos and
moved on to such films as the hilarious Friday and Set It Off. Gray shows great
potential but doesn't have much to work with as far as a screenplay. The film's
best moments, as you'd probably expect, are the scenes in which Jackson and Spacey
square off against each other. Watching these two work together is a pleasure.
On
a final note, this is one of character-actor J.T. Walsh's final film appearances,
before his unfortunate death. He's terrific as always, and gives The Negotiator
a much needed kick.
Powerhouse
actors Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey give terrific performances in this cliche-riddled
action thriller. Jackson is a hostage negotiator who may or may not be guilty
of a crime. When he goes off the deep end and takes Internal Affairs hostage,
fellow negotiator, Spacey is called in to put an end to the situation.
