Bruce Willis recently retired due to ill health. Films like the dark thriller “Hostage”, which is shown on free TV this Monday, are a reminder of just how exciting the work of the action star is.
Bruce Willis retired from acting due to health problems. The “Last Boy Scout” star, who fell ill with aphasia, leaves a legacy that not only consists of classics but also of many smaller genre pearls that were often overlooked to a certain extent. “Hostage – Kidnapped”, which will be broadcast on Kabel 1 today, April 4th at 11:30 p.m., is one of those highlights that you should definitely devote yourself to again.
If today’s broadcast date of “Hostage” is too late or if you would prefer to see the film without commercial breaks, you can easily obtain the Blu-ray or DVD from online retailers such as Amazon. The action-thriller is also available in the Total Channel film on Amazon Prime Video. Here are the first 30 days free:
» “Hostage” on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon*
» “Hostage” on Amazon Prime Video*
That’s what “Hostage – Kidnapped” is about
Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) was previously responsible for negotiations with hostage-takers in the Los Angeles Police Department. But when a hostage situation turns into a bloody disaster that kills a young mother and her child, Talley is devastated and unable to police the city. So he decides to take the job as police chief in the small town of Bristo Camino, where the crime rate is comparatively low.
But the peace doesn’t last long: three small-time crooks (Jonathan Tucker, Ben Foster, Marshall Allman) break into a family’s property in order to get their hands on their luxury car. The silent alarm goes off and the burglars decide to kidnap the head of the family (Kevin Pollak) and his children Jennifer (Michelle Horn) and Tommy (Jimmy Bennett). Jeff Talley must now use all his skills to save the hostages…
A gripping hostage thriller that really gets under your skin
Certainly, the plot of “Hostage” does not shine through ingenuity but is limited to the classic conventions that have always been seen in the action-thriller genre. However, the film avoids degrading the characters to mere caricatures or cues, instead of taking the trauma of the main character Jeff Talley very seriously. This gives “Hostage” a tangible, realistic note, which gains increasing depth and poignancy through the grounded acting of Bruce Willis, who is incredibly vulnerable here.
However, what is particularly striking about “Hostage” is its all-encompassing gloom, which contributes to the fact that the action thriller is gradually becoming more genuine Home invasion horror will. Director Florent Emilio Siri goes even more menacingly here than many full-blooded horror movies before and after Hostage have done. The reason for this is that the violence that is noticeably dormant in each and every one of the characters is in danger of breaking out in an extreme way every second. This gives the highly exciting “Hostage” a gripping opacity that one cannot escape.
In “Hostage” it seems that only the dim light of a flashlight is somehow able to break through the darkness of the hostage scenario – until the spectacular finale finally ignites a blazing inferno. Ben Foster may be cast a little too obvious as a psychopath here, but there is hardly another actor who is so able to express insanity and helplessness at the same moment only through his eyes.
All in all, “Hostage” is a gripping, superbly staged thriller, which once again proves how strong it is, especially in view of the tragic end of Bruce Willis’ career and the related direct-to-DVD flicks, in which the former action icon was almost exclusively seen in recent years and complex Willis could be. In “Hostage” Jeff Talley not only hits but also takes a lot. That’s why the movie is so damn good.
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