On N List of Movie Reviews

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The Negotiator (1998)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 7/09

7/09: Despite the flaws early on, The Negotiator is an excellent picture that's full of thrills and suspense.

So, kudos to James DeMonaco and Kevin Fox for coming up with the story. Of course, it starts with two great stars: Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. They're always fun to watch.

During the first forty-five minutes, I was annoyed by the low quality of camera work with heavy reliance on impressions. Soon thereafter, the course dramatically changed with Samuel L. Jackson becoming a tour de force, especially when he asked Farley a "spanking" question and did this thing with his eyes as if he's back to playing Jules Winnfield.

Of course, Kevin Spacey can't be discounted because he did his part convincingly well which helped balance the show. When the two stars worked together, I forgot about the long running length and started to savor their performances.

Another flaw is how secondary the wife was when I kept in mind how important she's supposed to be for Samuel L. Jackson's character. Yet the director has done an admirable job of keeping everybody as suspicious as possible, causing me to guess until the end which is to say the movie isn't predictable in any way, shape, or form.

All in all, The Negotiator is a superb piece of work that plays out like a chess match.

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