The Negotiator (1998)
He frees hostages for a living. Now he's taking hostages to survive.
Keywords
The Negotiator rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb7.3/10· 166K votes
Metacritic62%
TMDb7.106/10· 2K votesWith 7.3/10 on IMDb and 62/100 on Metacritic, this film is well-rated across multiple platforms.
About The Negotiator
The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.
Cast of The Negotiator
Samuel L. Jackson
as Lt. Danny Roman
Kevin Spacey
as Lt. Chris Sabian
David Morse
as Cdr. Adam Beck
Ron Rifkin
as Cdr. Grant Frost
John Spencer
as Chief Al Travis
J.T. Walsh
as Insp. Terence Niebaum
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
as Maggie
Paul Giamatti
as Rudy
Regina Taylor
as Karen Roman
Bruce Beatty
as Markus
Michael Cudlitz
as Palermo
Carlos Gómez
as Eagle
The Negotiator facts
- Budget
- $50M
- Box office
- $44.5M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Hostage drama creates sustained tension within contained setting effectively
- •Conspiracy elements elevate crime thriller beyond standard negotiation beats
- •Chicago noir atmosphere enhances corrupt police force premise
What the audience disliked
- •Pacing suffers from exposition heavy dialogue in tense standoff sequences
- •Character motivations become muddled beneath layer upon layer of twists
Trailer
Where to watch The Negotiator(US)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At HomeAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
Looking for movies similar to The Negotiator?
We've ranked 50 similar movies using 8 weighted content dimensions.