Nuts

This migraine is still driving me nuts all day. I went to work and because I was distracted I didn't notice the headache but as soon as I wasn't it was there again. So annoying! Carla and I went for a drink at another store where we were invited to join the colleagues. I can't have alcohol so I had juice, I still find it hard to keep that in mind but if I would take alcohol I know for sure that something would definitely go wrong because of the meds I'm taking. It wouldn't be a wise thing to do...

When we left the place we were still talking on the pavement for a while when A. passed by on his bike. I wasn't sure if he would be home already by the time I would leave so I didn't tell him to pick me up at this other store when he phoned me although I know his route to work/from work. I was happy to see him though because I really needed to relax a bit and watch a DVD or something. I asked him if he felt like crashing on the couch and watch a DVD and he did so we went to rent one.

I found a pretty good one called Hostage with Bruce Willis! When we got home I took a shower hoping that the migraine would be gone but it still didn't. We made dinner together and watched the movie; I really liked it, so did A.. We went to bed early because I was about to fall asleep anyway and so was A. Here's a review that I've found online:

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HostageCast: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker, Ben Foster, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Marshall Allman, Serena Scott Thomas, Rumer Willis
Director: Florent Siri
U.S. Release Date: 3/11/05 (wide)
Producers: Mark Gordon, Arnold Rifkin, Bruce Willis, Bob Yari
Screenplay: Doug Richardson, based on the novel by Robert Crais
Cinematography: Alexandre Desplat
Music: Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity)
Running Length: 1:53
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Country: United States/Germany, 2005
Distributor: Miramax Films

Hostage represents Bruce Willis' latest attempt to produce a thriller with the kind of broad appeal exhibited by his most successful big-screen endeavor, Die Hard. The largest potential drawback to enjoying this movie is getting past some of the plot's implausibilities. For those who manage to achieve this, Hostage offers two entertaining hours. Or, to put it another way: accept Hostage for what it is, and a flawed-but-enjoyable ride awaits. I never once glanced at my watch.

Willis plays top LAPD hostage negotiator Jeff Talley, who removes himself from the big city after two victims (including a child) are killed on his watch. A year later, he is the chief of police in Bristo Camino, a small Ventura County hamlet. Nothing much happens there, which suits Jeff fine. His biggest worry is dealing with the unhappiness of his wife, Jane (Serena Scott Thomas), and daughter, Amanda (Rumer Willis, Bruce's real-life daughter with Demi Moore). They dislike Jeff's new lifestyle so much that they only live with him part-time, and "part-time" is even too often for Amanda. Then, when a suspicious vehicle is spotted outside the gated house of an accountant (Kevin Pollack), everything changes.

Inside the house, the accountant is lying motionless on his living room floor while his daughter, Jennifer (Michelle Horn), and son, Tommy (Jimmy Bennett), are being held hostage by three interlopers: Dennis (Jonathan Tucker), Mars (Ben Foster), and Kevin (Marshall Allman). An investigating police officer is shot and killed - an event that brings the entire Bristo Camino police force on the scene, plus a lot of help from the outside. After handling the initial contact with the hostage-takers, Jeff willingly turns over reigns of authority - until he discovers that there are darker goings-on than the crisis at hand.

The secondary plot-thread bogs down Hostage a little. While this aspect of the film amps up the tension, it does so at the expense of credibility and drama. Hostage tries to give us access to the interaction between the three inexperienced criminals (none of whom trust one another) and their victims, but it is shortchanged. Also, the final showdown is a little disappointing in its ordinariness. But there are some nice elements. For example, Tommy is played as an ingenious boy (not the stock dullard of movies like this) who provides a stream of useful information to Jeff via cell phone calls. And a dog gets whacked, which almost never happens in major motion pictures.

Hostage works in much the same way that Assault on Precinct 13 succeeds. Once the viewer has become immersed in the film's world, it no longer matters that real-world conventions are being flouted. Hostage has suspense and momentum, it takes some chances (the murder of a child during the prologue indicates that the film isn't squeamish), and, in Mars, it has a creepy villain (who appears to be designed, at least to a degree, using the mindset of the Columbine killers). The climax, while conclusive, offers little in the way of a true catharsis, but that's in keeping with the overall downbeat tone. Hostage works on its own terms, and, if you're willing to accept them, you'll enjoy spending these two hours with Bruce Willis.

© 2005 James Berardinelli
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