The Negotiator (film)
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| The Negotiator | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | F. Gary Gray |
| Produced by | David Hoberman Arnon Milchan |
| Written by | James DeMonaco Kevin Fox |
| Starring | Samuel L. Jackson Kevin Spacey David Morse John Spencer Paul Giamatti |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | July 29, 1998 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 139 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Negotiator is a drama/thriller film that takes place in Chicago and was released on July 29, 1998. It was directed by F. Gary Gray and starred Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.
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[edit] Plot
Lieutenant Danny Roman (Jackson), a top hostage negotiator, is framed for the murder of his partner Nathan 'Nate' Roenick (Paul Guilfoyle) and embezzling funds from the Chicago Police Department's disability fund.
The Negotiator starts when Danny Roman shows his skills by risking his life in a hostage-taking situation. The central theme of the movie is already revealed in the first scene when Danny believes in talking and negotiating, while some of his peers believe in the use of force.
Whilst confronting the IAD (Internal Affairs Division) officer, Inspector Niebaum, Roman is forced into a hostage taking of his own. Lieutenant Chris Sabian (Spacey) is the hostage negotiator who Roman demands to speak with. Danny realizes that a plot to steal money from the police department's disability fund, being investigated by Nate prior to his murder, is the motivation behind framing him for Nate's murder. With the assistance of Chris Sabian, he is able to uncover the plot and clear his name.
The Negotiator was dedicated to the actor who played Inspector Niebaum, J.T. Walsh, who died several months before the film's release.
Several scenes from the movie were also used in the movie Light It Up. One scene where the two snipers set up across the building are shown towards the end of the movie. Another is the scene of the black police officer touching his ear in order to hear his headphone better after Sabian takes over command and broadcast to the all units.
[edit] Cast
- Samuel L. Jackson - Lt. Danny Roman
- Kevin Spacey - Lt. Chris Sabian
- David Morse - Cmdr. Adam Beck
- Ron Rifkin - Cmdr. Grant Frost
- John Spencer - Chief Al Travis
- J. T. Walsh - Insp. Niebaum
- Siobhan Fallon - Maggie
- Paul Giamatti - Rudy Timmons
- Regina Taylor - Karen Roman
- Bruce Beatty - Markus
- Michael Cudlitz - Palermo
- Carlos Gómez - Eagle
- Tom Bower - Omar (uncredited)
- Paul Guilfoyle - Det. Nathan "Nate" Roenick (uncredited)
[edit] Critical Response
The film received a generally positive response from critics. It received a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also been generally popular with the public, scoring a 7.2 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) .
