One of the movies that missed being on my Top 100 of All Time...

What was I thinking?


15 years ago...

The Story:

Skilled Chicago hostage negotiator, Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is sucked into a web of deceit and lies within the Chicago police department when his partner is found murdered.  Roman is the prime suspect, all the while maintaining his innocence.  Driven to the edge, Roman barricades himself in the Internal Affairs department taking several hostages and the lead Internal Affairs inspector (J.T. Walsh) whom Roman believes is involved in the scheme to defraud the pension fund.  As Roman's entire police force gathers around the building to take him down, they question his innocence and guilt, and some have more motive to see him dead than others.  With nobody to trust on the outside, Roman requests the negotiator come from another precinct, and he calls in Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey) to work the scene.  Sabian's only goal is getting the hostages out of there safely, and he too begins to question who he can, and cannot trust in this thriller.

Directed with precision and skill by F. Gary Gray who apparently picks and chooses what movies, and when, he wants to direct, took on this one a few years after his previous big hit... Friday.

Talk about a change in direction!

: )

Jackson carries the considerable weight of the film on his shoulders, but he is surrounded by an all-star cast... sort of.

What they did was provide a veritable who's who of character actors to play all of the bit parts, names you may or may not recognize, but if you see the faces you go, oh yeah, I know that guy!

Some of those: Paul Giamatti as Rudy and informant in the wrong place at the wrong time.  David Morse as Captain Beck, the tactical side of SWAT who wants to take Roman down.

And therein lies half the fun of this movie.  You really don't know which cops you can trust because they are dirty... or just because they are unlikeable characters just trying to do their job.

The twists, turns and revelations continue throughout, and you remain riveted to your seat until the credits roll.

They don't make movies like this anymore, or if they do, they're flying way under my radar.


Final Grade: A

Would I Own It: Yes I would, and I highly recommend a viewing/repeat viewing if you haven't seen this one since it came out in 1998.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.