Thursday, February 6, 2014

1PanelReview Hostage


Right off disappointing modern Die Hard films, allow me to review...

Bruce Willis movies that would make better Die Hard installments than Live Free or Die Hard.

What it is: Hostage 

Which is: A thriller film
Directed by: Florent Emilio Siri
Year: 2005

Released in 2005, Hostage is a thriller film directed by French director Florent Emilio Siri, starring Bruce Willis as an ex-hostage negotiator-turned small town cop after a sordid hostage situation in Los Angeles went awry. It's based on a novel going by the same name written by Robert Crais.

What's Good about it: This is a very dark, more mature sort of "Die Hard" affair.
Our hero, a cop that thought he had put his past behind and moved on a much simpler life will be put in a very dangerous situation as his own family is taken hostage, while endorsing back his role as negotiator while three kids taken over the home of a rich guy and his own children. It only gets more complicated when an exterior element wants to get his hands back on a very important DVD located in his home...
As you can see, this is a very convulsed grim and gritty thriller. 
Our chief of police will see things spiraling out of control before his very eyes as it gets from bad to worse.
It's a very captivating film. 
Florent Emilio Siri is a great director, no wonder Bruce Willis himself was impressed by his debut work and asked for him personally to direct Hostage.
I particularly loved the dark orchestral score. It's very impressive and composed by the talented Alexandre Desplat. A music composer who still takes time and enjoy composing, orchestrating and even releasing his own music.
Hostage is kind of an artsy Die Hard-ysh film.

What's Bad about it: Hostage is kind of an artsy Die Hard-ysh film.
More seriously this is a more mature thriller for Bruce Willis. And by that I'm absolutely not talking about swearing but that this is a more grown-up kind of thriller. With very little action. And I know how some people can be put off by that sort of thing.
The film does lose a bit of steam, and realism, in the closing act of the "main hostage situation" taking place in the huis clos of the rich guy's house. Thankfully the actual ending after that scene gets things back on track... outside the house.
Not one single sarcastic one liner. What? I know they could have squeezed one of those in a couple scenes without detracting from the entire movie!

Overall: Hostage is fantastic thriller film that mostly went under the radar - no thanks to another Bruce Willis-starring film, Sin City, released around the same time.

But I really think it's one of the most under-appreciated and underrated modern thrillers out there.

One of Bruce Willis' most underrated film. Visually stunning with some great intriguing characters.

It's dark, well paced and intelligent. And it's Bruce Willis in a good movie - which doesn't happen that often these days...
 
I give it: 2.5 / 3 Quacks!
[How does my Rating System work?]

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