'The Negotiator' is a police drama/thriller movie released in 1998. Directed by F. Gary Gray, it is top-billed by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.
Set in Chicago, the movie is about a seasoned hostage negotiator named Lt. Danny Roman (played by Jackson) who gets the blame for the murder of his partner Nathan Roenick and the embezzlement of money from the Chicago police's pension funds.
During a discussion with Insp. Neibaum of the Internal Affairs Division, Roman is pushed to a corner and decides to take some people hostage while trying to find a way to clear his name. Unsure of whom to trust in their organization, Roman picked Lt. Chris Sabian (played by Kevin Spacey), another top-notched negotiator he barely knew personally but possessing a good reputation, to be the person on the other side of the bargaining table.
Roman and Sabian initially experience difficulties in their negotiations but Sabian soon realizes that Roman may indeed be innocent and decides to go all out in helping Roman clear his name.
 |
|
Figure 1. In this scene, Lt. Roman toys with a less-skilled negotiator from his department. This scene was spoofed by ToyHollywood.com in this video. |
Roman discovers that his partner Nathan was murdered by the people that the latter was investigating in connection with the stolen police funds. With Sabian's help, Roman unmasks the real perpetrators of the crimes being blamed on him, subsequently clearing his name.
Information on the movie's full credits may be found at:
