DVD Review: Hostage
Jump To: Video/Audio/Features/Bottom Line
::Movie review
There was an element of Hostage that I found to be very, very refreshing. It occurs in the final moments of the film during the confrontation between Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) and the chief villains of the film. That element is a complete lack of the "talking killer."
If you've watched any action or thriller movies, then you know all about the talking killer. He usually manifests himself at the moment when he and the hero finally come face-to-face. Almost always, the hero is compromised and the killer has the advantage. Rather than simply kill the hero and win the day, the killer feels compelled to explain all of his motives and plans. The reason for this generally boils down to one (or both) of two possibilities: 1) The writer was unable to work these details into the story and now realizes that the audience has never been told what's going on and why, or 2) the writer mistakenly assumes that at this stage in the film, the audience cares.
I think it's fairly safe to say that if the motivations of the villain have not been established by the final act, then they are unimportant.
What is so good about Hostage is that the villains do have clear motivations. We are told very explicitly, and relatively early on, what they are after. We aren't told the details, because not only do they not matter, but there is no logical reason for everything to be explained to the protagonist, and therefore no reason for us to know.
When the final confrontation occurs, it unfolds in a way that we can more or less buy into. Yes, Talley and the villain do have a conversation, which buys critical time, but the words they exchange don't seem forced or expository. Rather, it plays out like two people desperately trying to get what they want.
The film opens with Talley as a hostage negotiator in Los Angeles . He's in the midst of a situation where a man is holding his wife and son at gunpoint. Hoping for a peaceful resolution, the crisis quickly goes sour and ends tragically.
Distraught, Talley leaves Los Angeles and becomes police chief in a smaller town, hoping to escape the pressures of his previous job. Unfortunately, those pressures aren't willing to escape him.
A group of three teenage thugs witness a pretty girl getting a ride in her father's fancy Escalade. They decide to follow, with the intention of stealing the Caddy. They invade the fancy home of the father (Kevin Pollack) and his two kids (Jimmy Bennett and Michelle Horn) and while trying to get the keys, the silent alarm is tripped. An officer comes to investigate. She runs a check on the pickup truck driven by the teens and discovers that it's been stolen. In a panic, one of the teens, Mars (Ben Foster), shoots the cop and suddenly they are forced to take the family hostage.
Talley is alerted and quickly turns over control of the situation to the Sheriff's department so he can step back and hopefully avoid another situation like the one that forced him out of LA. Unfortunately, it turns out that this rich father is a bit more than he seems. He's an accountant who has been "cooking the books" for some shady individuals. All of the account information has been recorded onto a DVD, which is currently within the house. Desperate to retrieve their information, the men kidnap Talley's wife and daughter and tell Talley they will kill them if he doesn't get the DVD for them.
With his family at stake, Talley has no choice but to retake command of the situation at the house and now he finds himself in the midst of two hostage situations.
There are so many ways that Hostage could have fallen into the depths of the predictable, and it amazingly avoids most of them. To be sure, there are elements of pure fantasy at work within this film, and many plot points rely on the sort of timing, luck and circumstance that can only occur within a movie. Still, the film holds together very well and manages to provide surprises and genuine suspense.
As you can imagine, I watch a lot of these sorts of movies. Given that, I was expecting cheap theatrics, or "surprise" third-act revelations of the real identities of the villains. It was nice to see a movie that not only tries to entertain, but that also remains true to the logic within its own story.
::Video
There is very little to complain about with this video transfer. Hostage is dark and moody, but a decent bitrate saves the day and results in minimal compression. There are a few artifacts here and there, but nothing major. Contrasts are very strong and the shadow detail is impressive, given how much of this film takes place at night.
::Audio
Most of that action in Hostage is fairly subdued, so I was rather surprised to find myself listening to a very intense surround sound mix. A number of scenes in the film make full and good use of all of your speakers.
::Special Features
There aren't a ton of extras on this disc, but they are mainly the "right" extras.
First up is a feature length audio commentary by director Florent Emilio Siri. I actually rather enjoyed this track, even though it is a bit subdued. Siri does a very decent job of explaining his motivations behind various scenes, and pointing out subtle details that might be missed on a first viewing.
Next up are a series of deleted and extended scenes, with optional commentary. Some of these scenes seemed logical cuts. For example, a brief moment where the two teen brothers (Jonathan Tucker and Marshall Allman) have a discussion about stealing cars. While it's a good scene for character development, it would have revealed just a bit too soon how depraved these kids really were. Othere scenes, although good, were removed mainly for pacing.
The final extra is Taking Hostage Behind the Scenes, which is a short little featurette that really doesn't amount to much. This is largely promotional in nature, and while not the worst EPK I've seen, it certainly doesn't really add anything to the experience of this film.
::Bottom Line
Bruce Willis is one of those actors who can elevate a film simply by appearing in it. Without him, Hostage might still have worked, but it wouldn't have been nearly as engaging or entertaining. As is, it's a decent thriller and worth a spin in your DVD player.
| Movie |  |
3.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
4 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
0.5 / 5 |
| Hostage is a fairly intense film that contains quite a bit of violence against children. As such, it isn't appropriate for any but the oldest teens. | ||
| Overall | |
3.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Miramax Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2005
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
113 minutes
Director:
Florent Siri
Stars:
Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollack, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Rumer Willis, Serena Scott Thomas
MPAA Rating:
R
Disc Supplements:
- Full length commentary by director Florent Siri
- Deleted Scenes
- Extended Scenes
- Taking Hostage Behind the Scenes
