Although it draws on elements from Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, the only thing F. Gary Gray's The Negotiator has in common with those cop/caper classics is its inordinate length and an outstanding cast far superior to the material. Samuel L. Jackson brings nuance and energy to the sketchy role of Chicago Police hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who finds himself framed for the murder of his partner. To unravel the conspiracy against him he takes his own hostages, including Internal Affairs Inspector Niebaum (the late, great character actor J.T. Walsh, brilliant just rolling his eyes while handcuffed to a chair). Holed up on the 20th floor of police headquarters, he haggles with fellow negotiator Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey, slick and mostly ill-used) as his fellow hostage-team members maneuver to take him down.

Built on the slender premise of a misappropriated retirement fund, this implausible, turgid, suspenseless storyline resists both fine acting and Gray's overwrought MTV chops. Jackson and Spacey, who demonstrate the kind of crisp chemistry that once sparked Gibson and Glover in Lethal Weapon, should try to negotiate a better vehicle.