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movie review - The Negotiator

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

This was an entertaining movie. I've got little to add, though, 'cos it's a little dull. Many of the usual Hollywood shortcuts are taken here: main characters are surprisingly unexplored, even in a movie that does little more than pit two opponents against one another in dialog. Also, the Hollywood habit of aggrandizing every little plot twitch (imagine a chess game where every shift of a pawn comes with shattering glass and shouted, overly clever dialog and clenched jaws) robs the resolution of all of its significance. At the end, you find yourself not overly sympathetic with anyone, nor terribly moved by the conclusion; by then, you're just numb.

This is more or less a rehashing of a theme very common in movies these days, a simple tale of someone (typically a cop) who loses everything (be it wife, partner, or just his good name) fighting against cardboard villains in the period of a day or two. Cop Town and Payback did this better, with more interesting characters, more interesting plot devices, (somewhat) less inane dialog, and better cinematography.

Not recommended.