AllMovie

This attempt at an action hero comeback for Bruce Willis is memorable. Unfortunately, it's for all the wrong reasons. Hostage is weighed down from the start by its script, a ridiculously overplotted scenario that is further burdened with cardboard-thin characterizations and some rather clunky dialogue (particularly the lines for the trio of teen villains). Director Florent Siri doesn't try to fight any of the strange aspects of the script; instead, he tries to gloss over its many flaws by laying on hefty amounts of brutal violence and visual bombast. He maintains a solid pace and delivers a genuinely explosive finale that attempts to compensate for the weak story with sheer firepower, but the sleek results are still rather dimwitted. However, Hostage isn't a total loss thanks to a strong performance from Willis. As he goes through this film's contrived paces, he proves he still has the magnetism of his glory days and delivers an intense, convincing performance that is far superior to its surroundings. This aspect of Hostage makes it worth a look for the star's fans, but others might want to wait until he finds a better outlet for his acting skills.