The Negotiator poster

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The Negotiator

1998 · Movie · 140 min
B

MEANRANK

74/100

Averaged across 12 ratings · 599.8K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

Google: Google retired the star ratings it used to show in search results, so this one no longer updates. More on where the numbers come from →

51–92 out of 100

Split

Lowest is Criticker on 51, highest is Google on 92.

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A top police hostage negotiator is framed for murder and embezzlement. With no one left to trust, he takes command of an internal affairs office by taking hostages himself. He demands to speak with another expert negotiator from a different precinct to help him uncover the conspiracy against him. A tense game of cat and mouse ensues within the confined space, where the truth becomes the ultimate bargaining chip.

Details

Director
F. Gary Gray
Released
29 July 1998
Country
Germany, United States
Language
English
Runtime
140 min
Rated
R
Budget
$50.0M
Box office
$44.5M
Awards
2 wins, 4 nominations

This title elsewhere

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Lt. Danny Roman

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey

Lt. Chris Sabian

David Morse

David Morse

Cdr. Adam Beck

Ron Rifkin

Ron Rifkin

Cdr. Grant Frost

John Spencer

John Spencer

Chief Al Travis

J.T. Walsh

J.T. Walsh

Insp. Terence Niebaum

Awards & nominations

See all 6 →

2 wins from 6 nominations across 4 ceremonies

American Black Film Festival 1998 Black Film Award for Best Film David Hoberman & Arnon Milchan Winner
American Black Film Festival 1998 Black Film Award for Best Director F. Gary Gray Winner
American Black Film Festival 1998 Black Film Award for Best Actor Samuel L. Jackson Nominee
Blockbuster Entertainment Award 1998 Favorite Actor - Action/Adventure Samuel L. Jackson Nominee
NAACP Image Award 1998 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Samuel L. Jackson Nominee
Saturn Award 1998 Best Action or Adventure Film David Hoberman & Arnon Milchan Nominee

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.