THE AISLE SEAT - "THE NEGOTIATOR"
by Mike McGranaghan
Just the other week, I was trying to decide who my favorite actor is. It's not an easy question, because there are so many whom I admire. I think Sean Penn is possibly the finest actor of his generation. I'm constantly amazed by the chameleon-like quality of Johnny Depp. I could also not discount Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, or about 25 others. Finally, I rephrased the question: which actor do I most look forward to seeing in every new film? Then I was able to narrow it down to two: Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. Whenever I see one of these names on the marquee, I become excited. It doesn't matter what genre the film is, or even how good it is; I just know I'm going to see a performance that is interesting. When I found out Spacey and Jackson were teaming up for The Negotiator, I was thrilled. Although they worked together briefly in A Time To Kill, this is the first real pairing of these fine actors.
Jackson plays Danny Roman, a Chicago hostage negotiator with a knack for having grace under pressure. One evening, his partner confides in him. Someone in the precinct has been dipping into the retirement fund. Internal Affairs officers may be involved, so there is no one to turn to for help. Roman wants to know where this information came from. His partner has a snitch, but won't name him. The next day, that partner is murdered and Roman is framed for the both the killing and the embezzlement.
Everyone seems to be turning against Roman - the men he's worked next to for years, his superior officers who usually sang his praises, even his partner's wife. They all think he's guilty. The person most likely to have some answers is an I.A. cop named Niebaum (the late J.T. Walsh, in his last screen performance). Roman storms into the guy's office one day and takes him hostage. Also being held are his secretary and an informant (Paul Giamatti). Since Roman is a hostage negotiator himself, he knows all the rules of engagement. He needs someone who is willing to deal with him without using standard procedure. His first demand: the only person he'll speak to is a negotiator from the other side of town, Chris Sabian (Spacey).
Sabian is an interesting character. He knows the cops think Roman is guilty. He also knows that Roman claims to have been set up. He doesn't care either way. As he says at one point, his only job is try to figure out who's telling the truth without having to sacrifice any lives. Spacey plays the role with a determined intelligence; anyone who stands in the way of his job will be ripped up one side and down the other. Sabian turns out to be the only ally Roman has, if only because he refuses to take sides.
Now, from a story level, The Negotiator is nothing spectacular. In fact, it's pretty standard. You have the innocent man, wrongly accused. You have the internal scandal in which not even the cops can be trusted. And anyone who has ever seen a movie should have no trouble figuring out who is behind the embezzlement and murder. Some of the plot holes are big enough to drive a truck through. At times, the screenplay has to resort to some idiotic contrivances to keep Jackson from getting killed. There are no less than four times when he could easily be shot, thus ending the crisis. It doesn't happen.
Despite this, The Negotiator works exceedingly well because of the performances. What I always like about Jackson and Spacey is the level of conviction they bring to every single role. These guys never walk through a film. They always devote themselves 100 percent. That is certainly the case here. They believe in the gravity of this hostage situation and therefore so do we.
The movie was directed by F. Gary Gray, who also made the action thriller Set It Off. He is a very smart director. Although there is action in the film, Gray makes the interaction between Spacey and Jackson the center of the story. All the shoot-outs and explosions are nothing compared to the energy created by having these two superb actors match wits on screen. It's a chess match between two very cunning minds. The tension is in their relationship, and that makes The Negotiator such an intense movie.
I have said it before and I will say it again now: if a movie works on you, you can easily overlook any flaws or imperfections and just be entertained. The Negotiator is a perfect case in point. The plot is utterly generic, but thanks to the energy of Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson, I loved every minute of it.
(
1/2 out of four)
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