Hostage
Miramax Films | Release Date: March 11, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
13
Negative:
9
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Made with energetic flair and no small dose of violence, mercifully handled with discretion, Hostage exemplifies taut, confident filmmaking. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
My new theory is that Willis' own aesthetic soul is more old-world than he knows, and that he works best with directors who either are (Luc Besson) or might as well be (M. Night Shyamalan) European. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Hostage has suspense and momentum. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The mechanics of the final showdown are unexpected and yet show an undeniable logic, and are sold by the acting skills of Willis and Pollak. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
If Hostage looks a lot like a state-of-the-art French "policier" minus the pesky subtitles, the effect is purely intentional. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
The movie isn't particularly tasteful or finely crafted -- but it grabs you by the jugular, and only during an overcooked climax does it finally relax its grip. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Full of small, weird moments. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Good action movies live on style and excitement. But they also need credibility, and in Hostage, ALMOST a good genre piece, plausibility keeps getting slaughtered.
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Willis, who'll turn 50 a week from Saturday, has this kind of hero down pat. He may never again get or demand the complicated dramatic roles I think he could handle, but he's well-cast. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Hostage is really about sleek Bruce - buff, bald and clean-shaven - as he goes to town on two sets of assailants. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
On the plus side, bloated narratives make for a busy action star, and Bruce is quite the workaholic on this outing, clearly eager to rekindle memories of his "Die Hard" glory days. Read full review
60
EmpireStaff (Not credited)
Right from the intriguing opening sequence, which hints at the bleakness which envelops the movie, Willis’ Talley is an interesting character. Read full review
60
VarietyRobert Koehler
What sends this initially tense thriller over the precipice is a plot scheme that never knows when enough is enough. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Brainlessly efficient action thriller. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Certainly delivers violence and heroics, but not in a way everyone is going to enjoy -- it's brutal and harrowing. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
There's a gripping thriller between the gaps in logic. Director Florent Siri has a tough style and an unforgiving attitude, but it drowns in the queasy blood lust. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The action is dynamically filmed and Willis is at his best. Suspense is soon hijacked by outright gore and grisliness, though. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
From the first strains of its overly dramatic, self-important score -- come on, this is not by any stretch of the imagination "Citizen Kane." Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Especially discomfiting is the stream of kids in peril. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's a B-flick all the way, but it has no pretensions to the contrary, and that's some kind of refreshing. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
By the time the film escalates into a suitably ridiculous Grand Guignol finale, all connection to reality has been severed. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Bruce looks hot and underplays handsomely as always, but Hostage is a steaming pile of siege clichés and screaming unlikelihoods. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The amazing thing is how dull a movie crawling with gunfire, psycho tantrums and stuff blowing up can be when you just don't care what happens to anyone. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Director Siri has a stylish eye that makes this film resemble a film noir outing, but the script (by Doug Richardson) is at first routine before growing increasingly outlandish. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Beyond the cliches, there's something deeply offensive about the way Hostage exploits our empathy for children in peril. Read full review
38
New York PostLou Lumenick
An unrelenting assault on the brain and eardrums. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
It doesn't satisfy in the way a good thriller ought to. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The movie as a whole is nonsensical. And long. And slow. And head-poundingly loud as it culminates in slavering horror.
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
But by the time Willis's character saves this considerably long day, it's filmgoers who will no doubt feel like prisoners, as a movie that promises to be a taut nail-biter devolves into the kind of silly, overblown climax parodied so beautifully by Robert Altman in "The Player." Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Take a tired formula...Stir with a director, Florent Siri, who has no shame about stealing every sadistic suspense trick from the Die Hard series. Serve to a gullible audience willing to pay top dollar for secondhand goods. Read full review
25
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Hostage may well be the first action flick cited both for child abuse and audience abuse. In a singularly sadistic and degrading way it has something to offend everyone. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
This is a half-hearted, derivative action film with not a single honest artistic impulse behind it. Read full review
10
The New York TimesStephen Holden
More than sad, it's slightly sickening to consider the technology, talent and know-how squandered on Hostage, a pile of blood-soaked toxic waste dumped onto the screen in an attempt to salvage Bruce Willis's fading career as an action hero. Read full review
More From This Movie

44 Critic Reviews

8.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL