Three men in motorcycle helmets rob a 7-11, then hole up in a hospital with the staff and patients as hostages. Two negotiators take charge of the scene, analysing the criminal's behavior to assess their psychology and intentions in an effort to resolve the crisis without any loss of life. As the film progresses, various clues suggest that the case is not as straightforward as it appears on the surface.

THE NEGOTIATOR is one of Takashi Miike's more low-key films, one of only 5 he directed in 2003 and allegedly made for TV, though it seems to be shot on film and with reasonably high production values. Since it's a pretty sedate drama without any of Miike's excursions into violence, gore, sex, fantasy or general bizarreness, it's the sort of film where a little budget can go a very long way, I guess. Miike plays this one pretty straight, delivering the story as conceived by the original novelist without injecting his own whimsical ideas (I am assuming a lot here). It doesn't feel much like a Takashi Miike film, to be honest, but one of the man's strengths is his chameleon-like ability to adopt totally different styles. There's no diversions into black humour or genre-smashing, but elements of the story-telling techniques and editing do betray his touch. He clearly feels his script and cast are capable of making a strong film without his spicing it up - and he is largely correct.

The result is a solid drama that engages the brain and the heart, but lacks the invention or wit that Miike delivers in his more personally styled films. Whilst the film does definitely hold some surprises, I am fairly sure they should be attributed to the original novelist rather than the director. It's a good film, and Miike's skills as a director certainly can't be called into question because of it, but it's not one of those films that you couldn't imagine any other director on the planet having produced - which just means that it's not one of Miike's best :)

Negotiator, a TV-movie directed by the inimitable Takashi Miike, is two-halves of a movie bread. The one halve is a perfectly terrific kidnapping picture, taking its twists but giving the audience its share of excellent acting and a low-key atmosphere to counter the grueling tension. The other half is melodrama cooked up to 11 and given to us to explain what the kidnapping plot at the hospital was all about - an inside job that goes a lot deeper and more personal than anyone could see. While all of the performances are top-notch, especially the actor Hiroshi Mikami who plays Inspector Ishida (in one really fantastic dramatic scene, a real barn-burner in the 2nd act, one sees the depths he's gone to for revenge for his lost loved one),the script itself thinks its a lot sharper than it really is. It doubles back and gives us information, tricking us and folding us again and again into the mystery of what turns into basically a big ol' pot-boiler.

Which would be fine, except that Miike films it as if he's still in the same mindset he did Gozu the same year, with super-long takes in some scenes (5 minutes with an unbroken shot) that are unnecessary and draw attention from what drama happens in the scenes. I applaud Miike for going a route that veers towards the more realistic and tragic in the sense of the characters, and it's a change of pace from his Gonzo works from that period. But its own low-key quality becomes the undoing, in some part, of the suspense that builds for an hour and then pops like a big fat bubble when we find out the circumstances. Negotiator is a movie I really wanted to like more than I did; it tries patience even as it has a lot of rewarding elements and things going for it. It is, simply, worth its TV movie status.

As the others have said, this is not your typical crime movie. Just when you think it is unfolding to a hostage - negotiation scenario, it take a turn toward conspiracy. I only wish U.S. movies would be so daring.

It is interesting to see why the two main characters are involved with each other. Is it a secret love affair? Are they more than just counterpart? The Negotiator is not so simplistic, but all the pieces fall in place in the end.

I found this movie to be very engaging from start to finish. When you think about the title 'The Negotiator', negotiations are not just in hostage situations, sometimes life itself is a negotiation.