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Hostage
Miramax Films


6.7

based on 33 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 39 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for strong graphic violence, language and some drug use

Starring Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker, Ben Foster, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Jimmy 'Jax' Pinchak, and Marshall Allman

Devastated by an unspeakable tragedy while on the job as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD, Jeff Talley (Willis) resigns and accepts a low profile job as the chief of police in a sleepy town. On a slow Monday morning Talley's job becomes anything but quiet and sets him on a course that could change not only his professional but personal life forever. (Miramax)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Crime \| Drama \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Doug Richardson Robert Crais (novel)
DIRECTED BY:	Florent Emilio Siri
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: June 21, 2005 Video: June 21, 2005 Theatrical: March 11, 2005
RUNNING TIME:	102 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA / Germany

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Made with energetic flair and no small dose of violence, mercifully handled with discretion, Hostage exemplifies taut, confident filmmaking.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Hostage has suspense and momentum.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

My new theory is that Willis' own aesthetic soul is more old-world than he knows, and that he works best with directors who either are (Luc Besson) or might as well be (M. Night Shyamalan) European.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The mechanics of the final showdown are unexpected and yet show an undeniable logic, and are sold by the acting skills of Willis and Pollak.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

The movie isn't particularly tasteful or finely crafted -- but it grabs you by the jugular, and only during an overcooked climax does it finally relax its grip.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

If Hostage looks a lot like a state-of-the-art French "policier" minus the pesky subtitles, the effect is purely intentional.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Full of small, weird moments.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

On the plus side, bloated narratives make for a busy action star, and Bruce is quite the workaholic on this outing, clearly eager to rekindle memories of his "Die Hard" glory days.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Good action movies live on style and excitement. But they also need credibility, and in Hostage, ALMOST a good genre piece, plausibility keeps getting slaughtered.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Willis, who'll turn 50 a week from Saturday, has this kind of hero down pat. He may never again get or demand the complicated dramatic roles I think he could handle, but he's well-cast.

USA Today Mike Clark

Hostage is really about sleek Bruce - buff, bald and clean-shaven - as he goes to town on two sets of assailants.

Empire Staff (Not credited)

Right from the intriguing opening sequence, which hints at the bleakness which envelops the movie, Willis’ Talley is an interesting character.

Variety Robert Koehler

What sends this initially tense thriller over the precipice is a plot scheme that never knows when enough is enough.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Certainly delivers violence and heroics, but not in a way everyone is going to enjoy -- it's brutal and harrowing.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Brainlessly efficient action thriller.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

There's a gripping thriller between the gaps in logic. Director Florent Siri has a tough style and an unforgiving attitude, but it drowns in the queasy blood lust.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The action is dynamically filmed and Willis is at his best. Suspense is soon hijacked by outright gore and grisliness, though.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

From the first strains of its overly dramatic, self-important score -- come on, this is not by any stretch of the imagination "Citizen Kane."

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

By the time the film escalates into a suitably ridiculous Grand Guignol finale, all connection to reality has been severed.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Especially discomfiting is the stream of kids in peril.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's a B-flick all the way, but it has no pretensions to the contrary, and that's some kind of refreshing.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The amazing thing is how dull a movie crawling with gunfire, psycho tantrums and stuff blowing up can be when you just don't care what happens to anyone.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Director Siri has a stylish eye that makes this film resemble a film noir outing, but the script (by Doug Richardson) is at first routine before growing increasingly outlandish.

Village Voice Jessica Winter

Bruce looks hot and underplays handsomely as always, but Hostage is a steaming pile of siege clichés and screaming unlikelihoods.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Beyond the cliches, there's something deeply offensive about the way Hostage exploits our empathy for children in peril.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An unrelenting assault on the brain and eardrums.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

But by the time Willis's character saves this considerably long day, it's filmgoers who will no doubt feel like prisoners, as a movie that promises to be a taut nail-biter devolves into the kind of silly, overblown climax parodied so beautifully by Robert Altman in "The Player."

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The movie as a whole is nonsensical. And long. And slow. And head-poundingly loud as it culminates in slavering horror.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

It doesn't satisfy in the way a good thriller ought to.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Take a tired formula...Stir with a director, Florent Siri, who has no shame about stealing every sadistic suspense trick from the Die Hard series. Serve to a gullible audience willing to pay top dollar for secondhand goods.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Hostage may well be the first action flick cited both for child abuse and audience abuse. In a singularly sadistic and degrading way it has something to offend everyone.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

This is a half-hearted, derivative action film with not a single honest artistic impulse behind it.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

More than sad, it's slightly sickening to consider the technology, talent and know-how squandered on Hostage, a pile of blood-soaked toxic waste dumped onto the screen in an attempt to salvage Bruce Willis's fading career as an action hero.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 39 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Darth M. gave it a10:
This movie is very interesting. It starts a simple hostage situation and it gets more complex and more thrilling than most movies. It has suspense all the way and keeps wanting to see how everything will end. Its a great experience and thats all that matters!.

Frank O. gave it a5:
I was looking forward to viewing this movie because it was based on a novel by Robert Crais who I admire as a mystery writer. Needless to say, it was too much over the top with special effects and way too long.

Ray B. gave it a5:
This film is really difficult to judge. The film itself is a good old fashioned Bruce Willis action movie. But and it's a big BUT the novel it is based on by Robert Crais is one of the best crime thriller books ever written and the movie decided to pick parts of the story to follow and not always the best parts i.e. the discovery in MARS home which is not in the film.

dj s gave it an8:
Its action - if you exepcted anything different from die hard then why did you expect anything different? but i think it is actually different - and you know it from the moment at the start when the kid dies - its directed brilliantly i think - dont ask for particular credibility - you didnt expect it - but its as good credibility wise as something like this can be. im amazed how good this is compared to what i thought it would be like. ace film.

Tony B gave it a4:
There's not a boring minute in it but not too many believable ones either. "Hostage" takes itself more seriously than basically silly claptrap has a right to.

Michael D. gave it a7:
Overall it was an ok film. I would give it a 7. Nothing thrilling but the suspense was alright in the movie, especially right in the middlle. Other than some little nonsense like the hostage taker boys and stuff overall the hostage scenario was good too. Except for the very end where it gets really unrealistic and ridiculus in terms of one and a hlaf man vs 4-5(can't remember now) men with guns ready. C'mon people ridiculus. but I guess as the consultants of the movie say they had to mess up the reality part of the movie to give it happy ending.

Julia gave it a9:
One of the most intense movies thrillers Ever!!! My sister and I were glued to the screen for every second. This is by far one of Bruce Willis's best rolls, aside from Sin City, and shows he's still going strong. And the young actor Ben Foster scared the Hell out of my sister and me. He was a supurb villian really brought the movie to the intensity it was. I strongly recomend this movie, just be sure to watch it with others , with the lights on, and I wouldn't recomend eating during it either.

Hostage Miramax Films

Hostage
Miramax Films