Metro (1997)

A Hostage Negotiator teams up with a Sharpshooter to bring down a dangerous jewel thief.

Director:

Thomas Carter

Writer:

Randy Feldman

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Michael Rapaport, Kim Miyori

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Insp. Scott Roper
Kim Miyori	...	Detective Kimura
Art Evans	...	Lt. Sam Baffett
James Carpenter	...	Officer Forbes
Michael Rapaport	...	Kevin McCall
Donal Logue	...	Earl
Jeni Chua	...	Debbie, Earl's Hostage
Dick Bright	...	Bank Manager
David Michael Silverman	...	SWAT Officer Jennings
Denis Arndt	...	Capt. Frank Solis
Frank Somerville	...	Reporter
Malou Nubla	...	Reporter
Carmen Ejogo	...	Veronica 'Ronnie' Tate
Nino Degennaro	...	Repoman
Michael Wincott	...	Michael Korda

Storyline

Roper, a hostage negotiator catches a murderous bank robber after a blown heist. The bank robber escapes and immediately goes after the man who put him behind bars. The ending is played out with Roper and his partner McCall attempting to rescue Roper's kidnapped girlfriend. A major element in the plot is the relationship between Roper and his girlfriend.

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Plot Keywords:

hostage | chase | police officer | gunfight | violence | 

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Taglines:

Life is a negotiation.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

El negociador

Filming Locations:

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,734,917, 24 January 1997

Gross USA:

$31,987,563, 27 April 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Caravan Pictures, Roger Birnbaum Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last R-rated movie that Eddie Murphy would star in for Disney during his contract. His first was the 1992 comedy, The Distinguished Gentleman.

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Goofs

When Roper visits Korda in jail, Korda's voice doesn't match his mouth movements.

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Quotes

Kevin McCall: I've got two words for you: seek help.
Scott Roper: And I've got two words for you: exacta.

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Connections

References The Perils of Pauline (1914)

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Soundtracks

POOR BUTTERFLY
by John Golden and Raymond Hubbell
Performed by Sonny Rollins
Courtesy of Blue Note Records

User Reviews

Actually not as bad as it seems

Eddie Murphy plays a hostage negotiator in San Francisco, he lives a dangerous life, but he still thinks it´s pretty okay. One thing he doesn´t think is okay is when his friends gets killed. But that is just what happens, his best friend is murdered by an evil jewel-thief, and now Murphy wants revenge.

The plot in "Metro" did not really impress me when I heard about it. Eddie Murphy as a comical hostage negotiator... It sounds pretty corny to me, but it was actually not as bad as it first seemed. The action scenes are well made, especially the breath taking car chases down the steep streets of San Francisco.

But I can´t really say the movie was good. The plot is not very original, this could actually have been titled "Beverly Hills Cop 4" and no one would have noticed. Between the action scenes there aren´t very much to write home about. Murphy is occasionally funny, but he can be really annoying too.

The best thing in "Metro" is definitely the villain, played by the underrated Michael Wincott. He is truly the perfect bad guy. That rasping voice, that glance in his eyes, wow! He can make even the simplest villain into a terrifying monster, which he should be highly praised for. And I wonder if not this guy holds the record in movie-deaths? I´ve seen Wincott in about ten movies, and he gets to meet his maker in all of them! I almost feel sorry for him, but I don´t think he´s complaining too much. If he dies in "Metro" or not, I´ll let you figure out for yourself.

Back to "Metro" now. If you don´t expect any clever ideas, just some good action sequences with a silly plot, it´s not that bad. But on the other hand, not that good either.

* * ½ out of * * * * *