It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as Chicago Police Department lieutenants who are expert hostage negotiators.

The film was released in the United States on July 29, 1998, receiving generally positive reviews from critics and grossing $88 million worldwide.

His partner, Nate Roenick, warns him that an informant inside the department suspects members of their own unit have embezzled millions from the police disability fund.

The murder weapon is recovered and linked to one of Roman's cases, and a search of his home produces evidence of an incriminating offshore bank account, making him the prime suspect in the embezzlement and Roenick's death.

With the building evacuated and placed under siege by his own unit and the FBI, Roman will only speak to fellow negotiator Lieutenant Chris Sabian of the west precinct, and issues his demands: the return of his badge; a department funeral if killed; the identity of Roenick's informant; and the truth about his killer.

While he didn’t consider the score experimental, he was proud of it as a solid example of the genre, believing it effectively drove the film's rhythm.

The Negotiator made $10.2 million in its opening weekend,[9] finishing fourth at the box office, behind Saving Private Ryan, The Parent Trap and There's Something About Mary.

[14] Emanuel Levy of Variety wrote: "Teaming for the first time Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson, arguably the two best actors of their generation, in perfectly fitting roles is a shrewd move and the best element of this fact-inspired but overwrought thriller."

Roger Ebert, in his Chicago Sun-Times review, calls The Negotiator "a triumph of style over story, and of acting over characters...Much of the movie simply consists of closeups of the two of them talking, but it's not simply dialogue because the actors make it more—invest it with conviction and urgency..."[15] Mick LaSalle, in his less-than-enthusiastic review for the San Francisco Chronicle, had the most praise for Spacey's performance: "Kevin Spacey is the main reason to see The Negotiator...Spacey's special gift is his ability to make sanity look radiant...In The Negotiator, as in L.A.