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Dynamic duo >> Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey are superb in The Negotiator by MATTHEW HAYS
Samuel L. Jackson plays a seasoned negotiator; a cop who talks down those who've been pushed over the edge, have succumbed to insanity and taken captives at gunpoint. The opening sequence has Jackson illustrating his finesse as he manages to bring an end to a nasty domestic-violence standoff. He's a local hero in Chicago, touted as a master at saving lives and ending nasty situations with a minimum of violence. After his partner is killed in a horrific setup, Jackson is soon framed in what is clearly a cop cover-up of epic proportions; his final recourse, on the eve of being charged with a murder he didn't commit, is to confront the internal affairs agent who's cornered him (the late J.T. Walsh). After a struggle in the office, Jackson finds himself holding several people hostage. His demand: he wants the cover-up exposed, and will only confer with fellow ace-negotiator Kevin Spacey. Writing about a film like The Negotiator is tricky, simply because one does not want to give too much away. The suspense is extreme, to say the least; Jackson and Spacey have amazing chemistry and the supporting cast back them up perfectly; the screenplay is noteworthy in its bucking of several unsettling studio trends. There is comic relief in The Negotiator, but it is well-timed and never gratuitous, unlike the ongoing, idiotic, anything-for-a-larf gags which populate Armageddon. And though there are plenty of opportunities to have staged media clips to move the story forward (à la Contact and the Die Hard movies), they are (thankfully) not employed here as cheap devices for exposition. (In fact, there are only a couple to count.) The Negotiator is a massive relief--I thought the studios didn't make movies like this anymore. Well-handled suspense, solid acting, a script that remains intriguing until the film's final moments; if The Negotiator isn't a box office success, then there really is something wrong with the moviegoing public. The Negotiator is now playing
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Is it my imagination, or are this summer's movies turning out to be not so bad after all? I entered the advance screening for The Negotiator with some trepidation, thinking it might be an effort to milk some of the excess box office from the Lethal Weapon cop/buddy hype. But no, The Negotiator emerged as one of the most memorable films I've seen this year, with typically brilliant performances from both its leads and enough suspense to rank it as one of the best hostage-taking films since the classic Dog Day Afternoon.