Review of The Negotiator (1998) by Scubasteve Walter M — 06 Aug 2014

Pitting legendary actors Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey up together in a hostage themed thriller sounded too perfect to miss.

The Negotiator stands out because it has a premise which is both intriguing on the surface and strong in execution. It had a very high concept plot which examines the concept of hostage negotiation in its most exciting context to date, more so than the hostage classics Dog Day Afternoon and The Inside Man. Instead of putting a clever criminal against a mastermind, it puts to equally intelligent and skilled people against each other in a seriously intense situation which makes it slightly reminiscent of the Ron Howard thriller Ransom. But it is a lot more exciting than Ransom because the subject matter has such a rough edge and the energy of the film is so powerful. It is nearly as exciting and thrilling as Die Hard, though it is a lot more focused on being a good thriller than on being an action film. The quality of the action in The Negotiator is great because it is choreographed well, times excellently and filmed with firm cinematography, but it does not rely on it to build the intense atmosphere. It is merely one of the many elements used to establish the intense atmosphere of the film, because it combines with the complex premise, the excellent screenplay and the clever technical elements used to make The Negotiator a tense venture.

Like I said, the premise of The Negotiator is incredible because it is so original and has an amazing amount of opportunity in it which is really taken advantage of by James Demonaco and Kevin Fox's screenplay, even though at times it washes over some minor plot implausibilities. It implements in a lot of powerful dialogue for the cast to work with which harnesses the dramatic depths of them. It feeds the film a lot of smart characters and makes the film even more of a stronger affair than it already is, and it ensures that the strength of the film just grows by the second and that the film ends up wasting none of its time.

The Negotiator is paced very well. It moves at a realistic running time which ensures that it maintains an excellent level of intensity consistently. The 139 minute running time may prove a bit much for some, but for me I found that it was the ideal amount of time to let all the plot elements unfold and allow all the twists to come into play. There are many surprises and complicated story elements in The Negotiator which leave it full of surprises, and so it ends up being a very refreshing and original thriller.

From a technical standpoint, The Negotiator feels like a genuine large scale story thanks to the scenery of the film making it feel legitimate and due to the fact that the cinematography of the feature gives it an atmospheric edge. It always zeroes in on the faces of characters during intense moments relating to them or pulls back to wider shots during the more large scale dramatic moments. The scale of the film and the atmosphere is empowered by the quality of its cinematography, and it is all edited so well that it captures the real mood of things as well as some intensely entertaining action scenes. The Negotiator is a great visual experience, and the cinematography is proof of that because it always keeps the atmosphere dead on.

And when it comes down to the casting of the film, there are no mistakes.

Samuel L. Jackson is a perfect lead in The Negotiator. It features one of the finest leading performances of his career without him having to go into anything along the lines of the over the top persona he created for the role of Jules Winnifield in Pulp Fiction. In The Negotiator, he dominates with the firm strength of his line delivery and his ability to easily convey intense emotions without fear. It is easy for viewers to ins themselves sympathising for him simply because he is the hero framed for a crime, but even in the way he interacts with the hostages he takes in The Negotiator. He manages to make himself a likeable lead from every possible perspective and just gets better as the film progresses because as the material grows more and more complex, he makes the film more and more entertaining with his exceptional leading performance. He keeps his fear subconscious in the character and brings the more exhilarating emotions to the surface. He manages to keep his fierce anger in tact with every word he delivers which makes the experience a very powerful one. Samuel L. Jackson is an ideal lead for The Negotiator, and it has one of his most enjoyable performances to date in it.

I'll be frank. Kevin Spacey is a mastermind at how he delivers his lines in literally any film he has ever appeared in, and so his supporting performance in The Negotiator is nothing short of essential. He lives up to he two-time Academy Award winning legacy by constantly maintaining a perfect level of sophistication in the part. He delivers his lines with intense wisdom and confident tension which makes him a perfect casting decision. He is raw with firm emotional tension in the part and says every single word with so much relentless passion that he sinks into the part. The Negotiator is one of those films which reminds me why I consider Kevin Spacey one of the greatest male actors of all time f because he immerses himself in the intense universe of the film and never steps out of it for a second. Kevin Spacey faces off with Samuel L. Jackson incredibly in The Negotiator because they share a powerful chemistry even though their direct interactions are limited. Kevin Spacey makes an exceptionally compelling case in The Negotiator, and him teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson is an incredible sight to see.

Paul Giamatti supplies a great supporting performance in The Negotiator. In his small role he manages to create a sympathetic figure by putting an intense emotional state into the role which makes him seem really weak without being over the top. I found myself easily able to sympathise for him in The Negotiator because of just how victimised he seemed by the situation, and he stood out for me as one of the strongest supporting actors in the film.

Ron Rifkin and David Morse also supply great supporting efforts.

So while The Negotiator overlooks certain minor story flaws to tell its complex tale, it still had a very interesting premise empowered by a strong screenplay and exceptional performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.