The Negotiator is a taut, incredibly watchable spy thriller
Jon Hamm neatly breaks free of his Don Draper typecasting in a swap-the-terrorist-for-the-spy thrill ride
BEING renamed for other parts of the world and being released simultaneously on demand and in just a few cinema screens are usually very bad omens for a movie.
Thankfully, The Negotiator – or Beirut, depending on your geography – defies those ominous signs.
Instead, we get a taut spy thriller, furthering my opinion that Jon Hamm is not being given a fair chance to break free of Don Draper.
With co-star Rosamund Pike, Hamm brings some humanity and gravitas to a sometimes rather plodding drama.
Both leads are incredibly watchable.
We join Mason Skiles (Hamm) in 1972, as he is caught up in a terrorist attack.
Ten years later, he is a drunk corporate mediator who is invited to Beirut and reluctantly accepts a mission by the CIA.
Corruption and government loyalties are all called in to question as, together with his wonderfully named attaché Sandy Crowder (Rosamund), he must attempt to swap a kidnapped agent for the leader of a terrorist cell.
Blending elements of Argo and Bourne, and penned by Rogue One writer Tony Gilroy, you could do worse.
THE NEGOTIATOR (15) 107mins
★★★☆☆