After years wallowing in a career slump, Bruce Willis returned to his action-man roots in Hostage. French helmer Florent Emilio Siri "displays an inventive streak of sadism" with this adaptation of the novel by Robert Crais. As a jaded hostage negotiator caught between duty and family, Willis failed to recapture the glory of his Die Hard heyday, but, the film did spark new interest in the grizzled star before going on to wow the crowds in Sin City.

Family Ties

A major talking point of the film was the casting of Willis’s own daughter, which he addresses in a cursory ‘behind-the-scenes’ featurette. He makes a big deal about how Rumer was required to audition for the role and sums up, saying, "She was really good in it." There’s also word from Siri and production designer Larry Fulton who designed the grand mansion that provides the backdrop. You can also watch as the whole thing goes up in flames, but this barely merits the claim to behind-the-scenes access. This is mostly just talking heads.

Eight deleted and extended scenes give a small window into the development process with Siri revealing (in an optional commentary) how test screenings affected the final cut. For example a scene where the disaffected Talley (Willis) is sneaking a drink on the job was objectionable to the audience, because as Siri admits, "It’s a little too cliché." In one of the extended scenes Mars (Ben Foster) sets himself alight, but that also got a bad reaction for being "too gory".

Out Of The Shadows

In his feature commentary, Siri offers a broader view of the production. Early on, he reveals that the film was meant as "an homage to film noir," making special reference to the heavy use of shadows. However, beneath his dark exterior, Siri reveals a warm and fuzzy side when he explains that, "This is a movie about family." Naturally he found that working with a real-life father-and-daughter enhanced the emotional undercurrent. Generally though, Siri is a little too sketchy on the technical details and often lapses into an explanation of the plot. Like the DVD as a whole, Hostage sometimes struggles to hold you captive.

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