Hostage Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Would you sacrifice another family to save your own?
On March 11th there will be no negotiation.
Jeff Talley, a former LAPD hostage negotiator, has moved himself away from his failed career outside of Los Angeles, and away from his wife and daughter. When a convenience store robbery goes wrong in his turf, the three perpetrators move in on an unsuspecting family. But the family's father has a secret which might compromise his kin, and one of the criminals is about to jump over the edge. Jeff Talley has to get everybody to survive the night......if he can.
| Kevin Pollak | Walter Smith |
| Bruce Willis | Jeff Talley |
| Michelle Horn | Jennifer Smith |
| Ben Foster | Mars Krupcheck |
| Jimmy Bennett | Tommy Smith |
| Jonathan Tucker | Dennis Kelly |
| Marshall Allman | Kevin Kelly |
| Serena Scott Thomas | Jane Talley |
| Rumer Willis | Amanda Talley |
| Kim Coates | The Watchman |
| Robert Knepper | Wil Bechler |
| Tina Lifford | Laura Shoemaker |
| Ransford Doherty | Mike Anders |
| Marjean Holden | Carol Flores |
| Michael D. Roberts | Ridley |
| Florent Emilio Siri |
6.70 out of 10 (19068 votes)
Visitor Reviews
I loved it...
posted on 21 Aug 2009The reason why this film works so well goes far beyond the action and suspense at face value. Each character brings a unique element -- his own emotional and psychological baggage -- and uses those memories as motivation for their actions. The viewer has to decide with whom to take sides and also understand that this film is dynamic, ever-changing. It is thrilling, captivating, and well-rehearsed (SWAT consultants were brought to share their expertise during the filming process). I felt as though Bruce Willis really was fighting an internal battle of saving hostages for the sake of protecting his own family, which ultimately made him the hero of the film. I have a feeling most people will like this movie because it appeals to the masses, and (no offense) it does not require a post-graduate education to follow the plot.
Best thriller out there right now NO SPOILERS
posted on 18 Aug 2009Bruce Willis has done a number of movies you may have chosen to pass on. HOSTAGE should not be one of them.This film has lots of action, lots of tension and, for this thirty-something, it was nice to go see a movie that a) had actual surprises and clever twists b) didn't have characters doing stupid things because of lazy writers c) had a cast of characters with layers as opposed to cut-out cannon fodderAssault on Precinct 13 was fun, and slightly clever, although it didn't take a genius to see everything coming. HOSTAGE is far better. It has all the thrills and far more chills. It's also wonderfully filmed, perfectly paced and really well written.Go see it!
Again and again and again
posted on 16 Aug 2009Old Bruce is not a bad actor, but why is he doing this? He's 50 and his pubertal problems ought to be history now. Why does he have to shoot, burn and be an action hero, when he could appear in Woody Allen-films and make a (seriously) good performance? Don't expect anything you haven't seen before in "Hostage". You will even have the scene that must have first appeared in the 20s, when the hero gets into his car and someone in the backseat turns up and threatens him with a gun. Don't the action heroes ever learn? Check your car before you get into it! There is some nerve in the first half hour and even a little bit of class struggle. But if you're an experienced action viewer, you could quite easily have written this script yourself.
A standard Hollywood thriller that has no spike.
posted on 04 Aug 2009The Hostage has a lot of potential, but fails to deliver. Here you have an ex-negotiator cop with a troublesome past. A chance to redeem himself arises as a group of youngsters capture the entire family of a rich man.The basic setting of a hostage negotiator with horrible things in his past has proved somewhat fruitful in other films, such as The Negotiator with Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Although the Negotiator wasn't an excellent film either, the two big names running the show managed to salvage it to a point where it was fairly entertaining. The Hostage relies solely on the performance of Bruce Willis which isn't enough to carry the film to a point where it becomes a good film.Quite frankly all performances in the film are overdone with excess drama or simply flat-out unbelievable reactions. In addition to that, few characters manage to interest the viewer enough for the viewer to become interested in the character's fate. Most characters are a cliché along with the highly predictable storyline in which the characters function.However, some elements were added to the film in an attempt to keep the thing interesting. Up to three hostage situations are in fact related to the main story of the film, that being the story of Bruce Willis' character Jeff Talley. This does not, however salvage the film as none of the stories pack even a hint of originality.
Interesting and attention grabbing action film with parallels going on below the surface.
posted on 04 Aug 2009Hostage is a fast and unrelenting film, the sort that draws you in with its sleek and pleasing visuals before hitting you a couple of times with some violence and suspense. It's the sort of film that will grab you and churn you through some obligatory scenes of build up and tension but it's also the sort that does so without bothering you. That said, Hostage could've been much worse than how I found it to be. Each individual act and each individual event will seem familiar and channelled but everything comes together in a recognisable yet pleasing package of thrills and entertainment.The film toys about with identity and spaces the character's inhabit. The film also dips in and out of ideas to do with class and stereotypical labelling. But Hostage is still a film that covers a lot of ground. Bruce Willis' character of Jeff Talley will go from too relaxed-a expert of a profession, to having a child die in his arms, to being shot at, to suffering tragedy to do with his family and to coming close to being cooked. But what works against the film is also what works with it: we've seen Willis do this before in the Die Hard films, in The Fifth Element and in The Last Boy Scout. These things have happened to Willis before; who they haven't happened to before is Jeff Tally and this is where the chief reason to suspend belief spawns from.So if Hostage is the same old, same old happening to the same guy in the wrong place at the wrong time then why did I find it slightly better than just that? For one, the film has several narratives going on at once under the mask of one chief narrative which is the taking over of a large house isolated in dusty California by three kids with nothing better to do. They also think the daughter of the household is attractive and wouldn't mind spending some time with her after an earlier attempt to 'woo' her results in her giving them the finger. This is where the film gets a little clever, too clever if you like for its own good. The film's chief narrative line is about the 'good' rich whom are the helpless, captive family and the 'evil' poor – the three kids that dress in rags, drive around in a beat up truck and hijack the family's house.Then there are the seemingly pointless scenes once they are in the house. The three poor or 'evil' kids walk around this post-modern mansion in disarray: they are lost amongst items and deco that they are not familiar with; they inhabit a space that is alien to them. Panes of glass with water running down them, creating a makeshift waterfall, bemuse the kids; an electronic safe with high-tech locking mechanism equally confuses them and a facility to check every inch of the house and grounds using screens is an item that amazes them. But while this basic battle of good and evil is established, another one is sparked off half way through. It seems the 'good' family are not as innocent as first viewed, at least the father (played by Kevin Pollak) isn't, and an outside force hell bent on retaining an item from within the house enters the fray.In order for this third element to enter the narrative, they must do something to Talley (Willis) that will force us to label them villains. And yet, they need to do this in order to not only protect Walter Smith's (Pollack) job/life (prison if he is caught) but they will also systematically aid in Jeff Talley's saving of the two innocent Smith children who are still in the mansion. So the film plays with conventions such as good vs. evil and if anything, it manipulates clichés and obligatory scenes so that we have to think about who we are rooting for and who we want to succeed when certain situations come around.There can be no denying that Hostage has its problems but it makes up for them with its cheeky references and its big ideas. The black police woman who is shot mercilessly outside the gate and acts as the film's initial incident is in poor taste since she is African-American and must be sacrificed so that the film must follow through; as is the humiliation of the black policeman in Jeff's precinct. He is the one that wears trainers and seems goofy in his response and reaction to being told not to do it again, indeed; it is not the first time it has happened. But the film is full of visual tricks such as the CCTV screen turning into reality and there are some long takes also thrown in. Tommy Smith (Bennett) crawls around in the establishment's air vent shaft, unbeknownst to his captors, alá John McLane in Die Hard and communicates with the outside police (who he does not know anything of) via two-way radio also alá McLane. Hostage is good entertainment but below the surface, there is far more going on than first presumed.
Thoroughly engaging till the wheels come off...
posted on 29 Jul 2009Hostage thriller starring Bruce Willis is more than decent thrillride until it completely loses the way.Looking at other reviews around here I can only assume I saw a different movie entitled 'Hostage' with Bruce Willis.Willis is Jeff Talley, a former police negotiator/FBI agent/Special agent-esquire individual who took a small-time job as a small-town cop after a hostage situation went badly wrong and all involved ended up killed. Talley, blaming himself, got out of the rig and opted for an easier life. However, his family life suffered as a result and divorce from his wife has become a genuine possibility.So when an all-new hostage situation emerges, he is on the scene trying to save the lives of the family trapped inside their home by a group of 3 misguided youths, one of whom has killed a police officer already, and who are holding the rich family to ransom.However, on his way home from the situation which is not one he has legal jurisdiction on, Talley is partially kidnapped himself by hooded men demanding that he, as part of his job, acquires a DVD the father of the trapped family hid away in his collection, a DVD containing sensitive information.To encourage him, the men have kidnapped his *own* family so his interests suddenly become vastly conflicted...This is a really great idea - does he sacrifice another man's family for his own, does he somehow save both? The paradox is a good one, and Willis is terrific in the part. Once again he proves himself a true heavyweight of Hollywood, and his characters have matured along with him. His younger days saw the wild and exciting John McClane, and now he's more mild-mannered in the likes of Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and this. He elicits emotion extremely convincingly, and is entirely believable.And indeed, the plot is likewise believable for much of its duration. However, it lets itself down badly with 2 major flaws.Firstly, Ben Foster's Mars is clearly an attempt at portraying pure evil, and the actor himself does an excellent job with the material. The problem is the material is downright ridiculous in places, and requires him to parody himself quite blatantly. The shoot out at the very start of the film with him gunning down on every cop car approaching the mansion he and his buddies are stationed in is utterly over the top and not even remotely believable. And as the plot develops and it becomes apparent that he's pure evil the script simply starts to make him look downright silly. The last reel is simply laughable, and it's not Foster's fault.Furthermore, the last 3rd of the film is suspension of disbelief to the extreme. There are simply too many silly developments, and believability goes out of the window. It remains entertaining, but its effective early gritty realism is replaced by comic-book extremism. Too many sequences made me laugh, and that was not the intention of the story at all...Overall, it's a good film and worth viewing, and the acting certainly saves it big time because all performances are excellent, but the script does them no favours at times and sporadically descends into sheer stupidity.Contrived, and daft, but with enough quality to see it through.
Could Have Been Better But At Least I Had A Few Laughs
posted on 23 Jul 2009To be honest with you it seemed like the typical Bruce Willis movie. It dragged and in my opinion it didn't get good until the movie began to focus more on Ben Foster, who generally lacks acting ability. I have to say this part for him was definitely a stretch. I consider this movie more of a comedy then anything else. Some people ( I am sure) will be touched by particular moments in the movie however, it's not any different than the movies that have come before. Bruce Willis has overdone the action movie hero and should retire. He is ruining his name by doing movies that have been done before so many times. He should stop acting now so that we can continue to praise him for movies like, Die-hard and Die-hard 2.
I was Hostaged by this film
posted on 19 Jul 2009Hostage is the latest film starring Bruce Willis and some less known actors supporting him. First thing that I noticed about this film was how similar the plot line was to 24 and Assault on Precinct 13. A rather unoriginal film but then again how many unique movies do you get to see these days anyway. Despite this I still think the plot line was solid enough for the purpose of this film. The pace of the film was rather slow at times especially in the middle of the film.In terms of acting I thought most of the cast put in a rather sub-standard performances. Villains who were supposed to be at least to a degree menacing was nowhere near that. I thought the only person who did a good enough of a job was the star of the show Bruce Willis.There was nothing much to say in the technical aspects of the film like music, costumes or cinematography.
wait until the cheap shows
posted on 17 Jul 2009Hey, the 1st thing that was cool about this movie was Ben Foster, he used to be on some show I would pass on Disney, and I though, I will never buy him as a freaky psycho, but man I sure did, he is a great actor. The movie was alright until they just kept adding more to it, with his family, and with all that I expected something amazing to happen, but what happens Foster's character was slightly exciting. He did all that in the house to try and save the kids, to almost kill their father was stupid, They never explained who really the father was linked with or what happens, they draw out this anti-climactic ending to make the movie seem long, but then don't have an ending, I didn't like that at all. I though all the acting was good though, Bruce Willis is always kick ass, that girl and boy were good, and of course same with Kevin Pollak. I would wait till the cheap movies though, but I would see then or rent it definitely, because it's no movie is worth $9.50, but this one is worth giving a view at a cheaper price.
I liked it!
posted on 16 Jul 2009Bruce Willis is a former hostage negotiator from L.A. turned small town sheriff who finds himself dealing with a hostage situation in his new job. A mob accountant is followed home by street scum, they hold him and his family hostage and the mob holds the sheriff's family hostage until they get their hands on evidence that could land them in prison. Now, the burnout negotiator must renew his skills and confidence to try to save his own family.
Lots of action, I rate it a 5 star effort.
A much needed comeback for Bruce
posted on 15 Jul 2009The movie was a pleasant surprise after a long range of mediocre movies starring Bruce Willis.The overall feel reminded me a bit about what made Die Hard his breakthrough movie, as Jeff Talley (Bruce) basically will be on a one man mission against all odds, but this time with a much darker and serious twist to it all.There's not any of the small winks and humoristic one liners that made Die Hard so charming, but instead some raw and brutal feel to it all, mostly because you get to know the characters in the movie so well, and it is much more complex, close and intimate than what you have seen before from Bruce Willis.Bruce in fact delivers some pretty good acting at times, which was also a surprise, he is well known for his stone-face approach, usually only surfing on some built in charm and macho appearance. But this time he plays a real human, not a machine-man who goes on unaffected by what happens around him.The story itself is exciting with a lot of twists that keeps you on your toes through the movie.
thrilling, exciting and keeps you out of your seat!
posted on 15 Jul 2009I watched Hostage in theaters and i must say, it keep me and the entire movie theater of people out of my seat from beginning till end.Everone was so into the movie, it was crazy. Bruce Willis was outstanding, he did an excellent job. If you are interested in seeing this movie you really don't want it to be spoiled. Its that good.The movie is just too good to have some jerk spill the beans.Hostage is exciting and will keep you biting your nails the whole way through.When i came out of the movie theater, i swear, i wanted to watch it all over again.Who knows i might just go back and watch it for that thrill once more.Jennifer
Waste of time!!!!
posted on 06 Jul 2009OK, this movie is just terrible. In my opinion movies can get away with a lot. if they are great action movies then they dont need a great plot to be good movies, and vice versa. If they are suspense movies they dont need amazing special effects or ground breaking science fiction. But what a slow moving suspense "thriller' needs is content!!! Be very clear, this not an action movie, maybe for about 15 minutes at the end, but for 1 hour and 45 minutes this is suppose to be a plot based thriller, a situational drama.
I am not going to go into a recap of the movie(thats why this is a "review" and not a "recap"). The main villians in the movies have no background given on them whatsoever, ni fact you dont even know who the agency controlling all the moves is EVER!!! Who is the kid thats controling everything inside the hostage situation? I wish I could tell you, but all I can say is he's some messed up punk kid, but what normal person kidnaps a total stranger, so of course hes really messed up. The movie does nothing to establish a reason that anything in the movie happen, except that the "voice on the other end of the phone" says so.
This movie tried to tackle too much. You get two hostage situations in the plot, but never really know anything about either one of them. The result is that you are left with two stories that you have no idea what or why anything happened in either one of them. Although I have not read the book, I am sure, like so often happens with book movies, the background required to really get into the movie was cut out to save time, BAD MOVE!!!
The other beef I had with this movie was the whole Virgin Mary thing with the young girl in the movie. I mean it was a little, and when I say a little I mean way, over the top. I hate when artsy directors throw things into a movie that have nothing to do with the plot or story, but just want to show their pseudo-creativity.
Action flick, sort of
posted on 05 Jul 2009To give Bruce Willis credit, he has mixed up his action and character-driven movies for the last 10 years, so as he ages, we will be able to accept him in character parts where a bazooka in hand may not always exist. This draggy action flick has the aging Willis playing a familiar role, that of the big-city cop now reduced to a country lawman. A home in his little town is under siege by three punks while other, darker forces seek something from the homeowner and will stop at nothing to get it, including kidnapping Willis' wife and kid to get Willis involved. He is bald in this one, which I guess we have gotten used to by now, and isn't always in his ramrod DIE HARD mode, which actually makes him more believable. And this reluctant hero role helps make the tired plot behind this noisy flick more acceptable. Otherwise, all HOSTAGE would be is a mirror-image retread of FEAR. Kevin Pollack, always a solid supporting player, is the owner of the house under siege. And Ben Foster,the kid who played Angel in the X-MEN flicks as well as the pin-faced neighbor in THE PUNISHER, plays one of the punks. If you listen carefully, you will hear his last name called out(inadvertently?) during the film.
great movie!!!
posted on 27 Jun 2009I really, really liked this movie! One of the best that i've seen in a while. Bruce Willis (as well as the rest of the cast)was absolutely great, but Ben Foster practically stole the show. Great performance as the twisted villain Mars, especially since I'm used to him from the Disney Channel's once-upon-a-time series Flash Forward and other teen-oriented movies. (Love Ben Foster!) Fascinating, action-packed, great, great movie. Everyone that I went to see it with agreed, as did my parents, to whom I recommended the movie. I also have recommended the movie to my customers (I work at a video rental store) and have heard great reviews from them as well. If you're in the mood to be on the edge of your seat, go see Hostage!
Gripping suspense.
posted on 26 Jun 2009Kevin Pollack (A Few Good Men, House Arrest), his daughter, and young son are taken hostage in their own house (a la The Desperate Hours) apparently by cheap juvenile delinquent burglars. Bruce Willis is a cop who takes charge of the hostage situation. But Pollack has something in the house that both the mob and the FBI want, the latter interfering with Willis's control of the situation. However, the boy, locked in his room, finds a cell phone and becomes Willis's informer from inside the house. The boy's involvement is reminiscent of Home Alone, even more of Playing Dangerous. It's a pretty standard hostage suspense situation, but very well done with some surprises.
A Drama for the Real Intense Imagination
posted on 26 Jun 2009This movie is a drama. As many have stated, This movie does not go into detail of the life of all the characters. But guess what? That's the whole idea! When you watch this movie you pull out general information, which may be graphic and scary to some, then you are more afraid when you realize that if this happened in real life, as it could, then YOU wouldn't be able to see the story of the "bad people" either. The whole idea is you don't know much, and thats scary. Someone you don't know can come in your house and take YOU hostage. You won't know if they are capable of killing or not. This movie really is geared to those you don't need everything handed to them. If you require a movie that goes through the life of all characters that are good and bad, then watch the Lifetime Channel. If you want adrenalin from watching a hostage situtiation where there is unknowns, then this is for you. If you are an adult wishing this shouldn't happen to your family, or maybe a teenager that hates life and wants to watch someone else be "bad"... then this is for you. I'm sure there are other reasons, cause' this movie is wonderful.
Please ask me why??
posted on 24 Jun 2009Why 4 stars? this is a brilliant action pack thriller , the story line is good , the acting good and it's a all round balance drama suspence thriller ok!!! i know i said that all ready.
so why did it do so bad at the box office this is called over ther hill syndrome thats when your action star has lost the appeal of the movie goers Bruce Willis is great actor and if he had done this same movie ten years ago it would rock the box office but this is not ten years ago and the majority of movie goers are now between the ages of 9 to 21, to them Bruce Willis aint no Brad Pitt, he has lost his appeal to the viewing audience this is sad! because this is a good movie, it's no classic but still it's entertaining, laterz folks
Bruce Willis is back as a cop, and he doesn't aim to please!
posted on 23 Jun 2009Bruce Willis gets back to his heroic roots as a tough guy cop in French director Florent Emilio Siri's new crime movie "Hostage" (***1/2 out of ****), a realistic, often gripping police procedural thriller with R-rated amounts of blood, gore, and more. The more here is plot. Lots of plot. You can't run to the restroom or the snack bar in "Hostage" without missing crucial information. Again, scenarist Doug Richardson's smartly done screenplay contains several twists and turns as well as surprises and revelations that will keep you poised on the edge of your seat. At worst, "Hostage" probably has more plot than one movie needs, but it certainly helps to generate some white-knuckled tension and nail-biting suspense. Unlike Willis' hip, cool, wise-cracking "Die Hard" movies, which this melodramatic exercise in nihilism borrows from only marginally, "Hostage" is comparatively downbeat, cynical, and matter-of-fact. The villains lack the flamboyance of the "Die Hard" bad guys. What these villains lack in style, they compensate for with psychotic villainy. People drop like flies in "Hostage," and one of them is a child. Imagine what the original "Die Hard" would look like if Hollywood remade it as an urban spin on Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven," and you'll be prepared for this solidly-made, but largely down-to-earth, cat & mouse shoot'em up."Hostage" opens in Los Angeles as seasoned L.A.P.D. hostage negotiator Jeff Tally (Bruce Willis of "Pulp Fiction") tries to talk a murderous gunman out of killing an innocent woman and her son. Surprise number one. Things go horribly wrong, and the gunman shoots the mother and the little boy dies in Tally's arms as the suicidal father lies dead in a pool of blood. Traumatized by this experience, Tally leaves the L.A.P.D. and takes a job as police chief of a slumbering small town north of Los Angeles. Although Tally is content with his new post, but his wife Jane Tally (Serena Scott Thomas of "The World Is Not Enough") and daughter Amanda (Rumer Willis—that's right, Bruce's real life daughter) aren't. Jane visits him on weekends, but refuses to live with him, and his daughter fears that her parents may divorce as a result of their separation. Nevertheless, Jeff doesn't have to face the high pressure crime problems of L.A., until he fails to pull over three unsavory teenagers in a battered pick-up truck who litter on his watch. Jeff drives off to the office, while the trio of teens, Dennis (Sean Penn look-a-like Jonathan Tucker of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), Mars Krupcheck (Ben Foster of "Get Over It"), and Dennis' younger brother Kevin (Marshall Allman of "Shallow Ground") spot an Cadillac Escalade driven by wealthy accountant Walter Smith (Kevin Pollack of "Deterrence"), with his children, teen-aged Jennifer (Michelle Horn of "Stuart Saves His Family") and her younger brother Tommy (Jimmy Bennett of "Daddy Day Care"). From that point on, Murphy's Law rules, everything that can go wrong, goes wrong in spades for not only Jeff, who is called to the scene, but also the villains and their victims. The villainous, darkly-clad teen trio of scumbags tail Walter and his family to their fortress-like mansion equipped with a state-of-the-art home security system and try to steal the Cadillac. Before you can say BANG!, the gun-toting teens find themselves trapped in Smith's house with an army of police outside with choppers whirling overhead and SWAT teams gearing up for action. Wait until you see what else comes down the turnpike. Watching "Hostage" at times is like being a hostage, because you won't want to take your eyes on the screen.Director Florent Siri, who helmed the sci-fi thriller "The Nest," knows what is essential for any hardboiled action thriller. Writer Doug Richardson and he paint the Bruce Willis hero into a corner, and they don't let him off the hook until fadeout about two hours later. Things get so tough for the Willis hero that he has to break the law himself! Meanwhile, the plot takes on greater dimensions by leaps and bounds as every action triggers another action, sometimes bigger than the previous action. "Hostage" gives its heroes a hard time and doesn't cut much slack for the villains. No sooner have the three teens gotten themselves cornered in Smith's impregnable home than they begin to grow suspicious about each other. Meanwhile, power struggles develop outside the house between Jeff and the County cops that he requested for back-up. Just when you think that the heat cannot be turned up any higher, Siri and Richardson twist the knob off the afterburners! The entire cast is uniformly good, especially Jonathan Tucker and Ben Foster as the homicidal teens. Willis delivers a low-key but powerful performance as the man caught in the middle. "Hostage" suffers from two flaws: the movie sacrifices realism when the plot becomes too incredible with its own coincidences, and a last minute shoot out seems completely out-of-place with another revelation about the villains. Leave the wife and kids and/or girlfriend at home for this actioneer. "Hostage" qualifies strictly as a movie for guys who won't flinch at the sight of blood and gore.
Great Bruce Willis
posted on 27 Aug 2009A great movie not for the faint of heart. It was taken from Robert Crais novel which was also excellent. The novel was used as source material but the movie has a life of its own. Bruce Willis was great in this movie. I think it is some of his best work to date. He is not a comic book hero in this. The bad guys are down right creepy. Plenty of plot to go around in this film. The climactic scenes get gory, thats why it is not for everybody.