Hostage

Several stock action-thriller ingredients are slung together and served up as new Hollywood hash in Hostage, including a burned-out cop with personal problems, novice young criminals in over their nervous heads, a brave little kid who outwits his kidnappers, and a possible government conspiracy hiding behind seemingly lesser crimes. Bruce Willis plays an LAPD hostage negotiator who has lost his touch (with bloody results) and retired to a more relaxing job as police chief for a quiet, upscale enclave in the Southern California mountains. But his tempered tranquility is shattered when a simple SUV theft by a trio of hoods turns into a cop-killing standoff during which another group of shadowy, dangerous mystery men kidnap Willis's wife and daughter. While relatively unpredictable in the order of inevitable events, the plot pieces of Hostage eventually all fall into place exactly as expected. Director Florent Emilio Siri, a veteran of French crime thrillers and video games, has a good grip on the film's tingly tension, but he lets logistical details slip through his fingers on his way toward an unbelievable, cliché-overdrive final showdown. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Florent Siri, a 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette (13 min.), six deleted scenes and two extended scenes with optional director commentary (7 min. total), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 16, 2011—Lionsgate, 113 min., R, $14.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 2005's Hostage features a good transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director Florent Siri, a behind-the-scenes featurette (13 min.), deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by Siri (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for a forgettable thriller.]