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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Hostage
    Genre: Thriller

    Reviewed In Issue 98 (Jul 2005) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster, Jonathan Tucker, Marshall Allman, Michelle Horn, Jimmy Bennett, Tina Lifford & Kim Coates

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 4.5
    DD Sound Rating: 5
    DTS Sound Rating: NR
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 3.5
    Internet Links


    Special Features
    Special features include a 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, six deleted scenes and two extended scenes with optional commentary by director Florent Siri, and feature commentary by Siri.


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): Miramax Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): 40130
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price): $29.99
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 113
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2004
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 06/21/05
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Florent Siri
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
    (Story): Subscribe Now!
    (Music): Subscribe Now!
    (Director Of Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Production Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Visual Effects): Subscribe Now!
    (Costume Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Editor): Subscribe Now!
    (Supervising Sound Editors): Subscribe Now!
    (Re-Recording Mixers): Subscribe Now!
    (Executive Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Co-Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Academy Awards): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Picture Information

    (Principal Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Anamorphic Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Letterbox Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Sound Information

    (DVD Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Sound): Subscribe Now!
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    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate): Subscribe Now!
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    (WSR Superb Sound Qualities): Subscribe Now!

      WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Detective Jeff Talley (Willis) moves to a small town after a Hostage negotiation for the LAPD ends in devastation. Taking on the role of Chief Of Police in the town, Talley comes to appreciate the quiet life. But when three young criminals end up inside the fortresslike home of accountant Walter Smith (Pollak) and his two children, Talley finds himself in strangely similar circumstances to the L.A. incident. The situation becomes even more intense when Talley is approached by a masked stranger with his own agenda involving the accountant. The opening title sequence is superb. Based on the novel by Robert Crais. (Suzanne Hodges)

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD picture is stylized with slightly desaturated colors that have a warm yellowish wash over the color scheme. Images are often highly contrasted with deep blacks and blown-out whites in a look that contributes a gritty edge to the storytelling. The night scenes are nicely rendered, with excellent shadow delineation. Images are nicely detailed and textured. While there are some minor edge halos, pixelization is rarely a problem with this title. Considering all the stylizations that come with the look of this DVD, the picture is quite appealing. (Suzanne Hodges)

    Soundtrack:
    Combining good spatial integration with natural dialogue and impressive dynamics is a good thing, and the Dolby

    This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
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