Hostage

Bruce Willis returns to what he does best in this explosive action thriller, which despite its slightly obscure storyline has some interesting moments and proves that old Bruno is back on top form. He plays a retired hostage negotiator forced back into action when three carjackers hold a family captive, allowing him to come into his own with a deliberately restrained and accomplished performance, which more than makes up for the rather over-complicated plot. All this despite stating back in 2001 that he would no longer be doing violent action or “save-the-world” movies; it’s good to see him back in the thick of things.

Willis delivers with the guns and revels in the set-pieces, replacing his usual wise-cracks with a genuine sense of fear and desperation. Hostage isn’t the Die Hard clone that many anticipated, but it does serve as a worthy warm-up for Die Hard 4.0, to be released in 2006. The action scenes are slick and well-directed, while the rest of the movie is darker than expected, maintaining the tension right to the end with a gripping finale.

If you’re looking for an entertaining and intriguing actioner then Hostage won’t disappoint.

Mark Gibson