Production Year: 2005, 1992 - Thriller, Drama, Action/Adventure - Director: Florent Emilio Siri, Robert Young - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 18 years and over, Exempt - Starring: Christina Cabot, Kim Coates, Marjean Holden, Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker, Ben Foster, Serena Scott Thomas, Rumer Willis, Talisa Soto, Michael Kitchen, Art Malik, Elizabeth Garvie, Trevor Bannister, Sam Neill, James Fox more
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... more
Hostage [DVD] [2005]
You get two hostage crises for the price of one inHostage, an overwrought but otherwise ... more
involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way toDie Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Ange...
Hostage [DVD] [2005]
You get two hostage crises for the price of one inHostage, an overwrought but otherwise ... more
involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way toDie Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Ange...
Hostage (Bruce Willis) DVD
Would you sacrifice another family to save your own? Bruce Willis stars as a small-town ... more
cop Jeff Talley; chief of Police in the sleepy town of Bristo Camino. Leaving behind the trauma of his career as a big city hostage negotiator Talley finds himse...
involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way toDie 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'sSplinter Cellvideo 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
Hostage (Bruce Willis) DVD
Would you sacrifice another family to save your own? Bruce Willis stars as a small-town ... more
cop Jeff Talley; chief of Police in the sleepy town of Bristo Camino. Leaving behind the trauma of his career as a big city hostage negotiator Talley finds himself in a situation more volatile and terrifying than anything he could possibly imagine in his wildest nightmares... Based on the novel by Robert Crais.
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
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A review by Great_reviewer07 on Hostage (DVD) July 9th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
Good action
Disadvantages:
Not enough plot development
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Jeff Talley is a hostage negotiator for the LA SWAT team, he’s currently dealing with a hostage situation featuring a Mother and her young son Sean, Jeff’s job is to get the perpetrator to surrender and he’s so confident in his abilities that at one point he’s laying on the floor casually smoking a cigarette. However before Jeff can calm the situation down things start to get out of hand, the gun man shoots himself, the Mother and Sean. Jeff rushes in to find Sean dying, he dies in Jeff’s arms.
A year later Jeff has given up being a hostage negotiator because of the fatal events of 12 months ago, he now works as the chief of police, he is having marriage problems and has a unruly daughter Amanda (Rumer Willis). When a rich family consisting of Dad Walter (Kevin Pollack), teenage daughter Jennifer and young son Tommy are followed to their state of the art house, the gang of three delinquents are planning on stealing their posh car, instead Mars (Ben Foster) has other ideas. When the silent alarm is triggered the police are called to check out the house, the police officer who attends is shot by Mars. It’s clear that this isn’t just a simply hijacking job.
The plot then thickens when Jeff becomes head of the hostage situation, he is captured by men in balaclavas who tell him that they have captured his family and if he wishes to see them alive again then he needs to get the men a DVD hidden in Walter’s office. However with a hostage situation and the rules of no one goes in and no one goes out it’s going to be a lot harder than expected for Jeff to rescue his family and save the hostages too…
I heard somewhere that this film was first meant to be the next Die Hard film and I honestly think it should have been as it’s far superior to Die Hard 4.0 which was released a couple of years ago. Bruce Willis is on top form in this film however I can’t help but think that maybe if he was playing his trademark character of John McClane this movie could have been lots more enjoyable than it was.
There’s a good story here and the twist is good, the action begins right at the start which grabs your attention and keeps you glued to your seat. This really sets the pace well for the rest of the film, this is a fast paced film which was exactly what I was hoping for. I first saw this a couple of years ago on Sky Movies and have since purchased it on DVD because I enjoyed it so much.
The film manages to keep you gripped from start to finish and it remains tense and taut throughout, there’s a good twist half way through the film that you will not see coming. What I didn’t like about the plot was all the unrealistic plot holes which make the film a bit contrived and take away the realism that a story like this could have. The house that the group of petty young criminals take hostage is a state of the art house with the latest security equipment aimed at keeping people with much better skills than them out. Therefore it baffled me that even with such seemingly secure security system a gang of their stature still managed to gain access to the house with ease.
Another thing that I didn’t like about the plot was how things weren’t completely explained even by the end of the film we were still none the wiser about certain things that the audience should have been made fully aware of by the end of the film. The DVD for example, near the beginning of the film we witness Walter having an important phone call which leads him to place a DVD in a case and ask when they want it dropped off. This makes the audience curious about what’s on the DVD and makes you believe that maybe Walter isn’t quite the devoted family man he first seemed to be. When the DVD does come into play we never actually find out what’s on it, it’s obvious that it’s important but apparently it’s not important enough to inform the audience of the DVD’s significance. Near the end of the film I was expecting Bruce Willis’s character to come through in the end and tie up all the loose ends of the movie, including what was on the DVD, unfortunately this never happens which left me feeling quite disappointed and cheated because every subplot surrounding the mysterious DVD is first-class.
Bruce Willis, who’s widely known as one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood can always be relied upon to make a good movie, even into his 50’s Bruce Willis still manages to churn out entertaining, eye-catching and tense action packed films which is why he’s so loved and well respected in the film industry. His character that brought him to prominence, John McClane became so popular because he was just an average man which every Joe Bloggs on the street could relate to. He also had a personality which is what made him so likeable. I think he loses a bit of his personality in this film, of course in Hostage he’s playing a different character but I can’t help thinking that the character of Jeff Talley is nothing but a cheap alternative to John McClane. Jeff Talley doesn’t really have much of a personality which would enable him to be liked by the audience. The audience does get behind him to a certain extent when the welfare of his family is brought into question and you can definitely feel his anguish but unfortunately he didn’t seem to have that certain flare that he’s had in previous movies.
The delinquents that take the family hostage aren’t played very well, Ben Foster who plays the real bad guy stands out purely for being a delusional psychopath however I found him really uncomfortable to watch, especially the scenes in which he shared with Walter’s daughter Jennifer, she’s clearly aged around 15 so to see him touching her and making sleazy advances becomes increasingly uncomfortable viewing. The other two perpetrators are incredibly irritating and don’t really have a place in this movie at all, they show no signs of a personality and I think if they all worked together as an ensemble this could have been a much better movie.
Despite it’s flaws I still think this is a very good film, not one to surpass Die Hard by any means but still a tense, action packed and thoroughly enjoyable film from start to finish. This really stands out for me as a brilliant claustrophobic thriller that I’ve enjoyed watching several times now. I highly recommend it.
The DVD is currently available from play.com for only £3.99, one more reason you should give this a watch.
The DVD special features include: Audio commentary from director Florent Emilio Siri Deleted and extended scenes Behind the scenes footage
...and his kids are taken hostage by the robbers. The film starts very hard, very aggressive, very in your face and then fizzles out a bit until the house is burgled. The burglars are stupid and kill a cop (that's suicide basically) and then practically kill one of their hostages. As soon as Marshall (one of the robbers) kills the cop it's totally obvious he's in charge and not the other guy who seems to think he is. Bruce Willis seems to be eternally ... ...of this film is a hostage situation that goes wrong and the hostages and hostage taker all end up dead. OK, so Bruce's character dropped the ball there but he suddenly ends up in a dead end job as a small town sheriff. This really isn't explained why. Is he trying to escape from his 1 failure at his job that we know about? This would have been far more likely if we'd seen him at several negotiations and having all hostages killed at them all. Say ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Bruce Willis...Bruce Willis...Bruce Willis.... Disadvantages: Some dopey, idiot playing one of the boys keeping the family hostage!
...mother and child from a hostage situation, he decides to leave Los Angeles for a job with low crime of Bristo Camino, a small town in Ventura County. Three young male teenagers follow home a family intending to steal there car, they have picked the wrong day and wrong time and wrong house! They become trapped inside this multi-millionaire home on the outskirts of the town, which is owned by an accountant (who works for a crime enterprise) they take ... ...family who are being held hostage in the house but his own family, how do you choose?? When your such a powerful and talented man do you really need to make that choice?? All he wanted was a quiet low keep life after what happened with the first hostage situation but this one is much more terrifying for him. The boys who keep the family hostage are a bit weird to say the least, one of them is as grubby as anything and low life, he just looks and ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Nice opening Disadvantages: Loses the plot and becomes routine by the end of the first act
...Sixth Sense.
I suppose Hostage is Willis in retired action hero mode. He plays Jeff Talley, a hostage negotiator who swaps a pressurized job for small town life as a police chief when a negotiation goes wrong. In this small town very little happens in respect to crime. But then a group of youths break into a magnificent house in the hills and attempt to steal a high-end car. Their attempts at mild threats soon escalate and become a hostage situation. ... ...negotiations, shouting and helicopters.
Hostage starts out well with some interesting opening titles. The opening sequence of a hostage situation is very well staged apart from the casting of military/secret service ginger guy from 24 and various other films where he plays military or someone in authority. Anyway the whole build-up of the film is quite nice, slowly setting the stage and establishing characters. But then it starts to go off the rails. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Exciting, interesting characters, some good special effects Disadvantages: some parts were a bit lacking or confusing
...by Bruce Willis, as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD. He's trying to talk down a guy who is holding a woman and her son hostage. Talley is on the phone with the guy holding them hostage when a member of the SWAT team holds up a sign for Talley saying that one of the snipers has a clean shot at the guy. But Talley writes them a sign back stating "No One Dies Today!". But something goes terribly wrong. Unable to handle the stress from this situation ... ...as the chief of police. Nothing ever happens in this small town, which suits Talley fine. However, Talley's wife and daughter are not so happy with the change and problems emerge due to that. Switch to a scene with a single dad and his two kids in a nice, shiny SUV. They are on their way home when they stop to pick up some take out for dinner. Also in the parking lot is a rusty, old pick up truck holding three young guys. The youngest spots the daughter ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Action/adventure, Bruce Willis Disadvantages: Quite Violent
Hostage - Would you sacrifice another family to save your own?
This is the dilemma facing Bruce Willis in the film Hostage. It's not one of his well known films as far as I'm concerned but it is still a Bruce Willis classic, i.e., lots of guns and violence etc. The film was released in 2005 and was actually based on a novel by Robert Crais.
As I don't like to spoil films in my reviews I will just give you a brief overview of the plot. Bruce Willis ... ...Angeles where he was a hostage negotiator but after a very harrowing last job he decides to move to a quieter pace of life - huh, little does he know!!
Yes, you've guessed it; things take a turn for the worst. Three troublesome kids (and in the beginning they do seem quite harmless) decide to steal a car from a magnificent mansion in the hills of California. Well, things go wrong and the house becomes a fortress with the hostages and the captors. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fantastic one liners, the arguments between the family members and Denis Leary/Kevin Spacey! Hilarious!! Disadvantages: Slow start and it could've been a longer film...ah well!!
...renamed to "The Ref" on DVD (maybe Hostile Hostages sounds too nasty these post 9/11 days?) and is available from Play.com for £5.99 (including P+P)!!
http://www.play.com/play247.asp?source=675&page=title&Cur=257&r=R2&title=160353...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Surprisingly funny film Disadvantages: Pretentious kid in film!!!!!!!
...Years ago before DVDs when I bought videos I occasionally found myself gravitating toward the CINEMA CLUB aisle. Usually I manage to snap back to my senses and leave quickly, but on this occasion I didn't and bought the film Hostile Hostages on the Cinema Club label for the bargain price of £3.99.
This turned out to be the sale of the century!!!. This film is very very funny. Denis Leary is in full stand-up mode and Kevin Spacey is in even better form than he was in American Beauty as a cynically spiteful husband. Why this film is funny is because it is non-stop - the hostage taker (Denis Leary) trying to remain in control of a hostage situation, but the husband and wife continuously argue amongst themselves. Then in true comedy style things get worse as more people try to arrive at the house.
Anyway I do not tell the story in my...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Hostage!!!!!! Disadvantages: Last man standing
...This sounds pretty good, i have heard lots of good things about lucky number slevin, However Last man staanding bored me to sleep! My dad loved it however, i think last man standing is a bit more of a mans film, it didnt appeal to me at all, it wasn't very interesting and what little storyline it had moved that slowly i fell asleep. Hostage is definatley worth getting this for though, its an amazing film, It has an amazing plot with lots of twists and turns, bruce willis puts in an incredible performance. There is lots of unpredictable and edge of your seat action. and of course it stars the luscious Ben Foster. Ladies, prepare to drool. SO it has everything you could ever want in a film. its fast paced and action packed, but has a good story behind it instead of just being mindless special effects. its a must see! You have to see it...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Plot: A former hostage negotiator, turned town sheriff, finds himself facing a past he would rather forget... A failed robbery leaves a family held hostage in a house containing incriminating evidence which would see a major crime lord do time. The sheriff must face the danger posed by the hostage takers and the gangsters who will stop at nothing to retrieve what is theirs.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS, STAX Entertainment Ltd; Pinnacle Vision, PRISM LEISURE
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.
Technical information
Special Features: Feature Length Commentary By Florent Siri, Behind The Scenes, Deleted And Extended Scenes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen, 4:3 Full Frame
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Stereo Surround, Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English Dolby Digital Stereo Surround English, Dolby Digital English
Professional reviews
Review: Bruce Willis blazes back on top form (Daily Star, )
A real action cracker... easily as good as his Die Hard masterworks (News Of The World, )
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Listed on Ciao since : 10/10/2005
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