Hostage a movie,
| Hostage | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Florent Emilio Siri |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Doug Richardson Robert Crais (novel) |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci |
| Editing by | Richard Byard Olivier Gajan |
| Distributed by | Miramax |
| Release date(s) | March 9, 2005(Philippines) March 11, 2005 |
| Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $52 million |
| Gross revenue | $77,944,725 |
Hostage is a 2005 thriller film with Bruce Willis that was directed by Florent Emilio Siri. The film was based on a novel by Robert Crais, and was adapted for the screen by Doug Richardson.
The film's plot is roughly the same as the novel; the main difference is that a complicated subplot involving the Mafia was removed and the ages of the first group of hostage-takers was lowered slightly. In the novel, Smith's employer is Sonny Benza, a crime overlord whose influence reaches throughout the entire West Coast.
Plot
Former SWAT officer Jeff Talley is a hostage negotiator in Los Angeles. Talley is negotiating with a man who has taken his wife and son hostage after learning she has been cheating on him. Talley denies a SWAT commander's request to give snipers the green light to take out the suspect. There are three gunshots in the house. Talley runs through the barricaded door and finds the man and his wife dead. In the boy's room he finds the son, who passes away in Talley's arms. This leaves Talley emotionally scarred. He moves with his family to become police chief in Bristo Camino, a (fictional) peaceful suburban hamlet in Ventura County, California.
A year after the incident, Talley finds himself in another hostage situation. Two teenagers, Dennis and his brother Kevin, and their mysterious accomplice Marshall "Mars" Krupcheck take hostage Walter Smith and his two children, a teenager and a young child, in Smith's house after a failed robbery attempt. The first officer to respond, Carol Flores, is brutally shot twice by Mars just before Talley and a fellow officer arrive. Talley attempts to rescue the seriously injured officer, who dies in front of him. Traumatized and unwilling to put himself through yet another life-or-death situation, Talley hands authority over to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and leaves.
Smith has been laundering money for a mysterious criminal syndicate through offshore shell corporations. He was preparing to turn over a batch of important encrypted files (recorded on a DVD) when he was taken hostage. To protect such incriminating evidence from discovery, the syndicate orders someone known only as the Watchman to kidnap Talley's wife and daughter. Talley is told to return to the hostage scene and stall for time until the organization can launch its own attack against Smith's house.
Dennis has his partners Mars and Kevin tie up the kids. Dennis pistol-whips Walter, knocking him out, then finds a large amount of cash. He offers half to Talley to help Dennis and Kevin (but not Mars) escape. The police bring a helicopter. Dennis and Kevin are ready to go, but the chopper is for three people and Mars won't leave without Jennifer.
Kevin throws the money in the fireplace and Dennis punches him. Thomas escapes, grabs his father's gun and talks to Talley on Jennifer's cell phone.
Talley learns that Mars is a serial killer, who could turn on the hostages and his own accomplices at any moment. Mars does, in fact, kill Kevin, just when Kevin is about to release the kids to the police. Dennis comes to Kevin's side and assumes the cops killed him. Mars then shoots Dennis. The brothers die in each other's arms.
The syndicate sends fake FBI agents to recover the DVD and they storm the house. Mars is stabbed in the cheek by Jennifer. She and her brother flee. They lock themselves in the house's panic room. Talley hears the children screaming as they flee.
Mars throws a Molotov Cocktail at Talley, destroying his patrol car. Mars begins to kill the majority of the fake FBI agents using his pistol and multiple Molotov Cocktails, but is shot in the side by the only surviving agent. The agent tracks down Talley and the children, demanding to be given the encrypted DVD. Talley gives him the DVD. Mars reappearas, distracting the agent long enough to be killed by Talley.
Mars prepares to throw the last bomb and kill everyone in the room. He collapses to his knees, weakened by the wounds in his torso and blood loss. He makes eye contact with Jennifer, with whom he was apparently infatuated, then drops the Molotov Cocktail. Mars dies, lighting himself on fire and vanishing in a pillar of flame.
Talley evacuates the hostages. He and Walter Smith then go to the inn where Talley's wife and daughter are being held hostage by the Watchman and other masked men. Smith, set free by Talley and grateful for his own family being saved, shoots the Watchman in the head. This allows Talley to kill the other masked gunmen. Talley's family is safe.
Cast
Bruce Willis as Police Chief Jeff Talley
Kevin Pollak as Walter Smith
Jimmy Bennett as Tommy Smith
Michelle Horn as Jennifer Smith
Ben Foster as Marshall "Mars" Krupcheck
Jonathan Tucker as Dennis Kelly
Marshall Allman as Kevin Kelly
Serena Scott Thomas as Jane Talley
Rumer Willis as Amanda Talley
Kim Coates as The Watchman
Robert Knepper as Wil Bechler
Tina Lifford as Deputy Sherrif Laura Shoemaker
Ransford Doherty as Officer Mike Anders
Marjean Holden as Officer Carol Flores
Michael D. Roberts as Bob Ridley
Art LaFleur as Bill Jorgenson
Randy McPherson as Kovak
Hector Luis Bustamante as Officer Ruiz
Kathryn Joosten as Louise
Johnny Messner as Mr Jones
Production
Filming took place in the Malibu area (in western Los Angeles County). The exterior views of Smith's lavishly appointed house were filmed at a real house in the unincorporated Topanga Canyon area, between Malibu and Los Angeles; the interior scenes were done on soundstages in Hollywood.
The movie's opening scenes were filmed in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, just east of downtown.
Bristo Camino, the main setting of the film, is a fictional town in Ventura County, California, where Willis is the police chief. As the drama unfolds in the movie, it is revealed that Bristo Camino has a very small police department so Willis requests the assistance of Ventura County Sheriff's Department in order to handle the situation. Vehicles of the fictional Bristo Camino police department and paramedic fire and rescue service are featured heavily in the film. The logo for the Bristo Camino police department features a Black Bear in a mountain setting, and has since seen use in clothing items and memorabilia. Bristo Camino also appears to have influenced the name of an unsigned indie band in Leeds, England. Although being fictional, Bristo Camino was possibly intended to be a representation of Ojai or Moorpark. Bristo Bay is the name of Bristo Camino in the original 2001 Robert Crais novel.
Reception
Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 36% based on 152 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes' selected top critics gave the film a score of 17% based on 36 reviews.
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4.
Ty Burr of the Boston Globe gave the film 2 stars out of 4.
(source:wikipedia)
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