Hostile Hostages is an hilarious film, directed by Ted Demme (who made Life, Denis Leary's - No Cure for Cancer video and Noose) and stars Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis.
Denis Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar with a short temper, who tries to rob a big house - failing miserably! ... Read review
Caustic wit gets a full-body workout in this 1994 comedy (known asThe Refin the US), in ... more
which a cat burglar (Denis Leary) gets trapped in an affluent Connecticut neighbourhood and is forced to hold a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover that their Yuletide spirit is anything but cheerful. Caroline (Judy Davis) and her husband, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey), have been at each other's throats for so long that they've developed domestic arguments into an art form, and the would-be kidnapper turns into a reluctant mediator, even after he's got the battling couple wound up in bungee cords. The situation grows even more complicated when the couple's smart-aleck son comes home from military school, but it's not the plot here that's a top priority. Instead it's the sheer pleasure of witnessing a three-way verbal jousting match, written with razor-sharp skill and delivered by actors who are perfect for their roles. The movie's got a dark edge, but it never gets too dark--you know that it's not going to slide into more seriously damaging territory, so you can sit back and enjoy the volleys of scathing insults and sarcasm the way you would a Bill Hicks performance. If that sounds like your idea of entertainment,Hostile Hostageswill serve it up with style. --Jeff Shannon
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Caustic wit gets a full-body workout in this 1994 comedy (known asThe Refin the US), in ... more
which a cat burglar (Denis Leary) gets trapped in an affluent Connecticut neighbourhood and is forced to hold a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover that their Yuletide spirit is anything but cheerful. Caroline (Judy Davis) and her husband, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey), have been at each other's throats for so long that they've developed domestic arguments into an art form, and the would-be kidnapper turns into a reluctant mediator, even after he's got the battling couple wound up in bungee cords. The situation grows even more complicated when the couple's smart-aleck son comes home from military school, but it's not the plot here that's a top priority. Instead it's the sheer pleasure of witnessing a three-way verbal jousting match, written with razor-sharp skill and delivered by actors who are perfect for their roles. The movie's got a dark edge, but it never gets too dark--you know that it's not going to slide into more seriously damaging territory, so you can sit back and enjoy the volleys of scathing insults and sarcasm the way you would a Bill Hicks performance. If that sounds like your idea of entertainment,Hostile Hostageswill serve it up with style. --Jeff Shannon
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Production Year: 1992 - Comedy - Director: Tim Robbins - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ray Wise, Alan Rickman, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Robbins
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
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!!
Hostile Hostages is an hilarious film, directed by Ted Demme (who made Life, Denis Leary's - No Cure for Cancer video and Noose) and stars Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis.
Denis Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar with a short temper, who tries to rob a big house - failing miserably! This house has one of the best anti-burglar systems....cat pee!! :-)
Anyway, he goes on the run and ends up meeting the Chasseurs. ... ...
=====================
UPDATE (01/12/04)
This title has been deleted on VHS, but has been 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 ... more
Hostile Hostages is an hilarious film, directed by Ted Demme (who made Life, Denis Leary's - No Cure for Cancer video and Noose) and stars Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis.
Denis Leary plays Gus, a cat burglar with a short temper, who tries to rob a big house - failing miserably! This house has one of the best anti-burglar systems....cat pee!! :-)
Anyway, he goes on the run and ends up meeting the Chasseurs. So he decides to take them hostage, which turns out to be a bad idea because Caroline (Judy Davis) and Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) Chasseur are having really bad marriage problems! If that wasn't enough, they have really appalling relatives and a trouble making son, Jesse.
To start with, Gus ties them to their four poster bed and tries his best to keep his calm, which of course proves difficult. Then their son and relatives descend on the house, causing major tension for Gus, Caroline and Lloyd!
The jokes are fantastic and if you don't mind the very frequent, swearing in this film, then you'll love it. If you are a fan of Denis Leary or Kevin Spacey, then this is a must see film and I urge you to buy, or rent it - if you can. It surprises me that Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary haven't done a film together, as they would make a great & funny team!
The start of the film may be a bit slow for some people (but stay with it) and the swearing may put a lot of people off, but its worth the money - I assure you!
The video is available to buy from Blackstar.co.uk, for £5.29 and is rated 15. For further details go to: http://www.blackstar.co.uk/video/item/7000000032736
=============== UPDATE (01/12/04)This title has been deleted on VHS, but has been 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)!!
Advantages: Surprisingly funny film Disadvantages: Pretentious kid in film!!!!!!!
...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, ... ...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 reviews - if you don't know who Denis Leary is - he started with stnad-up comedy and is a VERY angry comedian (and very clever too!!). Although the film is set at Christmas and as the cinematic look of "Home Alone" it is a nice honest film about an honest, yet disfunctional family. I find the script intelligent in places (because ...
coleecip 01.11.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hostile Hostages DVD
![The Ref (aka Hostile Hostages) [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78520595.jpg "The Ref (aka Hostile Hostages) [DVD]")
