Hostage

USA / Germany, 2005. Directed by Florent Emilio Siri. Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster, Jonathan Tucker, Marshall Allman, Serena Scott Thomas.

Gripping thriller which sees hostage negotiator Willis achieving redemption for an earlier failure through dealing with a similar but more complex situation a year later. This is actually a very clever film – time and again you think you know where it’s going, but then the twists and turns of the plot take it into less familiar territory. Director Siri is said to have a love of noir classics of the 40s and 50s and it’s very apparent here, especially with his skilled use of light and shadow. All the main characters have an element of psychological depth, and there’s a strong use of symbolism throughout – I especially liked the motif of blood on the hands of various characters at different points. Don’t take the movie at face value – “Bruce Willis in hostage thriller” sounds like a cliché, but this is most definitely not another Die Hard.