The Negotiator (1998)

In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers:

James DeMonaco, Kevin Fox

Stars:

Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Danny Roman
Kevin Spacey	...	Chris Sabian
David Morse	...	Adam Beck
Ron Rifkin	...	Grant Frost
John Spencer	...	Chief Al Travis
J.T. Walsh	...	Terence Niebaum
Siobhan Fallon	...	Maggie
Paul Giamatti	...	Rudy
Regina Taylor	...	Karen Roman
Bruce Beatty	...	Markus
Michael Cudlitz	...	Palermo
Carlos Gómez	...	Eagle
Tim Kelleher	...	Argento
Dean Norris	...	Scott
Nestor Serrano	...	Hellman

Storyline

In the midst of an elaborate conspiracy, an expert negotiator is driven to the edge when he's framed for the murder of his partner, as well as embezzling money from his department's pension fund. His only chance to prove his innocence is to take hostages himself, acquire the services of another expert negotiator, and find out who's running the conspiracy before it's too late.

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Plot Keywords:

police | negotiator | hostage | murder | corruption | 

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Taglines:

He frees hostages for a living. Now he's taking hostages to survive.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

El mediador

Filming Locations:

77 W. Wacker Drive, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£447,191 (UK) (27 November 1998)

Gross:

£1,484,716 (UK) (1 January 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, Mandeville Films, New Regency Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming of Roman and the hostages in the Internal Affairs' offices took place at a studio Los Angeles. In order to simulate the Chicago skyline that can be seen looking out the window, a 160x40 feet poster was created using 6 cameras placed on the 20th floor of 77 West Wacker Drive in Chicago, looking outside the window. The poster was placed outside the office movie set in Los Angeles.

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Goofs

During one of the early negotiating scenes, the clock in the negotiating room shows early afternoon when it is clearly night time.

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Quotes

Lieutenant Danny Roman: [while trying to talk down a Hostage Taker through a closed door] Yeah, I like animals better than people sometimes... Especially dogs. Dogs are the best. Every time you come home, they act like they haven't seen you in a year. And the good thing about dogs... is they got different dogs for different people. Like pit bulls. The dog of dogs. Pit bull can be the right man's best friend... or the wrong man's worst enemy. You going to give me a dog for a pet, give me a pit bull. Give me... Raoul. ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Kill Point: Who's Afraid of Mr. Wolf, Part 1 (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Rise"
(1998)
Performed and Written by Craig Armstrong
Courtesy of Virgin Records Ltd./Melankolic

User Reviews

An intelligent, taut thriller

Just when you think he's cornered, he thinks of a new strategy. Samuel L. Jackson portrays Lieutenant Danny Roman, police hostage negotiator. When he's framed for a crime he didn't commit, against his fellow police officers no less, he knows that the only way out is to bring in an equally tough negotiator, Lieutenant Chris Sabian played by Kevin Spacey, who's from another precinct and who therefore could not have been contaminated by the bad elements within his own force, which buys him the necessary time to bluff and blindside while he finds the clues he needs to prove he's innocent. Chicago is taken hostage along with the few people he retains as bargaining chips, and we are taken along for the ride. This was a masterful job of film-making from beginning to end. The characters and story were flawlessly developed. We don't precisely know who's guilty or who's innocent. Roman conducts his interrogation and trial while he negotiates with the police outside, some of whom are working overtime to eliminate Roman before he figures it all out. This all occurs right under the noses of the FBI who are in way over their heads and don't have a clue who's guilty or innocent, just like the rest of us watching. Along the way, we get to witness Roman lecture his underlings about the finer points of negotiations while he himself has just become a hostage taker. "Never say no!" he barks with effective zeal. And he tests his bewildered pupils continuously, who fail continuously. Only Sabian is smart enough to understand what's going on in Roman's mind. The strategy is shared by two men who think alike, who are under stress, and have an innate instinct for lie detection. The screenplay was terrific. The cinematography was effective. The acting of Jackson and Spacey exceptional. And the supporting cast, particularly bad-guy-turned-good-guy Paul Giamatti who provides great comic relief, was outstanding. If you're in the mood for an intelligent, taut thriller, The Negotiator delivers... 9/10.