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Summary: You Must See this Movie
Review: This was a great movie. It was full of action and suspense. You must deffinatly get this movie!
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Summary: Great, Awesome, Superb, .....
Review: Great movie. I'm only 13, but watched it. Great pictures and actors. I recommend it to all.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, Great Disc
Review: The Negotiator: Warner Home Video 2.35:1/Dolby Digital/Dual LayerThe Negotiator In "The Negotiator", Samuel L Jackson, as a hostage negotiator accused of murder, takes hostages of his own at the police headquarters in Chicago.To backtrack, Jackson's character, Danny Roman, is accused of the murder of his partner. And he's accused a little too quickly and easily for me to believe, but, to move forward again, he finds himself taking hostages to prove his innocence.In steps the negotiator from the other part of town, Chris Sabian, played by Kevin Spacey. The two then begin their sparring match, a battle of wits that is such a pure joy to see. Spacey, working his way with words as good as he ever has, is simply fantastic here. Jackson is excellent as well, but I couldn't help but feel the slightest touch of overacting, possibly from some of the corny lines he has. And the entire movie is a little bit overblown. All the sets, a little of the acting, the cinematography, the production, is just a little bit too much. There is such an incredible dramatic core here, the fight of words and minds between two men, it's simply too bad that the filmmakers decided to have gunfire and explosions every so often. I would simply have liked to have seen these two men, talking, in a room for two hours. Because that's simply how good these two actors are. Knock about 20 million dollars out of the budget, keep it small, and this might have been an even better film. It's a credit to the writers that we are able to be kept fairly riveted, even though Jackson's character is obviously innocent. The balance of power is easily and excellently shifted back and forth between the men throughout the film. It's unfortunate that "The Negotiator" gets a few too many action scenes, but there is simply too many scenes of greatness between Kevin Spacey, who gives an outstanding performance, and Samuel L Jackson, who gives a performance filled with rage and anger, to be unhappy with the film's final product. Also, see this film for Russell Carpenter("Titanic")'s simply outstanding cinematography.Also, the film is a little too long. It could have benefited from about 15 minutes of chopping. The Disc: Picture: Excellent. 16x9 enhanced picture is without any compression artifacts and detail and clarity is first rate. There are a few scenes where the camera looks out into the streets of Chicago and one can see nearly every police car and building in the distance, something that was never possible on video. The steel greys of Chicago at night are punctuated by the flashing lights of a police force in the streets; everything is rendered well on this disc, even flesh tones. It seems a little darker overall than when I saw it in the theater, but it still is a very nice looking disc. Audio: Very good as well, with gunfire ringing out across the sound field, and helicopters seemingly flying overhead. Like the last disc I reviewed, "Good Will Hunting", dialogue is excellently and sharply recorded, and it seems like the actors are in the same room, excellent due to the quieter moments in the film where Spacey and Jackson talk back and forth. Menus:Very nice. Scenes from the trailer play behind the main menu. Extras:A very short documentary(about 8 minutes) that is an interview with a real-life hostage negotiator and a "Making Of" that focuses on the Chicago locations; why they used certain buildings and areas of the city. The commentary that was originally promised with Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson is nowhere to be found, left off of the disk for reasons unknown. The trailer, which was originally not going to be added, is here, along with trailers for "Midnight In The Garden of Good/Evil", "Sphere", "LA Confidential" and "A Time To Kill". We also get production notes about Chicago and text notes as well about the cast/crew. It's dissapointing, though, that the commentary is not here. Overview:A very good movie, and definitely still worthwhile, in my opinion, even though the commentary has been left out. Region:1 Languages:English/French Subtitles:English/French Chapters:39 Running Time:140 Min Rated:R Dual Layer:Yes. Grades: Picture:*** 1/2 Audio:*** 1/2 Extras:*** Film:*** 1/2 Menus:*** 1/2 A. Webmaster, A Guide To Current Film
This Review Originally Appeared On "A Guide TO Current Film"
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Summary: An action flick with a plot!
Review: This movie is a good blend of the acting styles of Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. Spacey plays a subtle, intelligent hostage negotiator trying to talk police officer Jackson down from holding several hostages while he attempts to prove his innocence after having been wrongly fingered for offing his partner. There's enough action in the film to keep anyone's attention, but the plot is interesting enough that the discerning moviegoer isn't disappointed. The ending is a little neat, but in all a fine way to spend a couple hours.
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Summary: Stellar cast and tight script make for a tense thriller
Review: Lt. Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson), a police negotiator, and his partner Nate Roenick (Paul Guilfoyle) discover that someone has been embezzling money from the police retirement fund. When Nate is killed, Danny is set up with planted evidence to take the fall on the embezzlement charges.
When Danny confronts Inspector Terence Neibaum (J.T. Walsh), who works in Internal Affairs, trying to find out why he is being set up, things get out of hand and Danny winds out taking Neibaum and his entire office hostage. Danny insists on speaking only with Lt. Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), a police negotiator from a west side precinct who is unknown to their department. Danny's hopes are that with Chris being an outsider, he can help him discover the truth behind the bad cops in his department that killed his partner.
What follows is a tense thriller as step by step, Danny gets closer to the truth behind the very people he has known and worked with for over ten years, building up to a rather predictable and yet intensely climactic ending.
The performances by Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey are as good as it gets, backed by terrific supporting roles from David Morse, J.T. Walsh, Siobhan Fallon, Paul Giamatti, and Michael Cudlitz.
The Negotiator stands out amongst other movies of it's genre because of it's tight scripting, excellent editing and photography, and the obvious fact that the actors involved were working as a close team. This is a great thriller, tense from beginning to end, and a definite addition to your DVD collection.
I like the fact that it is definitely enjoyable even after the second and third viewing, knowing who is who the second time around and watching the interaction from the "I know who's guilty" angle, and appreciating the performances all over again. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Film but Not Especially Memorable
Review: When I saw there was a cop movie starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey (that I did not remember hearing about when it came out) I figured this was a sure fire hit. Well, not quite.
I can't say it's a bad film, but it's not really great either. I think the problem is with character development. As flambuoyant as Jackson is, his character was frankly not all that likeable. And Spacey's character was not developed well enough to form a cogent opinion. It was as if Spacey did not have enough substance to sink his teeth into. He was certainly no Kaiser Sose in this film.
Another problem is that the plot was rather predictable. How many times does the hero's closest confidant or trusted superior end up being the main bad guy - just like in Minority Report. Sorry if I spoiled the ending for you, but if you are an astute viewer, you would have figured it out in the first ten minutes.
Overall a decent three star movie, but not worth owning in my opinion. Rent it before you buy is my recommendation.
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Summary: An Underrated Thriller
Review: One day Lt. Danny Roman (Samuel Jackson) is a celebrated hostage negotiator. The next, he's a suspect, accused of corruption and murder by his own colleagues. Desperate to prove his innocence and discover the truth, Danny takes hostages in a government office, hoping to gain time - and information.
Suspecting that members of his own department may have been involved in framing him, Roman demands to speak to hostage negotiator Lt. Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey, who is letter-perfect) - a man from across town, a man he doesn't even know.
Under F. Gary Gray's direction, this seemingly unlikely scenario unfolds (for the most part) with surprising convincingness.
Regina Taylor adds a nice dramatic touch as Karen, Roman's young, dedicated wife, who supports him but wishes he would stop acting 'crazy.' The film's best moments, however, come when Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey's characters face off. It's an acting showcase of the 'you've gotta see it to believe it' variety.
There's also action here and some very nice cinematography.
Though The Negotiator's running time is 139 minutes, its pace rarely slackens and you'll likely be left guessing til the last minute. You will need your suspension of disbelief to carry you through a few moments, but overall this is an entertaining, fast-paced thriller to be savored for its fine performances.
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Summary: No negotiations necessary, this movie is outstanding!!!
Review: In short, Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson give this movie some of the best acting you will ever see. Intense, with a plot that is kept tight, right up to the very end. I could elaborate on every little nook and cranny of this film, but there is too much positive to say about it. If you like a good crime story with a satisfying ending, then here is your movie!!!
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Summary: The Negotiator (1998)
Review: Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Ron Rifkin, John Spencer, J.T. Walsh.
Running Time: 135 minutes.
Rated R for violence and language. When the director has the lucky chance to work with not just one, but TWO of the most exceptional modern actions of the past decade, he should have been licking his chops in anticipation. Director F. Gary Gray (whose previous work was with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in "Friday") uses the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey to his advantage, creating a fast-paced action-drama that uses both actors as chess pieces that are intertwined in a suspenseful race against time. Jackson stars as an extremely successful hostage negotiatior who loses his partner in an accident. When he is framed for the accident as murder, he takes matters into his own hands by taking hostages himself. Kevin Spacey is the top-of-the-line officer assigned to assist the police department with consultations with Jackson, only to find himself in the most unique hostate situation he has ever encountered. Both must learn to trust each other, with Jackson attempting to find the true answers about his partner's death and Spacey trying to keep his incredible reputation in tact. Gray does a fine job using the intense script (which unfortunately does have a few logical lapses), producing a motion picture that possesses all the essential ingredients to be a successful and enteraining flick. Jackson is very good in the lead role, while Spacey is as his usual best. Although F. Gary Gray was lucky enough to have excellent people for support, he does a fine job pulling off one of the better action thrillers of the year.
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Summary: Kevin Spacey and Samuel Jackson are stunning!
Review: I've seen this one a couple of times -- the first time it was a little tough to follow (maybe I was just a little slow that day), but the second time it made much more sense. At points it gets a little tricky to keep the good guys and bad guys sorted out. Overall I would rate this as a highly enjoyable movie, primarily on the strength of the performances by Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Both of them do a bang-up job (no pun intended). Jackson plays Danny Roman, a good cop who is falsely accused of skimming from the police pension fund. When the frame-up looks too solid to escape, Roman resorts to taking some hostages at the police station to buy the two things he needs the most -- the time and the information to prove his innocence. He begins to interrogate some of the hostages, several of whom are close friends, and to pick information from some sensitive computer files. Gradually he begins to uncover an ugly conspiracy involving corruption at various levels of the police department, but every question he answers seems to lead to two more. In the meantime, the police respond to the hostage crisis and call in expert hostage negotiator Chris Sabian (played by Spacey) to "talk down" the apparently volatile Danny Roman. While Roman is predictably cast as a very sympathetic character, Sabian remains an unknown factor until the very end of the movie, a consummate professional whose loyalties and intentions can never quite be pinpointed. Roman is never sure from one moment to the next if Sabian is ally or enemy. As the movie progresses, there are a number of action sequences of increasing intensity as those behind the corruption conspiracy make one attempt after another to silence Roman while his credibility is still worthless and before his discoveries can be made public. These efforts are not lost on Sabian, who starts to think that there may be some fire behind Roman's smoke, but still never cuts Roman any slack. I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but let it suffice to say that it had a suspenseful and unexpected twist that kept the with spirit of the rest of the movie. Needless to say, the good guys win, but I'm not going to drop any hints about how. You'll have to watch it for yourself, but I can say with some confidence that you'll be glad you did. Excellent flick.
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