Product Description

Action superstar Bruce Willis (SIN CITY, DIE HARD, UNBREAKABLE, THE SIXTH SENSE, ARMAGEDDON, PULP FICTION) powers a nail-biting thriller that crackles with action and suspense! When Jeff Talley (Willis) became chief of police in a sleepy town, he thought he'd left behind the traumas of his career as a big city hostage negotiator. But when a random crime escalates into a deadly standoff, Talley finds himself thrust into a situation far more volatile and terrifying than anything he could ever imagine! Also starring Kevin Pollak (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS), Jonathan Tucker (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), and Ben Foster (SIX FEET UNDER, THE PUNISHER), this acclaimed hit is based on the best-selling novel by Robert Crais.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13015 in DVD
• Brand: WILLIS,BRUCE
• Released on: 2005-06-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com
You get two hostage crises for the price of one in Hostage, an overwrought but otherwise involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way to Die Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Angeles hostage negotiator, now working as a nearly-divorced police chief in sleepy Ventura County, California. Willis suddenly finds himself amidst two potentially deadly stand-offs when a trio of hapless teenagers seize hostages in the fortress-like home of an accountant (Kevin Pollack) whose connections to organized crime result in Willis struggling to rescue his estranged wife and daughter, who are being held hostage by faceless thugs at an undisclosed location. Having directed two of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell video games, director Florent Siri brings plenty of slick, competent filmmaking to Willis's desperate dilemma, and the film boasts a gritty, graphic style that draws attention away from implausible plot twists. The bothersome, over-the-top performances by the teenaged villains also slightly compromise this gloomy but emotionally gripping adaptation of Robert Crais's novel, named as one of Amazon.com's best books of 2001. --Jeff Shannon

Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Made with energetic flair and no small dose of violence, mercifully handled with discretion, HOSTAGE exemplifies taut, confident filmmaking."

Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"An interesting French action pic fights gallantly for dominance over a bulging, American-style shoot-'em-up."

Customer Reviews

An aight hostage drama that kept me entertained
In Hostage, Bruce Willis plays Jeff Talley, a former Los Angeles hostage negotiator who moves to the 'burbs after messing up on the job and letting a husband kill his wife and son. Talley is now the Chief of Police in a quieter, calmer neighborhood, and his main concern is saving his marriage and keeping his teenage daughter in line. That is, until a group of teens break into the home of a rich family and take the father and children hostage after a failed attempt to steal the family's Cadillac Escalade. Little do they know, the father is actually a crooked money launderer with bad guys on his tail. Unsure what to do, one of the kids shoots a cop, locks down the house, and Talley has to come to the rescue.

I'm a person who likes bad movies. I actually kind of revel in the trash that's out there. And that being said, I liked this movie. It was entertaining and action-packed. I stayed interested the entire way through, and actually wondered what would happen next. That being said, it's not great cinema. It's not fantastic. It's reminiscent of one of my favorite trashy movies, Fear with Marky Mark and Reese Witherspoon. If you like that movie, you can enjoy this one. Bruce Willis is his typical, surly cop self, and the supporting cast is aight. If you're in the mood for entertainment, pick this one up. If you want fantastic hostage drama...I don't really know what to tell you. Maybe try The Negotiator.

The fallen warrior scenario using a hostage negotiator
Jeff Talley (Willis) was once a top-flight hostage negotiator in LA. When a critical hostage negotiation fails, Talley takes the police chief position in Ventura, CA which endangers his marriage and puts strain on the relations with his kid.

Inevitably, another crisis erupts with stakes just as high and Talley has to make this one work. For a thriller, the plot was just a tad too predictable for this viewer. "Hostage" is enjoyable, but a must only if you are a serious Bruce Willis fan.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2008

Good stuff
This is a must see movie. 4 stars. Bruce Willis is great it. Do not believe you will be disappointed.