Starring: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster, Jonathan Tucker
Director: Florent Emilio Siri
The film: Where to for Bruce Willis? That's the question you might pose after sitting through Hostage. The ageing action star will no doubt have plenty of burnt-out cop roles thrown his way as Father Time taps on the shoulder, but you can imagine the productions will get progressively less rewarding. And Willis is the only good thing this limp thriller has going for it.
French director Florent Emilio Siri showed with his superb The Nest (2002) that he had a handle on a distinctly American style of urban thriller (basically it was a clever updating of Assault on Precinct 13, far better than this year's US remake). But he gets bogged down by twists and turns that confuse rather than startle.
Willis plays ex-LAPD heavyweight Jeff Talley, a man who has opted for the quiet life, seeing out his working days in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. Something does happen, of course - a bunch of young no-gooders see a car theft go wrong and end up trapped in a heavily fortified house with a family whose father has 'connections'. First, the FBI charges in to take care of the hostage situation, but Talley is dragged into the fray when these boys pay him a visit and make him an offer he can't refuse.
So Siri works his tension all over Willis' face - does he stick to his duties or does he follow his heart? And when the action focuses on the star, things build up nicely. Willis is a past master when it comes to grim resolve.
