"The Negotiator" is one of those summer movies that might easily be overlooked. However, if any film has the chance to vault above its competitors this summer, it is this one. Why, you ask, faithful reader? I'll tell you. There are two reasons why "The Negotiator" has what it takes: Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. These two consummate actors turn what could have been a mildly amusing thriller into a real pulse-pounder.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Danny Roman, one of the Chicago police department's best hostage negotiators. Something of a hot-shot, Roman prides himself on his ability to defuse a hostage situation without resorting to a "full breech," police slang for an all-out S.W.A.T. team assault.
"The Negotiator" opens with an example of Roman's prowess. Jackson is perfect as Roman, whose job requires some acting ability in and of itself. Even while exuding the friendly charm the negotiator requires to lull the "HT" (hostage-taker) into complacency, the audience can almost see the gears turn as he figures exactly how to take him down.
It's another mission accomplished for Danny Roman and he returns to his wife and his cop buddies for some well-deserved celebration. Jackson, usually relegated to supporting roles, gets the chance to show some romantic lead potential in a touching moment with his wife. He promises her not to pull any more crazy stunts, which all of us summer movie lovers know means taking over large buildings. Luckily, Roman doesn't keep his promise.
Shock of shocks, all does not continue to go well for our hero. He is framed for the murder of his partner and large-scale embezzlement from the department. When it becomes clear that he is being railroaded, the patented Samuel L. Jackson atomic countdown begins to tick. With every old friend that doesn't believe him, every lawyer who tells him to deal and most of all with every word of his Internal Affairs accuser (the late and lamented J.T. Walsh), Roman gets closer to meltdown. When pushed over the edge, Roman fights back in the best way he knows how. He takes hostages. When asked who he wants for a negotiator, he tells them the only one he will talk to is Chris Sabian, played by none other than Kevin Spacey.
From that moment on out, "The Negotiator" is a no-holds-barred roller coaster ride. Despite the fact that most of the movie takes place in one building, the superior actors and meticulous direction keep every audience member on the edge of their seat. This is a situation rife with tension. Jackson is a man who stands to lose everything. The police, indeed Danny Roman's own unit, are being ordered to take him down. The FBI is begging to take the case. And Chris Sabian is facing off with Roman and the cops who think killing him is the only way.
"The Negotiator" is really a battle of actors, however. Jackson spends this whole movie daring every other actor to share the screen with him. When his hostages try to start acting, Jackson turns up the intensity so high that they are probably scared to say their lines.
Still, the great supporting cast of unknowns helps makes this movie the perfect thriller it is. We see great performances from David Morse ("The Rock") as the complex S.W.A.T. commander, J.T. Walsh ("A Few Good Men," "Breakdown") and Ron Rifkin ("L.A. Confidential") as Roman's police buddy Commander Frost.
The only hostage who does manage to stand up to Jackson's acting onslaught is Paul Giamatti, turning in an essential supporting performance as a wisecracking computer hacker. Giamatti manages to steer the audience's attention away from Jackson at times, no mean feat.
Of course, the central conflict of "The Negotiator," both dramatic and talent-wise, is between Jackson/Roman and Spacey/Sabian. While Roman fights for his name with genius desperation, Sabian is devoting every effort to understanding the strange situation he has entered, where supposed friends may be ready to kill and strangers may be the only ones he can trust. It makes for a riveting thriller, reminiscent of "The Fugitive."
Don't miss "The Negotiator." It satisfies that summer need all filmgoers begin suffering this time of year, a strong desire for more intelligent fare and actors who are not merely playing themselves. It is a tight satisfying thriller and an acting exhibition nonpareil.
