Finally! In this incredibly crappy summer of crappy movies, finally, a good action picture!

The Negotiator is a cop film unlike any other. It's about smart police officers, professionals who do their job day in and day out. Now throw in a little deception that implicates one of their own, that man being a police negotiator. Back him into a wall where he feels compelled to take hostages, and you get a very chess-like plot to put these very smart professional people into.

That's the appeal. It's a chess game and everyone is a master. Who wins? The one who stays cool and understands what the other will do.

The Negotiator is fast-paced, smart, well-acted and, most importantly, well-written. Toss in that I didn't predict the ending at the beginning of the last reel, and I have no choice but to award this film my highest rating.