Hostage (film)
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| Hostage | |
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 Promotional poster for Hostage |
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| Directed by | Florent Emilio Siri |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon Arnold Rifkin Bruce Willis Bob Yari |
| Written by | Robert Crais (novel) Doug Richardson |
| Starring | Bruce Willis Kevin Pollak Ben Foster Jonathan Tucker |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci |
| Editing by | Richard Byard Olivier Gajan |
| Distributed by | Miramax |
| Release date(s) | March 11, 2005 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $52 million (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Hostage is a 2005 action/thriller movie which was directed by Florent Emilio Siri. The film was based on a novel by Robert Crais, and was adapted for the screen by Doug Richardson.
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[edit] Plot
Jeff Talley is a hostage negotiator in Los Angeles. The film begins with Jeff negotiating with a man who has taken his girlfriend and son hostage after learning his girlfriend has been cheating on him. Jeff Talley has been watching the situation for a while, and eventually, Jeff hears three gunshots in the house. He runs inside through the baracaded door and finds the man and his girlfriend dead. In the boy's room he finds the dying son, who passes away in Jeff's arms. This leaves Talley emotionally scarred. Soon after, Jeff moves with his family to become police chief in Bristo Camino, a peaceful suburban hamlet in Ventura County, California.
One year after the incident that ended his career with the LAPD, Talley finds himself in yet another hostage situation. Two teenagers and their mysterious accomplice Mars Krupchek take hostage Walter Smith and his two young children in Smith's house after a failed robbery attempt. Unwilling to put himself through yet another life-or-death situation, Talley hands authority over to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and leaves the scene.
Unfortunately for Talley, Smith has been laundering money for a mysterious criminal syndicate through offshore shell corporations. He was preparing to turn over a batch of important encrypted files (recorded on a DVD) when he was taken hostage. To protect such incriminating evidence from discovery, the syndicate arranges for Talley's wife and daughter to be taken hostage, and forces him to return to the scene and stall for time until it can mobilize its own attack against Smith's house.
Back at the scene, Talley learns that Mars Krupcheck is a serial killer, who could turn on the hostages and his own accomplices at any moment. The rest of the movie's plot turns on whether Talley can save two families while fighting two separate groups of hostage-takers at the same time.
According to the movie's official production notes, the movie's plot is roughly the same as the novel; the main difference is that a complicated subplot involving the Mafia was removed and the ages of the first group of hostage-takers was lowered slightly. In the novel, Smith's employer is Sonny Benza, a crime overlord whose influence reaches throughout the entire West Coast.
[edit] Cast
- Bruce Willis – Jeff Talley
- Kevin Pollak – Walter Smith
- Jonathan Tucker – Dennis Kelly
- Ben Foster – Mars Krupcheck
- Robert Knepper – Wil Bechler
- Jimmy Bennett – Tommy Smith
- Michelle Horn – Jennifer Smith
- Marshall Allman – Kevin Kelly
- Serena Scott Thomas – Jane Talley
- Rumer Willis – Amanda Talley
- Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak – Sean Mack
- Hector Luis Bustamante – Officer Ruiz
- Kim Coates – The Watchman
- Tina Lifford – Laura Shoemaker
- Ransford Doherty – Mike Anders
- Marjean Holden – Carol Flores
- Michael D. Roberts – Ridley
- Art LaFleur– Bill Jorgenson
- Randy McPherson– Kovak
- Kathryn Joosten– Louise
- Johnny Messner– Mr. Jones
- John Ingle– Gray Hair Man
- Jamie McShane– Joe Mack
- Glenn Morshower– Lt. Leifitz
- Chad Smith (II)– Bobby Knox
- Scott Allan Campbell– Police Psychologist
- Jane McPherson– Nurse
- Phil Shuman– News Reporter
- Christina Cabot– News Reporter
- Blake Burdette– Body Double (Kevin Kelley) (uncredited)
- Peter Weireter– Ventura County Sheriff Sniper (uncredited)
- Sven-Ole Thorsen– Hooded Thug Guarding Hostages (uncredited)
[edit] Location details
Bristo Camino is a fictional town (though possibly intended to be a representation of Ojai or Moorpark). According to the production notes, most of the movie was actually filmed in the Malibu area (in western Los Angeles County). The exterior views of Smith's lavishly appointed house were filmed at a real house in the unincorporated Topanga Canyon area, between Malibu and Los Angeles; the interior scenes were done on soundstages in Hollywood. Per the L.A. Times Real Estate section 8/13/06 the house is at 2960 Tuna Canyon Road, Topanga, CA. It is for sale - asking price $1,795,000
The movie's opening scenes were filmed in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, just east of downtown.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hostage at the Internet Movie Database
