Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2367 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-18
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
You get two hostage crises for the price of one in Hostage, an overwrought but otherwise involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way to Die Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Angeles hostage negotiator, now working as a nearly-divorced police chief in sleepy Ventura County, California. Willis suddenly finds himself amidst two potentially deadly stand-offs when a trio of hapless teenagers seize hostages in the fortress-like home of an accountant (Kevin Pollack) whose connections to organized crime result in Willis struggling to rescue his estranged wife and daughter, who are being held hostage by faceless thugs at an undisclosed location. Having directed two of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell video games, director Florent Siri brings plenty of slick, competent filmmaking to Willis's desperate dilemma, and the film boasts a gritty, graphic style that draws attention away from implausible plot twists. The bothersome, over-the-top performances by the teenaged villains also slightly compromise this gloomy but emotionally gripping adaptation of Robert Crais's novel, named as one of Amazon.com's best books of 2001. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Synopsis
This well-made thriller harkens back to the gritty crime films of the 1970s. Bruce Willis plays Jeff Talley, a traumatized ex-LAPD hostage negotiator whose new career as small town sheriff doesn't turn out to be as restful as he had hoped; a hostage situation breaks out on 'low crime Tuesday' and he is thrown right back into the business he knows all too well. Some punk kids have shot a cop and are holed up in a local mansion inhabited by crooked accountant Walter Smith (Kevin Pollack), his two kids, and a lot of surveillance cameras. Walter's young son (Jimmy Bennett) escapes his bonds and reports to Talley from the air shafts via his sister's cell phone. The sister--a Goth teen played by Michelle Horn--draws the romantic attention of Mars (Ben Foster), the pot-addled sociopath in the gang, thus adding a unique twist to the damsel-in-distress factor. Meanwhile, amid the buzzing helicopters and mobilizing SWAT teams, another group of bad guys has kidnapped Talley's wife and daughter, in order to force him to retrieve a secret disc in Walter's study. Florent Siri's efficient direction keeps the action flowing in unexpected directions while allowing for plenty of interesting procedural details and sly bits of humour. The score is ominous and the performances are strong, with Foster memorably creepy and Willis excellent as the frightened hero.

Customer Reviews

What a house!
I was loathe to rent this, as Im not a fan of Bruce Willis, and the genre of his usual film. But I was pleasantly surprised as to how the film opened out around the backdrop of a fantastic house. The story starts as Bruce is a chilled out hostage negotiator back in the day, and it all goes wrong. Fast forward and he is now the chief of a small police station and wanting an easier life, with a house move, a wife and stroppy daughter in tow. Then we come to see the house of the rich Dad, son and daughter and how the break-in by some teenagers looking for fun subsequently turns into something bigger than they anticipated. The father of the house has a data DVD that some bigshots want, but access is delayed because the house is then taken hostage by the overexcited punks, one of which does a very good job at looking like a psycho. Bruce really doesnt want to get involved, but inevitably he does. Support roles were good, and the hostage takers become more desperate as the film progresses. Its a little tense, but I had no empathy or interest in the characters. The son was enterprising, and likeable, so I rooted for him to escape. Bruce does his thing as a hero, then pushes for an implausible treatment to be performed in the ambulance to try and save the day, and his skin. (sorry but I cant stand it when they do pretend medical stuff in films). Wont spoil the plot, as there are a few surprises to keep you waiting for the outcome. It isnt completely obvious what will happen, and its quite stylish in the delivery of the details. Sounds vague but cant go into specifics without spoiling it. For me it was a gripping film because of the house itself, it added depth and increased the tension. Also added interest to what could otherwise have been an average and samey film.

Bruce Willis worst film by a long way
How this film has acquired so many stars from reviewers is beyond me. Have you all gone mad? The plot and script are awful, the actors who play the hostage takers are awful and there is a distinct lack of relationship or even any sincerity between them and Willis throughout the film. As the amazon reviewer rightly said there are implausible plot twists, couple this with very bad acting and directing and you have nothing but a complete waste of time. Willis' heart was clearly not in this as he must have realised that this IS a very very poor film.

The Plot Escapes before the End
Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) is a top hostage negotiator in Los Angeles. But when one case ends badly, Jeff retires from the business. A year later, he's the Sheriff in a small Southern California town where nothing ever happens.

Unfortunately, that's about to change. When three criminals attempt to steal a car, they wind up taking three hostages instead. Unfortunately, Walter Smith (Kevin Pollak), one of the hostages, has something to hide as well. Jeff is ready to turn the case over to someone else when his wife and daughter are kidnapped. Now he has to keep his family alive without compromising the hostages in the house. Can he do it?

This movie is based on a best selling novel. While I have never read it, I have enjoyed other books by the author. I've heard his fans are disappointed with this adaptation, and I can understand why. It starts well, with an interesting premise that really drew me in. However, the longer the movie went on, the more preposterous it became. And the ending was much weaker then I wanted it to be.

This movie is rated R. I caught it on TV, so I know parts were cut out. In fact, it was laughable when the language was removed. I don't know if any violence hit the cutting room floor, but there was still plenty of it here. It did get pretty dark and gruesome near the end. I was expecting this going in, so it didn't bother me. I'm just pointing out it was there.

The movie started out strong, but the ending lets it down big time. It's disappointing that an interesting premise lost such momentum.