In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 6 nominations
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
- Maggie
- (as Siobhan Fallon)
Leonard L. Thomas
- Allen
- (as Leonard Thomas)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie was originally written to star Sylvester Stallone and Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey was supposed to be the hostage-taker with Stallone playing opposite him. When Stallone turned down the part, Spacey decided he wanted to play Chris Sabian rather than Danny Roman. Fortunately, the role originally meant for him was re-cast with Samuel L. Jackson.
- GoofsPolice negotiators and entry teams conduct their activities independent of one another so that the negotiator doesn't inadvertently let the hostage taker know what the entry team is doing.
- Quotes
Lieutenant Danny Roman: When your friends betray you, sometimes the only people you can trust are strangers.
- Alternate versionsIn the Blu-ray and digital platforms, including VUDU, the 75th anniversary variant of the Warner Bros. Pictures logo is plastered at the beginning with the silent version of the 2003 variant. However, the 1992 "Distributed By Warner Bros." logo is retained at the end of the film.
Featured review
Strong, Intelligent movie-making
The Negotiator presents us with both of two things in a summer full of flicks only containing one or the other: ambition AND intelligence. It doesn't have any qualms with taking a far-fetched concept and treating it with absolute seriousness, but unlike most movies that are willing to do this (especially some recent ones involving very large asteroids and very large lizards), it is able to pull it off by combining a tight script with strong, strong acting.
If this were a perfect world, Jackson would deserve an Oscar nomination for his performance here. There's no way on Earth he'll get it, of course, but he's given the difficult role here of playing a guy who has to convince the guys downstairs that he's a psycho, while convincing the guys he's kidnapped that he's innocent, and he does a flawless job of it. No easy task, especially when you consider the fact that he's got to throw in the occasional gunfight. At least he'll probably win the MTV award :)
What results is a skillfully made film. I enjoyed it. It made sense but kept me guessing, the action was intense but still followed logical patterns, and the ending was not a disappointment. An altogether fun experience.
If this were a perfect world, Jackson would deserve an Oscar nomination for his performance here. There's no way on Earth he'll get it, of course, but he's given the difficult role here of playing a guy who has to convince the guys downstairs that he's a psycho, while convincing the guys he's kidnapped that he's innocent, and he does a flawless job of it. No easy task, especially when you consider the fact that he's got to throw in the occasional gunfight. At least he'll probably win the MTV award :)
What results is a skillfully made film. I enjoyed it. It made sense but kept me guessing, the action was intense but still followed logical patterns, and the ending was not a disappointment. An altogether fun experience.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Negotiator
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $44,547,681
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,218,831
- Aug 2, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $44,547,681
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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