Netflix Minute: The Negotiator

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.

F. Gary Gray is a director who originally came from the world of music videos, much like several other of his contemporaries like Michael Bay, Spike Jonze, and David Fincher. This enclave of camera talent has its ups and downs, both of which can often be attributed to the style that uniquely springs from telling a story in less than five minutes. Gray, in particular, suffered a decisive failure recently with his 2009 film Law Abiding Citizen, pummeled due to overwhelming violence and more importantly, an unbelievable plot that would require divine intervention to take place in the real world.

I can hardly blame him for being attracted to the script, however, as there's something inherently attractive about a well-planned scheme played out on screen by the genius who created it. That concept builds the perfect foundation for quite a few heist movies, which show the thieves barely managing to steal something under the most tricky lock and key. While Law Abiding Citizen failed to impress, F. Gary Gray did manage to hit this concept just right on his first attempt in 1998's The Negotiator.

Samuel L. Jackson plays the part of Lieutenant Danny Roman, an expert negotiator for the Chicago Police. After resolving a perilous hostage situation, he heads to a nearby bar to celebrate the birthday of the chief of police. In the middle of the excitement, Danny's partner pulls him away from the action to talk about an informant who divulged information about some cops who have been stealing from Police's disability fund. Later that night, Danny is seemingly paged by his partner to meet up again, only to find the man shot dead in his car.

Before long, it becomes obvious that somebody is trying to setup Danny with the death of his best friend. Stuck in an impossible position with nobody on his side, Lieutenant Roman is forced to burst into the internal affairs office of the Chicago Police and take his accuser and several other people hostage to force his way closer to the truth.

What makes The Negotiator such a well executed movie is the fact that Samuel L. Jackson's character actually seems capable of fighting for his life, talking his way towards the truth, and holding his own against the people he's accustomed to working with. Furthermore, Danny Roman summons a top negotiator from the other side of town to liaise with the law enforcement, adding someone who thinks on an equal level and has objectivity that cannot be ensured by any other of the local police. Played by Kevin Spacey, this fellow negotiator is just as quick on his feet as Roman, providing a perfect counterpoint in such a high stakes chess game.

Beyond the well conceived characters and great actors lies the actual direction and pacing of the film. As previously mentioned, F. Gary Gray shoots like a music video director, employing a very active camera and fairly aggressive editing. As a result, The Negotiator manages to push through some heavy dialogue effortlessly and actually maintain a breakneck pace, despite downtimes in physical action.

Through all these things, I found little to dislike about The Negotiator. Some might find the booming score and frenetic pace of this film distracting, but I felt like it added quite a bit of watchability to the thick dialogue and prominent characterization from beginning to end. There's no doubt in my mind that any fan of thrillers should check out this duel between two of the best actors in this generation, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

Score: 5 out of 5
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