Free Hostage
Genres: ActionCrimeThril
Starring: Tina Lifford, Bruce Willis, Rumer Willis, Kim Coates, Kevin Pollak, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn
Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, iPod, Hi Def
Director(s): Florent Emilio Siri
Country: Germany, USA
Year: 2005
IMDB Rating: 6.6
In a small town in California, the chief of police Jeff Talley is facing relationship problems with his teenager daughter. One year later, he was the prime police negotiator in Los Angeles, but after an unsuccessful negotiation, he gave-up his position and decided to move with his family to a calmer life. When three punks invade the house of Walter Smith, a wealthy accountant, and jeopardize his family, holding them hostage, Jeffs family is abducted by powerful criminals to force him to retrieve a DVD with bank accountings information kept in Walters office.
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Hostage (iPod) | Resolution: 480x208 px | Total Size: 282 Mb |
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Hostage (Hi Def) | Resolution: 852x368 px | Total Size: 585 Mb |
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Hostage (Hi Def) | Resolution: 1280x542 px | Total Size: 4465 Mb |
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1 | Hostage (DivX) | Resolution: 640x272 px | Total Size: 698 Mb |
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2 | Hostage (DivX) | Resolution: 640x272 px | Total Size: 699 Mb |
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Movie Photos:
We have taken some photos of "Hostage". They represent actual movie quality.
Visitors Review
deathoflizards (19 May 2013)
i think hostage was one of the best movies iv seen!!!!!!!!
Hostage was excellent. It was one of the best movies I'v seen inawhile. This was Ben Fosters best role yet. A very big change from FastForward, which i loved him in. He will be one of the biggest actors ofour time. I didn't like Bruce Willis in this movie it. I think he overacted in this film. It was just like all the other movies he has donein the past. if he wants something people will remember him assomething other than an action junky he should do something other thanaction films. I also didn't like the slow motion it didn't give thesense justice. It was a time he should have been hurrying so theyshouldn't have showed it in slow motion. Jonathan Tucker was very goodin this movie. It was a big change from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Iusually don't like Kevin Pollack but i thought he did do a good job inthis film.
(19 May 2013)
Love this movie!
This review is from: Hostage (DVD) This movie is kind of like most other Bruce Willis movies but it's still entertaining, albeit gory at some times. I love this movie though because it is full of action. Bruce is, as always, spot on with his performance and it was neat to see his real daughter (Rumor) playing his daughter in the movie. If you like Bruce Willis and/or like action movies, I don't think you'd be disappointed in this one.
big.jay (16 May 2013)
IT ROCKS! This is a Bruce Willis we did not see for a long time!
I saw Hostage in a German Pressscreening and I was blown away. Visuallystunning from the first second to the last. The director Florent Sirinails every frame. He kept me on the edge of the seat from beginning tothe end.In the last years Bruce Willis disappointed me. His last movies I foundvery lame. But here, he is back as the great Action dude, he is famousfor. But Hostage is not another "die hard"-flick. It is different. Withmore Drama, much darker and less humor is Hostage one of the most adult(means grown up) Action Thriller I saw in Years.The story is great. No cheap tricks, every second is well written,superb acted and directed. The same with the soundtrack and - as I saidbefore - the visuals.Hostage is a kind of violent Film noir in a MTV a like style. A realride. I don't want to tell much about the story. Go and see!
stamper (16 May 2013)
Bruce is back with a bang
It has been a long time since Bruce has been in a serious action film.If you ask me it has been a clear decade. All the other so calledaction films Bruce made in between Die Hard with a vengeance andHostage had either too much of a crime/motion picture feel to it(Mercury Rising); were comedies (The Fifth Element, Bandits, The Wholenine / ten yards); could not be taken seriously (Amageddon, The Jackal- I mean who actually bought those darn wigs???) or were war movies(Tears of the Sun).I mean the only film that actually came close to be a 'no guts noglory' action flick in that decade was The Fifth Element and everyonehas to agree that while it was not a bad film, it was just too 'overthe top'.Hostage on the other hand is one of those serious 'no guts no glory'action films (that rarely seem to get made nowadays) and it is good aswell. The acting in it is very good (I especially liked Ben Foster andto a somewhat lesser degree Jonathan Tucker) and I think that the'chemistry' between Mars (Ben Foster) and Jennifer (Michelle Horn)could really be felt on as well as off screen. To be honest, all wasgood in the acting department, except one. I do not know why, butduring the beginning of the film in the Talley mansion, i felt thatSerena Scott Thomas (Mrs. Talley) was extremely out of place. I mean Icould literally feel her acting (badly I might add). This is the onlydrawback to an otherwise brillian action flick! The action is wellfilmed, there are twists and surprises along the way and the ending isgreat as well. Be honest: What more does one want of a film but to beoriginal, exciting and well acted? NOTHING! It's been a long timeBruce, but you deserve it once again for a serious action film...8 out of 10
(07 May 2013)
WORST OF WILLIS
I DID NOT HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THAT MOVIE.BUT AT LEAST IT IS A WILLIS MOVIE I SAID TO MYSELF.IT WAS MUCH LOWER THAN EXPECTED.THE THEME WAS INTRIGUING BUT THE SCRIPT IS HORRIBLE.YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO IS WHO.THERE ARE THOSE VILLAINS YOU DO NOT KNOW TO WHICH ORGANISATION BELONGS,A PYSCHO KID WHO STARS ALL AND OVERWHELMINGLY TAKE CARE OF ALL PROFESSIONAL KILLERS.A FATHER IN A LETHAL CONDITION WHO GETS WELL MY A MAGIC!! INJECTION.A KID WHO KNOWS ALL SECRET PASSAGES OF A RATHER COMPLICATED BUILDING.ALOT OF SOUND AND VISUAL EFFECTS HAS BEEN USED TO COVER THE SHAME BUT UNNECESARLY HEAD BLOWING.AND THE STORY END WITH A LOT OF LOOSE ENDS.SORRY MR.WILLIS BUT THIS IS YOUR WORST MOVIE EVER.MY SECOND WORST AFTER K.COSTNER'S POSTMAN.
Douglas Young (06 May 2013)
Bruce Willis is at his best in this thriller - a must see
Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis), a former Los Angeles SWAT policenegotiator, has moved to Bristo Camino, a small quiet town away fromthe big city. He now serves as the chief of police with a small forcein a town that has very little crime. After ten years as a hostagenegotiator, Jeff was just burned out and needed a quieter life,especially, after his last standoff ended in the death of the hostages.Three teenagers decide to simply steal an SUV from a wealthy accountantjust for fun. What started out as a simple theft ended up with thedeath of a policewoman. The teenage thieves are trapped inside whenpolice backup arrives at the house. The house is heavily fortified witharmor and bulletproof glass for the owner's protection, but in thiscase, it protects the boys from the police. The boys take the familyhostage, and Jeff must become something he never wanted to do again, bea hostage negotiator. This is a great action packed Bruce Willisthriller. The film has a superb storyline with many twists and turnsthat will keep you on the edge of your seat. Bruce Willis is at hisbest in this type of movie. A must see. (Miramax Films, Run time 1:42,Rated R)(10/10)
rfm132 (05 May 2013)
It Sucked
That basically sums up this piece of trash. I can't believe I wastedtwo long hours of my life viewing this awful, awful, so called suspensethriller.I heard somebody describe this as an edge of your seatthriller, but the only way I could see that being true is if one fellasleep due to the pace of this thriller and slid down to the edge oftheir seat. Even the damn opening credits seem to drag on forever. Ibeg of you not to spend time watching this movie, because we all knowlife is short and precious. I recommend that if you get the urge towatch this movie you should probably just spend two hours punchingyourself in either the face or testicles if applicable. It would bemuch more entertaining and productive.
swetster (04 May 2013)
Bruce gets better with age!!
With Bruce Willis you know what to expect. I thought this movie was anaction packed intense, psychological thriller. It was written in astraightforward manner. There weren't a lot of one liners to contendwith.I think that Mr. Willis' acting gets better as he gets older. The plotwas interesting with enough of a twist to keep one riveted. Thesupporting cast, particularly Ben Foster, was outstanding. There wasenough background character information to evoke pity for thesemisguided and pathetic creatures.Bruce does do these rather well, doesn't he. My husband and I wereglued to our seats the entire time!
stensson (02 May 2013)
Again and again and again
Old Bruce is not a bad actor, but why is he doing this? He's 50 and hispubertal problems ought to be history now. Why does he have to shoot,burn and be an action hero, when he could appear in Woody Allen-filmsand make a (seriously) good performance? Don't expect anything you haven't seen before in "Hostage". You willeven have the scene that must have first appeared in the 20s, when thehero gets into his car and someone in the backseat turns up andthreatens him with a gun. Don't the action heroes ever learn? Checkyour car before you get into it! There is some nerve in the first half hour and even a little bit ofclass struggle. But if you're an experienced action viewer, you couldquite easily have written this script yourself.
Devin (02 May 2013)
Leaves way to much to be desired
In only the first five minutes, Siri has announced that "Hostage" isnot going to be your run-of-the-mill action thriller, and for much ofthe next two hours, he makes good on that promise. The film maintains acommendable level of suspense, with enough unexpected developments andsudden bursts of brutality to keep viewers off-balance. It's only inits last reel that "Hostage" loses control, as Siri overindulges inslow-motion, cornball plot complications and excessive pyrotechnicsthat create a wrap-up that's both figuratively and literallyovercooked. While the ending can't completely sabotage the movie, itcertainly doesn't enhance it.Homeowner Walter Smith (Kevin Pollak) and his children, Jennifer(Michelle Horn) and Tommy (Jimmy Bennett), have become prisoners of theedgy Dennis (Jonathan Tucker), the anxious Kevin (Marshall Allman) andthe borderline-psychotic Mars (Ben Foster). As the afternoon turns intoevening and then into an anything-but-silent night, Mars becomesincreasingly difficult to deal with, and Talley, who is secretlyterrified of repeating the mistakes he made in L.A., learns he has apersonal, as well as a professional, stake in the situation. Willis,plays Talley as a writhing mass of frustration and desperation, withonly a few fleeting hints of his unforgettable John McClane characterfrom the "Die Hard" trilogy. Foster's steadily intensifying nuttinessprovides some truly scary moments, and Horn and Bennett areconvincingly panicked as the tormented hostages.The main problem comes from the idea that this could have been so muchmore there are way to many red-herring and it seems like the film wasrushed and not properly executed, the end seen is junky and thingsdon't tie up well.
(30 April 2013)
Thrilling Action with Quick Changes of Direction & Clever Side Plots...
To be a hostage induces an dreadful experience to those under circumstances where the choice of options have ceased to exist. The only choice is to live under the constant observation of another party who controls everything within the area in which they confine the hostage. In order to prevent a deadly outcome in a stand-off with law enforcement the police have negotiators that communicate, usually over the phone, directly with the person in charge. The negotiator communicates with the hostage taker in order to gain ground and information in regards to the situation while trying to solve the issue in a peaceful manner. Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) is negotiator who desires nothing else than to solve hostage situations peacefully, but it has taken it's toll on his life including his relationship with his wife and daughter. Consequently, Jeff has taken the job as a small town sheriff where he enjoys counting the peaceful days in contrasts to the violence of Los Angeles.Hostage, directed by Florent Emilio Siri, has an interesting display of the opening credits through a vignette portraying the city of Los Angeles in black and gray while the sky is crimson red. This suggestively induces a notion of darkness and despair that suddenly cuts into a hostage situation where an extremely disturbed man has taken a woman and her son hostage who is also screaming out his demands over a phone. On the other side of the line rests Jeff on his back under the scorching L.A. sun located on top of a parking garage talking to the hostage taker with the cool calmness of a kindergarten teacher. During his conversation with the hostage taker the S.W.A.T. team informs him that they are ready to strike, but he holds them back. However, the situation begins to slip Jeff's grip and it is the violence of these working conditions that makes Jeff seek relocation in a more serene community.The relocation takes its toll on his family. His daughter thinks they are getting a divorce while she feels the tension between her mom and dad. Jeff's wife even complains that she does not know what is going on, as Jeff keeps everything bottled up inside and does not share his thoughts or feelings. Yet, the job has its benefits compared to his previous job. It is a safer and more peaceful job for Jeff, as his biggest problem is speeding and maintaining the dress code among the police officers. However, somewhere in this low-crime background a dark and more sinister situation is about to boil into a deadly stand-off with the local police force. Three teenagers decide on trying to steal a luxury SUV from a richer family, but something goes wrong and the three adolescents become hostage takers.Initially, it all seems like an ordinary break-in that went wrong and led the hostage situation to Jeff, but when some other factors come into play he finds himself being a hostage. His position turns into a race against time and the other police officers in charge at the lavish mountain top home where the hostages reside. It is crucial that Jeff remain cool and collected while trying to find an answer to his tough situation which calls for extreme measures. However, he cannot plan for the unexpected elements that might occur in a highly stressful circumstance and how it might affect others in this situation.From the opening credits until the end of the film viewers will most likely sit glued to the edge of their seat. The story is highly engaging and it throws several different ideas at the audience to make the situation captivating, and it does so with much success. There are however, some elements in the story that feel awkward and far-fetched, yet somehow Florent Emilio Siri keeps the audience's attention until the very end. The cinematography touches on the borders of psychosis when it extravagantly spreads its black and crimson shades across the screen, which artistically elevate the level of suspense. Bruce Willis's performance balances well with Ben Foster's dark persona that brings another intriguing element to the story. All of the different aspects of the story prepare the audience for a thrilling journey that quickly changes direction with clever side plots and moments of surprise.
discodaggett (30 April 2013)
Seeing a man in a mask
Hollywood is usually an endless source of villains in masks. Think backand ask yourself how many villainous faces you actually saw in suchaction flicks as "Gladiator" "Star Wars" "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" "Assaulton Precinct 13" and the list just rolls on. The point of it all? Wemovie viewers like to feel good about the scores of bad guys beingblown away, and, when we can't see their faces, we don't have to stopand think "I wonder if that guy has a wife and kids at home, andpossibly just joined this evil cause because he needed the extra doughto keep them from starving to death?" Yes, that is why Hollywoodvillains wear masks. Dehumanization, people. He's not a man; He's a badguy.Hostage is the first movie I have ever seen where the mask works. True,it is a highly flawed movie, albeit entertaining, but the one thingthat really made it stand out in my mind (and earned the movie an 8instead of a 5) was Canadian actor Kim Coates' truly chillingperformance as The Watchman. He never shoots anyone, he never grappleswith the hero. He simply sits down in that police cruiser, lowers hishenchman's gun, and proceeds to enrapture the audience with hismesmerizing deluge and voice. The fact that he is such a pivotal partwho never unmasks makes the movie work even better. Did I believe theplot? No. Did I believe Watchman's mission? Heck no. It just takes agreat actor to pull off a role like that with such skill. Kim Coateshas long been an underused Hollywood supporting role, but I have addedhis role in Hostage to my Top Ten list of Movie villains, right upthere with Tom Cruise in Collateral and Samuel L. Jackson inUnbreakable. There is so much more to villainous roles than just"epitome of evil." We need to see the humanity behind the evil veneer,and, for this reason, Watchman is the one to watch.
(27 April 2013)
GOOD
This review is from: Hostage [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I love this purchase and I would recommend it to any one to purchase this item for their fun and excitement!
(27 April 2013)
Hostage will keep you captive
Scorching performances sear 'Hostage' with fiery intensity, and a unique perspective and edge, I feels goes into fresh territory for action films like no other action film has before it. A film that will leave a lasting impression on you and any built up hostility you held for action films in the past shall be expelled from you when you view films like this in the future. It also gives its star Bruce Willis the leverage he's going to need when facing three lost renegade youths who pull one stunt with two physical motives, when they happen to come upon a flashy car and an attractive girl, that soon fuels a twisted psychosis. The three teenagers Mars Krupcheck (Ben Foster), Dennis Kelly (Johnathan Tucker), and Kevin Kelly (Marshall Allman) are younger then the novel to parallel the tragic Columbine shootings of 1999, and give a voice to the current generation, and the dangerous road we all could be headed down. It is through this seemingly isolated incident that two families are taken hostage on both sides of the social spectrum, and put in jeopardy with dire consequences for each of them if an agenda is not met. The first hostages being a wealth established unit headed by father Walter Smith (Kevin Pollock), young son Tommy Smith (Jimmy Bennett), and daughter Jennifer Smith (Michelle Horn). The other family in disarray and in need of redemption consisting of Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis), Jane Talley (Serena Scott Thomas) and Amanda Talley (Bruce's real-life daughter Rumer Willis) from an unknown danger. Every possible genre is explored in a whole new setting with emphasis on Westerns and the films of the 30s, 40s, and 70s. Every scene plays out like a well-written book this film is based on, and has inspired me to read the novel after viewing the film. Warm colours mixed with shadow give surroundings a great ambiance, and actions a striking fluidicity, that charge well-crafted characters with a pulsating energised current, to spark their actions and see them through to a gothic and operatic crescendo.
deatman9 (25 April 2013)
A good movie but turned too convoluted
If this movie would have just stayed the way it was going from thebeginning I probably would have given it a 9 or 10 but like so manymovies before it it wanted to screw itself up by going over complex andconvoluted.This movie started off really good the acting was great and the storyline had you sitting on the edge of your seat but soon they just keptadding more and more things to the story which really did not have tobe added and which actually took away from the initial story in myopinion.This movie is about a retired hostage negotiator (Willis) who now worksas a small town sheriff. Its usually pretty slow in this small town butone day he is called into another hostage situation and even though heis retired he is forced to take over the reigns as negotiator.This movie was really good and I would still recommend it im justsaying it could have been much better.
Alex-372 (25 April 2013)
Dumb, Dumber and Schizo
Hostage is not a good movie by any measure. The writing and plotting are so poor, that for the main character tokeep his credibility, everyone around him has to be stupid. His fellowcops are stupid. His captain is stupid and can't do anything rightwithout his instructions. The villains are stupid and don't really knowwhat they want or how to get it. The hostages are stupid - they keeptalking to Willis at the top of their irritating voices, even thoughthey are trying to evade the dunce burglars. And daddy Kevin Pollak isliterally out of it, having been bludgeoned into a near coma earlieron. Things don't start off well, when instead of being listed in on thescreen, the credits are actually scribbled on all kinds of objects...the 'clues' or credits are literally written on the wall, on cars, andanything else that comes handy. The movie is like a collage of hostage and Bruce Willis action pics.Willis is a hostage negotiator of questionable skill, who loses ahostage and breaks down, only to slink away to a rural policedepartment (in Edge Of Night, Bruce Willis played a psychiatrist whoretreated to a fellow psychiatrist's practice after losing a patient tosuicide - sound familiar?). His bumbling co-worker (Marjean Holden, aworld away from her gonad kicking starring role in the 1995 movieBallistic) stumbles upon the burglary in question and gets shot dead,allowing Willis to return to his role as hostage negotiator. He reallyhas no further business there, except of course that he 'cares',because you see, this family could be his family (and of course RumorWillis is his real life daughter). Then, in a dire turn ofscriptwriting... Oh well, you get the picture. His only contact on theinside is the small boy who manages to break free of his duct tape andgoes straight for the ventilation system (Bruce Willis in Die Hard).The main weirdo kid burglar dresses like Eric Draven (The Crow) and(gasp) smokes weed. With the main brothers being so dumb, he is theonly one who keeps any tension going. The plotting is so dire, that theentire crew could have been out of there with 2 million dollars, exceptthat after a few 'meaningful' minutes together, The Crow had grownattached to Rumor, who although being young and shapely, is stillsecond fiddle to Lindsay Lohan. Robert Knepper actually looks likeMichael Wincott, who played the genius burglar in Eddy Murphy's hostagenegotiator movie Metro. I really objected to the Stepin Fetchit mannerisms of the twoco-workers of Willis, one cop with a high pitched, wheezy, mumblingvoice that I barely trusted not to stumble over his own feet, and anambulance worker who displays some amazing eyeball acrobatics, which Ipersonally found out of place in an action movie, or this century. Whatpart of the audience in particular is this aimed at? Willis goes around the first half of the movie with tears in his eyes,and I suspect much of that was because of the quality of the script.Amazing to think that this movie was made in the same year when heco-starred in the hugely superior Sin City, which at least had thebenefit actually being based on a comic book. I think that happens alot - when a movie is based on a book, the script only has to beupdated for the screen. Most of the characters are already developed bythe author, who also took a lot of time plotting and doing backgroundresearch. Witness Silence Of The Lambs and Manhunter (Thomas Harris),Blade Runner (Philip K. Dick), etc. So I think everyone is clear on what they are getting. A Bruce Willisaction movie that will not win any Oscars, but might actually pass thetime. Bruce Willis is doing a lot of work, but I think he would be better offnot picking a few roles here and there, and returning to much betterwritten and funded movies like the ones he used to star in, in the1980s.
lotus_chief (23 April 2013)
Tolerable thriller, nothing very special....Bruce does his job though......
The problems with Hostage aren't necessarily the fault of Bruce Willis;he basically does what we've become accustomed to from him in actionfilms. The only difference here is that he's chosen to be part of anaction thriller whose story is very spotty. Gone are the days of actionfilms like Die Hard. Now, onto the movie itself: I was a bit surprised (more like disappointed) that the mainantagonists of the film were a bunch of small town teenage hicks whosemotives were as juvenile as a child's is for stealing cookies out of acookie jar. They see the rich man in town driving in his Escalade; andbecause they want the car they become involved in this big scheme; allranging from breaking and entering to killing a cop. Oh, and in regardsto the breaking and entering, I was VERY annoyed at how EASY it was forthese three punks to get into the house. I think we all know that whenyou have the kind of money that was displayed with this house thatsecurity would be a bit more involved than a futile 'silent alarm'. Howabout a couple attack dogs, armed guards or barbed wire on top of yourfront gate? A LOUD sound alarm that could wake up the neighborhoodmaybe? No, for these guys it's as easy as jumping over the gate andhaving security cameras that NO ONE looks at.....LAUGHABLE! I can see that the writers tried to make things a little moreinteresting by having a more mature, serious villain get into the mixand even kidnap Willis' family. Fair enough, but who exactly are thesepeople, and what is their motivation? The fact that I'm asking thisshould tell you that no real answer is provided. The bad guys areeliminated before any of that is disclosed; the crux of theirinvolvement is spoken away so fast in a couple lines...by that pointyou don't even care anymore.Hostage was a very disappointing film that had a good premise butwasn't executed well at all. Bruce Willis is his usual self; hedelivers the performance required of him here...but that's no realsurprise. He's the only character we care about in the film, so withnothing groundbreaking from him makes for a very mediocre experience.Barely tolerable movie; nothing special.* 1/2 out of **** stars.
pabloalto (23 April 2013)
Quite good
I found this movie overcomplicated. The plot could have been moresimple and Bruce's character is kinda chaotic, one time he's got thatrock face cold as ice and then he's crying over the phone call, shakingfrom fear in the car - these scenes would be good for anyone butex-negotiator with 10 years of practice in SWAT. His mood changes asthe April weather and the vocabulary sometimes is rather stupid thancool from my point of view. I liked the rest and movie left quite animpression in me. It deserves 7, nothing more, nothing less. Watchingit was a nice change from the resting crap that's in the cinemasnowadays (excluding Kingdom of Heaven).
eXtreme23 (22 April 2013)
Kept me on the edge of my seat!
Bruce Willis is the man of these type of movies. Action/Thrillers. Hedoes such a good job in them and they always turn out to be good. Atfirst, I didn't really know what Hostage was about when it came out,but then I rented the DVD and still had no idea what it was about. Butit doesn't matter. You don't need to know what this movie is about,because you can see everything that is happening. I really likedHostage. It was a great movie. I really love movies that have the edgeof your seat kind of things. Hostage is loaded with it. I still don'tknow why this movie got average reviews and most of them were negative.Hostage isn't a movie younger viewers should watch, maybe because theywon't care or understand. Also because of the rating, which consists ofStrong Graphic Violence, Language and Some Drug Use. It was weirdseeing Ben Foster in this movie. I know him from the children's show"Flash Forward" and I think he did a good job in this. He looked creepywith his long black hair and his face reactions.If you liked Panic Room, Phone Booth and Cellular, then you are gonnahave to watch Hostage. (8/10)
sunraider (21 April 2013)
Held hostage by overacting and plot craters
This film starts off good, and by the start I mean the opening credits.The innovative credits drew me in and I thought I was going to see acool S.W.A.T. vs. young punks holed up in a fortress-like mansionmovie. But after the credits we descend into standard-issue fare withWillis overdoing the acting as he bungles a hostage situation as abig-time LAPD negotiator. With his unkempt appearance and ridiculousmessiah-like overacting, Willis is a joke.Fast forward to the present day where Willis is a Chief of Police in"no-crime Mondays, low-crime Tuesdays" suburbia and the real storystarts. Three no-good youths in a beater truck spot a CadillacEscalade, rant about "rich people" (Escalade=rich people? not in LA,where this movie takes place), and decide to steal the car by breakinginto the drivers' fortress mansion high-up in the canyon areas ofgreater Los Angeles. Things go wrong and the Escalade's driver, teendaughter and young son are held hostage by the violent andunpredictable boys, but not before the silent alarm gets activated bythe resourceful son and Willis re-enters the picture.Unforntuately, with Willis back in the picture we aren't allowed tohave a straight-forward hostage movie and we're presented with a"twist" as Willis' family is also taken hostage, by a shadowy groupintent on getting their hands on a disk of off-shore account numbers.The problem: the disk belongs to the Escalade driver (Kevin Pollak),he's unconscious and may die, and nobody knows where this disk ishidden. Willis has to get the disk by any means possible, even if itmeans violating every hostage negotiator rule, which he does withimpunity.This set-up is what destroys the movie. It's so implausible--first,that a Chief of Police and veteran hostage negotiator would fail to letother law enforcement aware of the situation and, secondly, that theother law enforcement agencies who come into the picture would allow araving lunatic like Willis to behave as he does and control the scene.In any real hostage situation, Willis would have been instantly removedfrom the scene and taken to a hospital for a mental eval, regardless ofhis "rank." And the idea that a bunk of black-clad, hooded FBI tacticalHRT members would be able to bust into a hostage situation and assumecommand with little resistance from a fairly large sheriff's departmentis ridiculous.The best actor is this movie is the house--a fortress-like mansionbuilt up next to the face of a cliff and outfitted with amazinghigh-tech security. (But not high-tech enough to stop three loser teensfrom climbing the fence and entering the home unnoticed!) The bestscenes involve the young son scurrying around unnoticed in the airducts, which gives him a fly-on-the-wall view of the goings on of thetrio in the home's many rooms. If the film had centered on the fortressand dealt with the family's plight and their response to theirsituation (I liked the Stockholm syndrome-like response of the teendaughter to the creepy sexual advances made by the most disturbed ofthe trio), the film may have resonated more. Instead, we got abifurcated plot that never really engages the viewer.
Review total: 20, showing from 1 to 20