It can never quite make that final leap over its formula.
Comment
03/10/05
Hostage (2005)
35
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:152
Fresh:53
Rotten:99
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Grisly and cliched, audiences may feel they're being held Hostage.
Synopsis: This well-made thriller harkens back to the gritty crime films of the 1970s. Bruce Willis plays Jeff Talley, a traumatized ex-LAPD hostage negotiator whose new career as small town sheriff doesn't... [More]
Starring: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker, Serena Scott Thomas
Director: Florent Emilio Siri
Reviews for Hostage
Like the criminals it portrays, Hostage is a dangerous combination -- violence and no intelligence.
03/10/05
Holding back tears, Willis actually delivers the soon to be immortal line “Yeah, Tommy, Captain Wubba’s gonna save Planet Xenon.” Now, that sounds like a movie.
03/10/05
There's a gripping thriller between the gaps in logic. Director Florent Siri has a tough style and an unforgiving attitude, but it drowns in the queasy blood lust.
03/10/05
Die Hard from the outside... Ben Foster can’t not look like he’s going to kill you... And [Willis] has got catch phrases again. Yay! ... I even loved the opening credits.
03/10/05
Made with energetic flair and no small dose of violence, mercifully handled with discretion, Hostage exemplifies taut, confident filmmaking.
03/10/05
Top CriticThe film doesn't follow its own rules.
03/10/05
Typical Bruce Willis fare.
03/10/05
Inevitably, the action has to take over, and the film devolves into a frenzy of fireballs and automatic gunfire.
03/10/05
A pile of blood-soaked toxic waste dumped onto the screen in an attempt to salvage Bruce Willis's fading career as an action hero.
03/10/05
Top CriticA visceral, sleazily self-assured B movie.
03/10/05
Not that there’s anything wrong with trying to inject some solemnity and sophistication into an action movie, but god help you if you don’t do it right...
03/10/05
The action is dynamically filmed and Willis is at his best. Suspense is soon hijacked by outright gore and grisliness, though.
03/10/05
The 7-year-old is far and away the smartest character, which is one sign Hostage is an implosion waiting to happen.
03/10/05
Hostage may well be the first action flick cited both for child abuse and audience abuse. In a singularly sadistic and degrading way it has something to offend everyone.
03/10/05
You might feel that the title applies to you.
03/10/05
It's a tossup whether the crying jags are inspired by this jumbled script or by the fact that Willis has made six dreadful movies in a row.
03/10/05
A passable thriller with a lot of borrowed style.
03/10/05
When it's over, you just want to make sure the vise that's been squeezing your head for more than two hours didn't leave any dents or scratches.
03/10/05
Entertainment by force of will, moviemaking by sledgehammer.
03/10/05
Latest News for Hostage
December 27, 2006:
Foster a Vampire Groupie for "30 Days of Night"
After playing troubled, goth-influenced teens in projects like "Six Feet Under" and "Hostage," it's about time Ben Foster just went right to the vampires. In... More...
March 02, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Swinging "Party," A Sweet and Sour "16"
This week's wide releases will take us on a journey. We'll walk a couple blocks ("16 Blocks," "Dave Chappelle's Block Party"), take a dip in the ocean... More...
July 18, 2005:
Ben Foster Will Spread His Wings for "X-Men 3"
Variety indicates that Ben Foster, best known for work in movies like "The Punisher" and "Hostage," will play the role of Warren Worthington III (a.k.a.... More...
June 17, 2005:
A Lot More Actors Climb Aboard the "Poseidon"
Last week we announced that Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, and Emmy Rossum had been signed to star in Wolfgang Petersen's remake of "The Poseidon Adventure," but The... More...
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