Movie Quick Take: Hostage

Hostage. Bruce Willis returns to the genre that has made his own with a film that is plays a twisted variation of the Die Hard formula. But before getting to the story, the first thing that struck me was the opening credits, they were blocked out images soaked in reds and greys and blacks with the cast and crew names blended in. These credits give way to the opening sequence, which was used to setup the mindset of our hero. The story involves three teens who, in an attempt to steal a car initiate an ill advised home invasion. This escalates due to the mindset of the kids involved, as well as the fact that the homeowner is also an accountant for some underworld types who need something that is within said house. Bruce Willis plays the police chief who must put together the threads of the tapestry, while trying to save the kids inside the house and his own family. The film may not be terribly original, but it has a great sense of style, and enough twists to put it ahead of most Die Hard style knock offs. It is also nice to have an R rated film, I have been feeling underwhelmed by the glut of PG-13 films, "sanitized for the family," releases, that result in unrated version on DVD.Recommended.