Negotiator is a film expounding on the problems police face in their line of duty. It reflects on methods used in driving individuals into problems as a way of justifying wrong acts. It also expounds on the theme of betrayal in the line of duty.
Negotiator is a suspenseful action movie directed by F. Gray reflecting the life situation of the police in St. Louis. The movie is all about an accused man who takes parts in many crimes as ways of proving his innocence. After taking police normal routines in Chicago, the police hostage negotiator Danny succeeds in rescuing a little girl at gun point by his menacing father. The act of saving the girl leads to the praising of Danny by his seniors, police departments and even media. After completion of the mission he returns to his normal line of duty after promising his wife Karen of making it home every night for supper.
On his way to the department after being summoned to meet Nathan, he finds Nathan, one of his best friends, and a partner in police department killed in a police car. The dead fellow had enough evidence of embezzlement that used to take place within the police department. Due to his first arrival at the crime scene, Danny ends up being the main suspect. Unfortunately, the gun used in the killing was one of the guns Roman had used in the past, also, a search in his house led to the collection of enough documents against him. The Chief Travis requests him to hand back his badge and gun as a way of paving way for investigation.
The suspension from the office, rejection by the friends and colleagues such as Nathan’s wife hardens Roman’s life. As a way of trying to find out the truth about false allegation against him, Danny holds two assistants and a Commander by name Frost as hostages. While in International Affairs Division Headquarters, Danny receives many challenges from top officials in the department who want to bring him down before collecting any information.
As a way of lack of trust on officials within his department, and lack of trust on betraying friends Danny ends up trusting only a stranger. Danny calls for an outsider to help him in solving his problem. He engages Chris Sabian, a hostage negotiator from a different precinct. The arrival of Sabian brings more challenge, the two take part in competing for control, as Danny makes many attempts to prove to him his innocent of the allegation made against him. Sabian tries as much as possible in having peaceful resolution to the problem within the hands of the police department in vain.
Due to the impatience of the police and their quest for doing away with Roman’s life Sabian became suspicious of the department acts, he ends up being convinced of the importance of Roman’s madness. As a way of saving Roman’s life, Sabian joins Roman in the building. This decision makes the police take more time in dealing with the two of them. While in the building, Roman manages to take control by letting Commander Frost have his freedom. In the process of speaking with Niebaum about the hatched plan, Niebaum ends up being shot as way of doing away with the witness.
The killing of Niebaum makes Sabian think of the way of letting Roman out of the building. He eventually manages to take Roman to his home with a diskette thought to contain information about the hatched plan. The demand of elimination of Roman makes the police follow Roman to Sabian house, where eventually the real story about the death of fellow police and illegal acts of Commander Frost. The director of Negotiator film imposes many suspensions in the movie as a way of capturing the concentration of the viewer. He starts by letting the viewer wanting to know what will happen to the little kid the ends in one building in which the viewer concentrates on the events that leads to the success of Roman the negotiator.