In the midst of an elaborate conspiracy, an expert negotiator is driven to the edge when he’s framed for the murder of his partner, as well as embezzling money from his department’s pension fund. His only chance to prove his innocence is to take hostages himself, acquire the services of another expert negotiator, and find out who’s running the conspiracy before it’s too late.

The Negotiator (1998)
  • Rating: (61,557 votes)
  • Taglines:Chicago's two top negotiators must face each other. One of them is holding hostages. The other is demanding surrender. And everyone's holding their breath. » He frees hostages for a living. Now he's taking hostages to survive. »
  • Runtime:140 minutes
  • Director: F. Gary Gray
  • Countries:Germany, USA
  • Actors:
    Danny Roman
    Samuel L. Jackson
    Chris Sabian
    Kevin Spacey
    Adam Beck
    David Morse
    Grant Frost
    Ron Rifkin
    Chief Al Travis
    John Spencer
    Terence Niebaum
    J.T. Walsh
    Maggie
    Siobhan Fallon
    Rudy
    Paul Giamatti
    Karen Roman
    Regina Taylor
    Markus
    Bruce Beatty
  • Genres:Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
  • Producers:
    Albert Beveridge
    co-producer  
    David Hoberman
    producer  
    Arnon Milchan
    producer  
    David Nicksay
    executive producer  
    Robert Stone
    executive producer  
    Webster Stone
    executive producer  
  • Plots: In the midst of an elaborate conspiracy, an expert negotiator is driven to the edge when he's framed for the murder of his partner, as well as embezzling money from his department's pension fund. His only chance to prove his innocence is to take hostages himself, acquire the services of another expert negotiator, and find out who's running the conspiracy before it's too late. Written by Ted Walters
The Negotiator
  • User's comment:An intelligent, taut thriller by Arthur-23

    Just when you think he's cornered, he thinks of a new strategy. Samuel L. Jackson portrays Lieutenant Danny Roman, police hostage negotiator. When he's framed for a crime he didn't commit, against his fellow police officers no less, he knows that the only way out is to bring in an equally tough negotiator, Lieutenant Chris Sabian played by Kevin Spacey, who's from another precinct and who therefore could not have been contaminated by the bad elements within his own force, which buys him the necessary time to bluff and blindside while he finds the clues he needs to prove he's innocent. Chicago is taken hostage along with the few people he retains as bargaining chips, and we are taken along for the ride. This was a masterful job of film-making from beginning to end. The characters and story were flawlessly developed. We don't precisely know who's guilty or who's innocent. Roman conducts his interrogation and trial while he negotiates with the police outside, some of whom are working overtime to eliminate Roman before he figures it all out. This all occurs right under the noses of the FBI who are in way over their heads and don't have a clue who's guilty or innocent, just like the rest of us watching. Along the way, we get to witness Roman lecture his underlings about the finer points of negotiations while he himself has just become a hostage taker. "Never say no!" he barks with effective zeal. And he tests his bewildered pupils continuously, who fail continuously. Only Sabian is smart enough to understand what's going on in Roman's mind. The strategy is shared by two men who think alike, who are under stress, and have an innate instinct for lie detection. The screenplay was terrific. The cinematography was effective. The acting of Jackson and Spacey exceptional. And the supporting cast, particularly bad-guy-turned-good-guy Paul Giamatti who provides great comic relief, was outstanding. If you're in the mood for an intelligent, taut thriller, The Negotiator delivers... 9/10.


  • Quotes: Lieutenant Danny Roman: You want my blood? Take my blood! Lieutenant Danny Roman: Crazy is on the bus. Lieutenant Chris Sabian: I once talked a guy out of blowing up the Sears Tower but I can't talk my wife out of the bedroom or my kid off the phone.
  • Also known as: El mediador (Argentina), El mediador (Mexico), El mediador (Peru - imdb display title), Forhandleren (Denmark), Forhandleren (Norway - imdb display title), Verhandlungssache (Austria), Verhandlungssache (Germany), A Negociação (Brazil), A Negociação - Justiça a Qualquer Preço (Brazil - video title), Arabulucu (Turkey - Turkish title), Förhandlaren (Sweden), Il negoziatore (Italy), Koushounin (Japan), Le négociateur (Canada - French title), Négociateur (France), Negociador (The Negotiator) (Spain - imdb display title), Negocjator (Poland - imdb display title), Neuvottelija (Finland), Nincs alku (Hungary - imdb display title), O Negociador (Portugal), Oriakes diapragmatefseis (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Pogajalec (Slovenia), Pregovarac (Serbia), Vyjednávac (Slovakia), Vyjednavac (Czech Republic),

  1. Terrence R. Haight Says:
    November 26th, 2010 at 11:27 pm

    I’ve seen the show a number of times . It’s a good flick.

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