Review of Hostage (2005) by Russell G — 28 Feb 2014

Like in so many of his previous action movies, Bruce Willis is a natural in this role. Unlike of many action movie heroes he is not a dumb bodybuilding superhuman. He has a realistic toughness to him, but more importantly has dimension that adds emotion and believability to his performances, and he most certainly still has these qualities in this role.

This movie has not only one, but also two layers of suspenseful hostage negation situations, with flashbacks to a previously failed situation. Everything is related and ties together tightly for a good action movie story.

Emilio Siri, the director, does a solid job of getting things started quickly. He efficiently builds a complete picture by establishing each of the characters and their motives in a timely fashion, while transitioning into the action smoothly.

The plot continues to unfold in ways that add complexity. This good cause and effect writing that continues to evolve as the story progresses and is therefore, more interesting. The high-security Mcmansion setting is a nice component of this family hostage the hostage situation.

It helps validate the threat posed by these three armature punks, who are in over their heads. The good writing and direction, well built suspense and exciting climax along with Bruce Willis and Kevin Pollak's acting make this movie a winner.