In Hostage, a cop is confronted with a double-hostage situation involving his own family. The film has all the ingredients of a classic thriller, including an over-the-edge script that keeps you guessing till the end, inspired characterization, strong production values; and a good cast headed by Bruce Willis.
Unfortunately, French director Florent Emilio Siri (The Nest) fails to deliver the goods despite all the first-grade ingredients on hand. After a visually-original credit roll and a first mesmerizing sequence describing a badly-handled hostage situation, the director’s mise-en-scene has shot its bolt. From this point on, the film is nothing but unconvincing action, clichéd situations and banal characters. Even the director’s control of his actors runs out of steam, Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis, but it is embarrassing when in one scene he cries with disbelief.
Maybe Siri’s goal was to make a movie with grand scenes, in the Hollywood style. Well, he misfired. The lack of pace and tension, and the misuse of the central dilemma (which family to save) relegate Hostage to a mere action-exploitation flick instead of the classic it might have been. Embarrassing really.
Miramax Films/Stratus Film Co.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue