Non Negotiable Review: Comedy-Thriller is Fun and Forgettable

This Spanish action-comedy-thriller film follows a hostage negotiator who gets into a pickle when the President and his lover are kidnapped, along with his wife. Facing a difficult circumstance, Alan must do all it takes to face a formidable enemy and save his family from the clutches of a madman. The movie has a runtime of 86 minutes and is directed by Juan Taratuto.

In the Netflix movie Non Negotiable, we are faced with a master negotiator’s dilemma wherein he must go back to his past and figure out the actions that have resulted in the consequences that he is facing today. The concept is fun and makes for quite an intense watch. There are some ups and downs and the connection between the characters is created well enough for us to care and wonder, making this quite arresting till the end.

First and foremost, I think the movie flows naturally with some humour mixed into it. Although that’s more visible in the first half, there’s still hints of humour scattered throughout the runtime, catching you by surprise. Sure, it’s not a dark comedy or something like that, but the comedy is light and fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Moreover, the storyline is well thought-out, making this stand out among the hundreds of hostage/kidnapping movies that come out on streaming platforms. The connections between people make sense and it’s thus easy to follow what happens and why because the movie explains it well.

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On the other hand, the characters have reasons for acting the way that they do as well. Although I would say that Leonardo Ortizgris’s Vicente is quite the cliched character, he’s still not the worst and it’s easy to like him regardless of his criminality. The film imbues a sense of vigilante justice in the viewers, making us root for its different characters regardless of their flaws. The fact that these are all flawed characters also makes an impact and makes us relate to the struggles. Alan and Victoria’s struggles are given a respectable amount of time for us to understand their dynamic and then see their arc as they move from marital struggles to literal kidnapping.

Although their petty squabbles and Victoria’s rather odd choices leave us a bit too tired of them, there’s still a level of familiarity that helps. Unfortunately, I have to say that Alan, as a character, feels a bit too mellow and boring to be this hot-shot hostage negotiator. He felt like he lacked confidence and did not command the situation and things worked out for him due to plot armour. That’s another thing – the movie feels rather convenient and ends a bit abruptly with things working out for everyone in the end as you’d expect. Apart from the small twist, the movie doesn’t add anything that can leave us breathless, losing steam towards the end.

Non Negotiable Review: Final Thoughts

Regardless, Non Negotiable is a fun one-time watch. It’s short, it has the necessary elements to keep things interesting while also adding emotional and humorous moments. Unfortunately, it’s quite the mellow and forgettable watch because things feel rather convenient and cliched.

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