MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Crime Thriller/Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin, John Spencer, J. T. Walsh, Paul Guilfoyle, Siobhan Fallon, Paul Giamatti, Regina Taylor, Bruce Beatty, Michael Cudlitz, Carlos Gómez, Tim Kelleher, Dean Norris, Nestor Serrano, Doug Spinuzza, Leonard Thomas, Stephen Lee, Robert David Hall, Tom Bower/Runtime: 139 minutes
I think it can definitely be said that, while yes being a member of that distinct career path known as law enforcement has got to be one of the most stress-inducing career paths that a person could ever choose to embark upon in their professional life, an argument could effectively be made (dependent of course on the person making it) that one of the most stressful positions within that career path would undoubtedly have to be that of a negotiator. I mean not only you dealing with literal life or death stakes every time you punch in for the day, but you also are being pushed to make decisions on the fly that could have serious consequences, your margin of error in any given situation is pretty much set to zero, you need to be a heck of a communicator (though that goes without saying I feel), you need to be a team player, but most important of all you have to be able to remain calm no matter what gets thrown your way. Thus with all of those critical elements in play it is no surprise to learn that the land of movie magic, in the entire catalogue of crime thrillers that it has chosen to make over the years, has not only made the negotiator role a vital part of a lot of those films, but also given audiences at the very least one where the negotiator is in fact the main character. That being the 1998 crime thriller, and slice of cinema I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, aptly named The Negotiator. A film that, in addition to showing why you should never frame Samuel L. Jackson for any act of crime no matter how small or insignificant, also happens to be a film that I have very fond memories of watching late at night thanks in large part to the fact that my mom didn’t exactly know how to block the free movie channels (sorry Mom, but Showtime and I most assuredly thank you from the bottom of our collective hearts). Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that this also happens to be a fairly well-made and genuinely engaging slice of cinema either so there’s something else this slice of cinema has going for it as well I guess. To be sure, it is most assuredly not a perfect or flawless slice of cinema by any means, but even so there is also no denying that with the aid of fairly skilled work both behind and in front of the camera The Negotiator is still one slice of cinema that I have no doubt will possess very little in the way of difficulty in terms of persuading you to give it a watch time and time again.
The plot is as follows: Taking audiences to that distinct locale that is the Windy City (or Chicago if you are the type who goes by the official name of places rather than affectionate nicknames) The Negotiator gets underway by introducing us to a man by the name of Danny Roman. A man who, among other things worth keeping in mind about him, is a highly skilled member of the East Precinct for the Chicago Police Department. Unlike many of his colleagues whose weapon of choice is attached to their hip and takes the shape and form of their sidearm, Danny’s is more in the shape and form of whatever happens to come out of his mouth. You see dear reader Danny is a hostage negotiator and it is his job, besides kicking bad guy butt from time to time, to more often than not try and talk to those who are threatening violence upon others in a variety of situations before the rest of the team is left with no other option, but to take them down by force. A job that, aside from being viewed as a bit on the reckless side by some of his colleagues in the department, he has shown himself to be quite successful at engaging in time and time again. As good as life is for Mr. Roman however, we see that it’s about to be thrown a serious curveball when, after his partner takes him aside to discretely let him know that an informant has told him that people in their unit have been taking from the pot (or embezzling) of funds that make up the squad’s disability fund, that same partner winds up being found dead of a gunshot wound to the head and, even worse, all the evidence seems to point in our hero’s direction as being the culprit. As a result, and with seemingly no one in the unit willing to back him up to say nothing of looking at an impending fairly decent in length stay at the Prison Inn and Suites, we see that Danny engages in what might be considered a reckless course of action. Namely storming into the office of the Internal Affairs officer (who our hero incidentally has a prior history with) investigating the case and taking him plus a few other people as hostages. Yet when his unit shows up to try and aid the FBI in defusing the situation, we see that among the list of demands that Roman makes there is one that is perhaps a bit peculiar. Namely he will not speak to anyone except the west precinct of Chicago’s top negotiator Chris Sabian. Thus can our hero, with the reluctant aid of Sabian, get to the bottom of this situation and figure out who set him up to say nothing of why or is this one situation that even he tragically won’t be able to talk himself out of? That is something that I shall leave for you to uncover…..
Now right off, it should be said that the efforts engaged in by the distinct groups working behind the camera on this particular cinematic effort, while by no means flawless in either delivery or execution, do nevertheless manage to do what they can to ensure that this is still very much a film that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and every taut minute in between. Without a doubt, this starts with the work done in the director’s chair by F. Gary Gray (the music video for Ice Cube’s It Was a Good Day, 1995’s Friday, 2009’s Law Abiding Citizen, and 2015’s Straight Outta Compton) and this is definitely one of his more underrated efforts. Indeed not only does Gray showcase a fantastic comprehension of how to keep a consistent degree of palpable suspense present throughout to say nothing of expertly utilizing a wonderful tempo that switches back and forth between the nail-biting scenes of negotiation and the thrilling action beats in a way that flows extremely well, but he also is extremely skilled at making sure that, by and large, the characters in this film are less archetypes we’ve seen a million times before in other films like this one and more three-dimensional individuals who feel just as human as you or I. Alongside Gray’s confident and well-executed work at the helm, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a fairly well-written script as penned by both James DeMonaco (the 2005 Assault on Precinct 13 plus The Purge franchise) as well as Kevin Fox respectively. Indeed not only is the script rooted in a welcome degree of realism especially in terms of how actual hostage negotiators operate, but the dialogue is incredibly solid, the plot twists well done, and even the interactions between the various characters are riveting to say nothing of extremely well-constructed. In addition to the work done by the previously mentioned departments, this slice of cinema also manages to possess some fairly skillful work from Oscar-winner Russell Carpenter (1997’s Titanic, 1994’s True Lies, and the first Ant-Man from 2015) in the cinematography department. Indeed through the skillful usage of both effectively moody lighting as well as some creative camera work, we see that Carpenter (no relation to one John Carpenter incidentally) is able to provide this film with a visual flair that is able to synch up with the rest of the work done behind the camera fairly well. Last, but by no stretch of the roadway least this section of the review would not be complete if I didn’t devote at least a few lines of it to talk about the work done behind the camera by Graeme Revell (2008’s Pineapple Express, 2000’s Titan A.E., Child’s Play 2 from 1990, and Freddy vs. Jason from 2003) on this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment. Indeed through the utilization of components of both an orchestral and electronic variety, we see that Revell is able to give the film a score that not only contributes to and even reinforces the suspenseful atmosphere of the story remarkably well, but it also provides a degree of resounding emotion into the mix as well. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account fairly worthy efforts from the editing department as headed by Christian Wagner (the 2nd Mission: Impossible, 1997’s Face/Off, 1996’s The Fan, and 2002 007 outing Die Another Day) to name but a few it’s clear that, whilst not perfect, this is nevertheless a fairly skillfully made film to say nothing of one that should please fans of the action thriller genre of movie magic all the same.
In addition to the undeniably talented work being engaged in by the various behind the camera units, it also most assuredly does not hurt this slice of cinema in the least that it is also the blessed recipient of a collection of equally as solid efforts done in front of the camera by a talented group of individuals who, despite some getting more material to conjure up their respective characters than a lot of others, all still manage to do not that bad work with what they are ultimately given to work with. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done by screen icon Samuel L. Jackson in the lead role and he is really good here. Indeed as Roman, we see that Jackson presents us with someone who is not only incredibly skilled at what he does to say nothing of fairly adaptive and resourceful, but who is also just as dedicated to the moral compass that drives him here to not only do the right thing and get answers in a (admittedly) rather unorthodox manner, but also to get justice for himself and his late partner as well. Suffice it to say it’s a fairly underrated turn from one of the more iconic (to say nothing of prolific) actors of his generation. In addition to Jackson, this film also contains a fairly engaging performance from Kevin Spacey. Yes it might take a solid 30+ minutes before he shows up, but once he does there is no denying that as Sabian Spacey gives us a character that is equal parts calm, methodical, and also highly skilled at what he does yet also empathetic and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that this situation is resolved peacefully to say nothing of someone who, at first glance, is a bit unsure as to if our main character is innocent yet by the end….well I’ll let you see where he winds up by the end. Suffice it to say that yes I know who Spacey is as a person, but that shouldn’t take away from what he is able to bring to the table here as an actor. Last, but most certainly never least, I feel like this section would not be complete if I didn’t take some time to talk about the terrifically slimy job done here by late yet great character actor J.T. Walsh (A Few Good Men, 1997’s Breakdown) as I.A. Inspector Terence Niebaum. Yes this is very much a co-starring role at best, but even so there is no denying that Walsh does a more than skilled job at showcasing for us not only a man of authority, but also the cowardly and sniveling side of the same man when placed in a situation that might reveal things about him that he, for reasons best left for you to uncover, would rather not become public knowledge. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate well-done supporting work from such talented individuals as Ron Rifkin, David Morse (The Green Mile), Siobhan Fallon (the first Men in Black, 2003’s Holes), John Spencer (Leo on The West Wing), the always delightful Paul Giamatti (Billions on Showtime, 2011’s The Ides of March, and 2002’s Big Fat Liar), actress/playwright Regina Taylor, Michael Cudlitz (John Cooper on TNT’s Southland), Dean Norris (DEA Agent Hank Schraeder on Breaking Bad), Nestor Serrano (The Day After Tomorrow), and a pivotal role for Paul Guilfoyle (Capt. Jim Brass on CSI) among others it’s clear that not only is everyone here fairly well selected for their respective roles, but they all look like they are having an absolute blast with the material as well no matter how much or how little in terms of screentime and/or narrative material they are ultimately provided.
All in all and at the end of the day is The Negotiator “98” a completely and utterly perfect in every way slice of cinema? Sadly as much as I would love to tell you that, due to an admiration for both the lead star as well as a love for the distinct genre of movie magic which this slice of cinema is a part of, I am afraid that I cannot in good faith do so. With that in mind though, is this a terrible film in every way possible to say nothing of the worst film made by any of the undeniably creative people involved on either side of the camera here? Oh heck no! Not by a long shot. Trust me when I say that there are definitely some entries to be found that could definitely qualify for that distinct “honor” a heck of a lot quicker than this film ever could. To be sure, and as previously stated, this slice of cinema is not a flawless effort by any means. Indeed not only are there components to this film’s story that can come across as more than a wee bit on the cliché side at times to say nothing of the fact that there does seem to be a few hurdles in terms of tempo throughout the course of the film’s 138 minute, including credits, runtime, but this slice of cinema does also suffer from that very common (yet still no less horrific) film ailment where a few of the supporting characters in the roster aren’t given nearly as much material to work as perhaps they ought to have been. With that in mind, the work at the helm by Gray is well done, the script not that badly written, the cinematography thoroughly engaging, the score adding to the narrative and atmosphere on display remarkably well, and the vast majority of the performances in front of the camera all prove to be a delight even with the inequality of narrative material in mind. Suffice it to say then that it might not be the next French Connection or The Departed by any means, but even so The Negotiator is still one fairly skillfully made and performed crime thriller that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat in the best way possible. Now if you’ll excuse me: I just discovered that there is a very delicious pumpkin pie on the table in the kitchen of my house and, seeing as I have quite the fondness for pumpkin pie, I’m thinking about utilizing my own distinct negotiation skills to see if I can get at the very least a pretty big slice if not the whole pie….On a scale of 1-5 I give The Negotiator “98” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
