If you're thinking this is going to be another "Die Hard", forget it. "Hostage" sticks Willis dead center as a small town police chief and ex-LAPD hostage negotiator with issues who becomes embroiled in a scheme involving two families of hostages (the kinds with moms and dads and kids we can all identify with) at the same time which will test his steely resolve and heroic police work. Willis wears his usual two dimensional action hero type hat while the film swirls around him with lots of action, firefights, pyro, cop stuff, suspense, corny bad guys, etc. and a silly and obviously contrived plot sort of gluing the whole shebang together. An okay action no brainer, one should not expect this flick from page one of the Hollywood action film playbook to ratchet up the level of difficulty. Rather, expect it to be another so-so action flick with just enough energy and expense to keep it from sinking into the B-flick bracket. (B-)
