Very slow moving and predictable. So many things in here that would never happen to the point of ridiculousness. Especially at the end when a gun is shot out of someone's hand... with the area surrounded by cops. And no one got the ricochet? Really?

This one is gonna be easy...First off, WHY in God's name has this director not either done more films or why is he not more recognized...??? I had to look him up here because I didn't know him; imagine my surprise when I saw that he also directed the excellent 'LAW ABIDING CITIZEN' & 'THE Italian JOB'(2003)This guy is GOOD!Just that simple. I'm REALLY puzzled why we haven't heard more about him. I mean, this was one of his earliest and biggest films, starring two iconic actors among many other excellent supporters, and the guy has only done ONLY 3 really big, recognizable films in 16 years...???!! We're talking like Antoine Fuqua quality here people. So WHERE the hell has this guy been...?Oh well, who am I to unravel the dastardly machinations of Hollywood? Probably better off not knowing... : )Anyway, the acting is excellent all around and the story itself is very well done. It seriously GRABS you right from the beginning, and it does NOT let you go until it is done with you. That is really all you need to know...Needless to say... DAMN good film!

Samuel L. Jackson is a lieutenant on the Chicago police force. He's chatting with a colleague who tells him that he's discovered something wrong is going on with the police retirement fund. Some of Jackson's friends may be involved. Later, the friend has his head blown off, the police search Jackson's home and find evidence incriminating him in the skimming of money from the fund.Jackson, innocent, bursts into a room in the police department and takes half a dozen hostages. Since any of his friends may be anxious to see Jackson killed, just to shut him up, Jackson demands that an outside negotiator be called in. The stranger is Kevin Spacey.Jackson and Spacey, together with help from the skills and knowledge of the several hostages, discover the heavies and all is resolved, but not before tear gas, stun grenades, bullets, bloodshed, and the destruction of several items of office furniture that probably came from WalMart and are more easily replaced than the corpses.It's really a tough film and it's filled with suspense. There are holes in the plot or, at any rate, questionable developments that are left unexplained. Two stone-faced FBI agents take over the situation, straight out of "Dog Day Afternoon," although it was unclear to me exactly what their jurisdiction is. Moreover, they call for an immediate "breach" of the hostage space, when, in fact, the FBI has a highly skilled division of negotiators.It's filled with electrifying moments but it's a rather dumb movie too. Not because of the lacunae in the plot but because it sacrifices so much of the human dynamics for the sake of action. It's a crime drama that seems to yearn for action-movie status. When the cops breach the room, or when they try to sneak in, or when they surround Jackson and Spacey while they hurriedly try to collect evidence that would exculpate Jackson, there are simply too many explosions. The cutting is instantaneous. There are flashes of flaring automatic weapons; instead of a startling stun grenade there are half a dozen. The room is demolished by plunging bodies.And, at the climax, when the principal heavy is on the lawn, wounded and surrounded by a horde of now wised-up cops, Jackson is allowed to pick up a pistol, walk in slow motion to the downed and grimacing villain, raise the pistol, point it at his head, he finally turns the weapon over to the Chief of Police without firing it. All this is in very slow motion, designed to draw out the suspenseful scene and keep the audience breathless. But how stupid do they think the audience is? Everyone knows that Jackson, a decent man who has been framed, is not going to pull the trigger now.If the director wants to manipulate us, okay. But this sort of thing -- an abundance of fireworks and a stupid climax -- is cheap. Hitchcock would have handled it all with class. This is aimed at an audience that's assumed to need an adrenalin fix every few minutes.

I watched this movie tonight. I love it so much that I was not able to move out from my seat. This film is an excellent intelligent movie with fantastic actors of Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. For sure Samuel L. Jackson played his best of ability to deliver this well written by James DeMonaco, and Kevin Fox. Jackson was a police hostage negotiator, and he set up for a crime that he didn't commit. He worked with amazing strategy to get into truth by taking his own hostages and find out about the truth by bluffing, and negotiating, and smart actions. I RECOMMEND this movie to those people who would like to get nailed down to their chairs for over one hour, and enjoy an intelligent movie. I give score 9 out of 10.