The Negotiator (1998)
a review by Christian Pyle
Police hostage negotiator Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) wows the press and annoys his fellow cops with his daring maneuvers to take out hostage-takers. One night Danny's partner Nate (Paul Guilfoyle) tells him that cops in their precinct are stealing money from the disability fund. Nate is soon murdered, and Danny is accused of both his friend's murder and the theft of the departmental funds. Faced with certain conviction, Danny takes his only suspect, internal affairs inspector Niebaum (J. T. Walsh in his last role), and three others hostage. Danny knows that Niebaum's co-conspirators will be nervous that the inspector will talk, so they will reveal themselves and try to kill both Danny and Niebaum. Since he can't trust anyone in his precinct, Danny demands that the hostage team bring in a negotiator from another precinct, Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey).
"The Negotiator" is character-driven, so its success rides on the able shoulders of its lead actors. Jackson and Spacey complement each other well: Jackson -- angry, on edge, striking out at everyone around him; Spacey -- calm, crafty, perceptive. Their scenes together are tense and suspenseful. Danny stalks around with a gun, spewing threats and coming ever closer to killing a hostage. Chris approaches the situation like a chess match, and he tries various gambits to gain control of the board. The conflict of negotiators is built around talk, of course, and Jackson and Spacey are two of the best talkers in Hollywood.
The cast is filled out by a familiar group of character actors. As the major suspects to be the mastermind that framed Danny: David Morse (the father in "Contact"), Ron Rifkin (the DA in "LA Confidential"), and John Spencer (the FBI director in "The Rock"). Paul Giamatti offers some welcome comic relief as a petty crook among Danny's hostages. Regina Taylor (from TV's "I'll Fly Away") plays Danny's wife.
The down side? Even though Danny is supposed to be an unpredictable risk-taker, we also know early on that he is a) innocent and b) a good cop. This undercuts a lot of the suspense; despite the movie's elaborate attempts to make us believe that Danny will kill his hostages, we know he's too decent a person to cross that line.
"The Negotiator" won't make anyone's Ten Best list, but it is solid genre fare with a strong cast.
Grade: B
© 1999 Christian L. Pyle
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