The Negotiator

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The Negotiator

R

1998

2h 18m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is considered the best police hostage negotiator in Chicago. After a friend warns him that someone is embezzling from a disability fund, the person is found dead. Internal affairs investigator Niebaum (J.T. Walsh) discovers the gun used had been handled by Roman. When no one believes his innocence, Roman takes Niebaum hostage. When Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey) arrives to hear Roman's demands, the two skilled negotiators begin a tense stand-off.

Critics Consensus

The Negotiator's battle of wits doesn't wholly justify its excessive length, but confident direction by F. Gary Gray and formidable performances makes this a situation audiences won't mind being hostage to.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

09/11/2006

B-

Teaming for the first time Kevin Spacey and Samuel Jackson, arguably the two best actors of their generation, in perfectly fitting roles is a shrewd move and the best element of this fact-inspired but overwrought thriller

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Time Out

01/26/2006

A hybrid action-drama featuring the choreographed pyrotechnics of director Gray and a battle of words between contrasting hostage negotiators Jackson and Spacey.

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Charles Taylor

Salon.com

01/01/2000

"The Negotiator" slogs on for two hours and 20 minutes, and there's hardly a real laugh or a genuine thrill in it.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

12/13/2023

3.5/5

When, in a weary moment, Danny says “you can’t beat the system,” Samuel L. Jackson underlines the underpinnings that still distinguish "The Negotiator" and that there could have been no more perfect project for Jackson’s leap into leading-man status.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

07/28/2020

2/5

A big, dumb, lumbering cop thriller that works through a very familiar, very basic formula, very, very slowly indeed.

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

06/27/2011

3.5/5

It's not perfect, but it's enjoyable enough to be one of those movies I might stop channel surfing to watch on late-night television.

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Frans B

@FransB Mar 24

Brilliant! Edge of your seat anticipation. Great work by F. Gary Gray in directing and bringing this to screen. Very well written. Great cinematography and visually appealing. Whole cast very convincing in character with Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey deserving commendation. Lots of action, intrigue, suspense, drama, emotion and twists. Classic and noteworthy

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Nicholas T

@nicktalbert2025 Mar 15

Crime action movie drama

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Ray C

@RT17651982 Dec 5

A slightly above-average police thriller elevated by its two leads, The Negotiator suffers from a bloated runtime but still delivers the kind of thrills you’d expect from this type of film. The supporting cast is strong as well, though Paul Giamatti hams it up a bit too much as the comic relief. The story also tries to be smarter than it is and often ends up feeling overcomplicated—and occasionally predictable. I also think it would’ve been more compelling if we as the audience had been kept in the dark about the protagonist’s innocence. Samuel L. Jackson gives a performance that makes his character seem unstable and potentially unreliable, and the film might have been more intriguing if we weren’t sure whether to trust him. Still, The Negotiator is a solid action thriller overall, and I had a good time with it.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 18

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 Oct 17

La historia de un tenso escenario de rehenes, por parte de un policía difamado, tiene sus buenos momentos en el que mantiene en vilo al espectador. No está entre las mejores actuaciones de Samuel L. Jackson pero se desempeña bien.

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Sharang L

@Scribe187 Oct 11

Must have been a slick thriller back in the day. Hasn't aged particularly well, I am afraid.

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F. Gary Gray

Director

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

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Synopsis

Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is considered the best police hostage negotiator in Chicago. After a friend warns him that someone is embezzling from a disability fund, the person is found dead. Internal affairs investigator Niebaum (J.T. Walsh) discovers the gun used had been handled by Roman. When no one believes his innocence, Roman takes Niebaum hostage. When Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey) arrives to hear Roman's demands, the two skilled negotiators begin a tense stand-off.

Director: F. Gary Gray
Producer: Arnon Milchan, David Hoberman
Screenwriter: James DeMonaco, Kevin Fox
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, New Regency Pictures, Regency Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.7M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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