Saturday, November 23rd, 2002
The Negotiator
Mission accomplished. Rented The Negotiator, had Burger King for dinner.
I enjoyed The Negotiator and am glad I didn’t bother with the TBS Readers Digest version any longer. I am amazed that they managed to take a 2h20m movie, cut out so much content and yet stretch it out to a 3h broadcast time.
Samuel L Jackson plays the same character he almost always seems to be cast as – the intense inherently good but pushed to the edge of breaking man. Kevin Spacey is inscrutable as the negotiator called in when Jackson, framed for his partner’s murder and about to be sent away, takes hostages in a federal building.
The script itself is fairly standard fare and the direction, while capable, isn’t outstanding. The twists and turns are effective enough to keep the viewer interested enough to keep the viewer paying attention throughout the course of the unusually long running time.
The real strength of the film comes from the principal actors and their execution of the material. Both Jackson and Spacey are doing what they do best. No awards for breaking new ground but kudos for not phoning it in. I enjoyed this one, not a bad way at all to spend a Saturday night. I suppose I should thank TBS just a little for that.
I also rented Zoolander despite my general disdain for Ben Stiller… This one has been recommended to me by enough people and has the Chris Large seal of approval. I’m assured that it’s surprisingly good, which shouldn’t be hard since I have fairly low expectations. But one never knows.
The Leafs whipped the Flyers 6-0! I am having a kick-ass night in the hockey pool. Cue rejoicing. I am also 45 minutes away from winning Velvet Crush’s Free Expression on eBay. Wouldn’t that just make my evening. Fingers crossed.
np – Dot Allison / Afterglow
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