The Negotiator (1998)

The Negotiator parents guide

What we could confirm fits an R: strong violence and frequent strong language.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Negotiator scary?

Only a little. The Negotiator has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Negotiator?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is The Negotiator rated, and is it OK for kids?

Rated R, and it earns it: strong violence and frequent strong language. Not one for kids.

What is The Negotiator about?

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

Cast and crew

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More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Stressful.