The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Talk about pressure. When LAPD hostage negotiator extraordinaire Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) has a bad day, lives are lost Ð and it is after one particularly bad day that Talley decides he's had it with the job. Plagued by guilt, he relocates his family and becomes the police chief of a sleepy northern California town. But it's about to be woken up. Corrupt accountant Walter Smith (Kevin Pollak) and his two kids Ð teenager Jennifer (Michelle Horn) and grade schooler Tommy (Jimmy Bennett) Ð are taken hostage in their house after a carjacking attempt by a trio of young punks gets out of control. Talley is forced to step in once again as the hostage negotiator. Why, you may ask, since he is now just a lowly police man? Because it turns out Talley's family is being held captive by Walter's superiors, who need to get something very important out of the house. They demand the seasoned Talley take control of the situation before things get really ugly. And they do get ugly. Does Talley's family live or die? Well, I'm not going to ruin it for you, but I will tell you this movie is action-packed, with a lot of suspense, and a side order of drama. I found it to be very well done considering it was based on a book by Tom Clancy. I do recommend you see this movie, it is very thrilling and gripping. 4.1 stars out of 5
