BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Maverick hostage neogtiator Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) is framed for embezzlement and murder. Newly married and unjustly faced with prison, Roman turns hostage-taker to smoke out the guilty ones. Squaring off against him is respected, methodical negotiator Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey). Under siege and racing the clock, the two lock in a deadly battle of wits. F. Gary Gray (Set It Off) directs the leads and a top ensemble cast (including David Morse and J.T. Walsh) in a story honed with spiralling tension and volatile action. In a dazzling series of twists and gambits, Roman and Sabian face off against time and each other.

FILM REVIEW: As a first rate mystery/action/thriller, "The Negotiator" delivers the goods in almost every department. What gives this story a unique twist is the idea that a police negotiator would himself take hostages in order to force the guilty parties to the surface; it adds a great deal of tension and drama to the story as our hero, Danny Roman (played by a never-better Samuel L. Jackson), literally backs himself in to a corner and forces not only himself, but his colleagues in the police force, in to a show-down that will end only with the truth coming to the surface or his death. It's a great way to frame the story for a film and provides for a lot of high tension action and suspense, delivered through some great performances from Jackson, Kevin Spacey as the other negotiator brought in to talk to Danny, as well as David Morse and the late JT Walsh. "The Negotiator" is a thrilling ride.

Danny Roman's best friend is shot and killed by an unknown assailant while investigating possible corruption and embezzlement of police officers. As the investigation begins, evidence points to Danny as being the killer, despite him being so well known and liked on the force. As the walls close in on him, Danny takes matters in to this own hands and takes several people hostage at police headquarters, including the lead internal affairs investigator, Kneebohm (JT Walsh). As the hostage situation takes shape, Danny demands to speak to Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey), an outsider who has no vested interest in any of the politics or interactions occurring between everyone involved. As the two begin to negotiate, a bigger plot is unravelled, involving a number of police officers. The great thing about a story like this is that it's a classic whodunit - and the film is executed very well, drawing you in further and further to determine exactly who did it. At every turn, Danny is faced with a number of trials, least of which him being the target of a number of sharpshooters looking to take him down at any given opportunity.

Samuel L Jackson is perfect as Danny Roman, giving a sense of how a perfectly sane man can snap and decide to take actions he wouldn't have otherwise done out of self-defence. His foil, Kevin Spacey, is likewise spot on, providing a level of sanity and toughness that complements Jackson's performance. They start as strangers and on opposite sides but together come to realise that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. JT Walsh is great as Kneebohm - he exudes a tricky slimeball quality. Other players such as David Morse are also perfect. A film of this nature will stand out from others of its type if it has a strong cast and "The Negotiator" doesn't disappoint in this department.

Much of the film takes place at night and the visuals are quite remarkable in this regard. The majority of the film takes place in one location (where Danny takes the hostages) and the filmmakers wisely chose to shoot nearby a river which gives the film a number of picturesque sequences interspersed amongst all the action. The film moves along at a blistering pace and doesn't really drag at much. If anything, once the action moves from the hostage-location to Kneebohm's house where Sabian is helping Danny to find evidence on Kneebohm's computer, some of the tension comes out of the story as the locked down hostage situation provided a strong sense of claustrophobia that dissipates once they leave the scene but it's really a minor point which is more than made up for by Sabian's bluff of pretending to be a bad guy to catch the bad guys out.

"The Negotiator" is a thrilling, suspenseful mystery/action film that will keep you on the edge of your seat write until the very end.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer on this DVD is excellent, particularly as most of the scenes take place at night. The black levels are faithfully represented, as well as offerring a clear, vibrant and colourful picture. The soundtrack is also first rate, providing some solid ambience and effects, particularly in the action scenes with numerous gun shots, explosions and a whole myriad of surround sounds. A well produced disc.

EXTRAS REVIEW: We get a few decent extras on this disc but there's nothing really special here. The main extra is a 17 minute making-of featurette which features some interesting cast and crew interviews but ultimately it's an extended promo. We also get some trailers, an Italian and French 5.1 surround soundtracks and a number of subtitles. Okay but not not great.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.