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  We won't say that HOSTAGE is from the cookie-cutter mill of hackneyed 'actioners' that has turned Hollywood into a second rate "Western Bollywood" over this last fifteen years, nor will we say that HOSTAGE is so predictable as to not to even have a plot. Let's instead say something nice about the film, like, ummm.... they are using more African American actors in senior roll-model parts. Or how about, Willis looks good with a beard? OK, then, how about 'no animal was harmed in the making of this film'?
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Talley (Willis) is a "hostage specialist" who had a 'situation' go bad on him in the big city, and, of course, the mental anguish is just too much for him, so he transfers himself to some quiet Sherriff's Department in the next county, where he won't ever again have to blame himself for the acts of murderers. Or for that matter, there in the boondocks, he won't have to go on Oprah to say what he has been "going through". Nevertheless, the storyboard can't remain blank, so, by virtue of the fact that he is a policeman, he (guess what?) has marriage problems. Talley (guess what?) struggles to save his marriage, after he virtually criminally assaults his wife and daughter by having them move out of the city with him. This could be important for those of us in Bangkok who can't watch all those really great American soap operas...
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Here HOSTAGE starts shuffling studio storyboards they found in some broom closet. You see, (guess what, again?) Talley can't really escape his fate, as there is another hostage drama right there in his own back yard ! Mix in a psycho-killer (gee, we haven't seen a movie with one of those in the last few days...), friction between the Police Department and Sherriff Department and FBI over who's jurisdiction this is (saaaay, this is something we don't find in film very often....), finding out that this is related to other criminal activity, and that (take a wild guess) there are 'bad cops' involved. But even all of the above could be forgiven, and perhaps even called one of a 'genre', if it hadn't been entirely, utterly predictable - so 'Hollywood'.. No saving graces - save your popcorn money for some other film.
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