Hostage (2005)

Seen: On blu-ray on our big screen/projector set-up, from Miles' collection.

Somehow I missed this when it came out, possibly because I hadn't yet quite tapped into the notion that if Bruce Willis is in a movie I'll probably enjoy it. Hostage sets him up as hardworking hostage negotiator Jeff Talley, who is happy to move on to be captain of a small-town police force affected by relatively little crime. When a local wealthy family finds their clifftop mansion taken over by three teenage thugs with guns and short tempers, Talley finds his skills put to use as tension mounts and death is on the line.

With a plot that escalates quickly once the characters and situation are established and excellent use of the high-tech mansion location, Hostage is an intense and visceral thriller that I enjoyed quite a bit. I had no idea how far it would go, which was exciting, and I liked that the stakes kept getting higher and higher. The secondary plot of the criminal mastermind behind the hostage situation was sort of clumsily handled, but did add an extra element of mystery and surprise to the overall story. Willis is badass as ever, and surrounded by able costars Kevin Pollack, Ben Foster, Robert Knepper, and Michelle Horn. It's over the top at times but still a pretty cool movie. Not much else to say I guess.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Maybe another one-location action movie like The Nest. That movie is kickass.