The Negotiator (Blu-ray)

The Negotiator ( Blu-ray )

Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey are needless to day some of the best actors working today, so in 1998 F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off) put the two of them together in The Negotiator and honestly while the movie itself is just a fairly standard thriller, it is remembered so fairly because of the performances by the main actors.  Jackson plays Danny Roman, a cop who, anxious to clear himself of false accusations, takes a group of people hostage and requests the presence of a fellow officer from another precinct. Spacey plays Chris Sabian, a hostage specialist, the Negotiator, who comes in to try and defuse the situation and bring Roman in. He is not prepared for what he hears and the city isn’t ready for what they do.  As I said before the movie on its own is your standard by the numbers cop framed for something he didn’t do story, and Gray’s direction is just serviceable (not downing F. Gary Gray he just doesn’t have a signature style all his own).  The real reason to watch this movie is Jackson and Spacey.

Needless to say Warner Bros. have put out another excellent 2.4:1 1080p HD transfer for this title, proving that even catalog titles get decent treatment.  We also get a very active 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Surround mix.  Sadly there are no new extras on this disc as it is a catalog release, just the same stuff ported over from the previous DVD edition (and in Standard Def. none the less).  So if your really enjoy the movie then it is a no brainer, it is well worth the upgrade (especially with its rather low price point), otherwise give it a rent.