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The Ref (aka Hostile Hostages) [DVD]
 
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The Ref (aka Hostile Hostages) [DVD]

DVD ~ Denis Leary
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
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Customers buy this item with Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil [1998] [DVD] DVD ~ John Cusack

The Ref (aka Hostile Hostages) [DVD] + Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil [1998] [DVD]
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Product details

  • Actors: Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Glynis Johns
  • Directors: Ted Demme
  • Writers: Richard LaGravenese, Marie Weiss
  • Producers: Don Simpson, Jeffrey Weiss, Jerry Bruckheimer, Richard LaGravenese, Ronald M. Bozman
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
  • DVD Release Date: 19 April 2004
  • Run Time: 93 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0001KZNBU
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,670 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Caustic wit gets a full-body workout in this 1994 comedy (known as The Ref in the US), in which a cat burglar (Denis Leary) gets trapped in an affluent Connecticut neighbourhood and is forced to hold a bickering couple hostage on Christmas Eve, only to discover that their Yuletide spirit is anything but cheerful. Caroline (Judy Davis) and her husband, Lloyd (Kevin Spacey), have been at each other's throats for so long that they've developed domestic arguments into an art form, and the would-be kidnapper turns into a reluctant mediator, even after he's got the battling couple wound up in bungee cords. The situation grows even more complicated when the couple's smart-aleck son comes home from military school, but it's not the plot here that's a top priority. Instead it's the sheer pleasure of witnessing a three-way verbal jousting match, written with razor-sharp skill and delivered by actors who are perfect for their roles. The movie's got a dark edge, but it never gets too dark--you know that it's not going to slide into more seriously damaging territory, so you can sit back and enjoy the volleys of scathing insults and sarcasm the way you would a Bill Hicks performance. If that sounds like your idea of entertainment, Hostile Hostages will serve it up with style. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars So you never thought you'd feel sorry for a criminal, 2 April 2000
This review is from: Hostile Hostages [1994] [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Family squabbles getting you down? Feeling down on your luck? You're in great shape compared to this lot! This underrated movie is crammed with laughs. With Spacey and Davis taking arguing to an art form and Leary proving that when you think your luck is at its lowest you are about to realise just how lucky you've been, you have to feel better after you've watched this film. The plot strand involving the teenage son is a bore but the rest of the film nore than makes up for it. Watch this film before embarking on a life of crime, getting married or having the in-laws round for lunch. You might change your mind.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A very funny movie, 14 Jul 2005
By Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Ref [DVD] [1994] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Barely escaping from his botched burglary of a fancy house, Gus (played by Denis Leary) quickly finds a place to hideout from the police. Kidnapping the Chasseurs (Judy Davis & Kevin Spacey) at gunpoint, he starts making plans. But, this is no quiet haven for Gus, the Chasseurs are on the brink of divorce and are at each other's throats, and Gus quickly finds himself playing referee. Can Gus find away to escape the police dragnet and get cleanly away? Or, will the Chasseurs drive him totally insane! [Color, released in 1994, with a running time of 1:33.]

Overall, I found this a very funny movie. Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey bounce off each other hilariously, and I loved seeing Glynis Johns again (she still has it!). Now, while there is no sex or violence in this movie, it earned an R rating due to language. Indeed, it sometimes seems like the F-word appears as every fifth word in the dialogue!

But, that said, I did find this a funny and highly entertaining movie. If you want to see a movie with a lot of good acting, and tons of caustic wit, then this is the movie for you.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite film of all time, 5 Jul 2005
I've only known this as Hostile Hostages and rented it years ago and I was hooked. All the acting is fantastic, it is incredibly well scripted. Dennis Leary is just phenomenaly funny as are Judy and Kevin in their role as a quarrelling couple. I can't recomend this enough!! It is my favourite film of all time... believe me its absolutely fantastic!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ref aka Hostile Hostages
You will not be disappointed with this film. Denis Leary is superb - as are Kevin Spacey and Julie Davis. If you like your humour very dry, then this film is for you. Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. J. Robinson

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ref
"The Ref" or "Hostile Hostages" as it is sometimes know by its other title, is one of theose hidden gems of a film that by far outshines some of the more successful and well known... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2005 by Rich Milligan

5.0 out of 5 stars Never heard of it? No neither had we! What a laugh!
We got this film out cos we love Kevin Spacey! What a great film - fast, sassy and slick. Great storyline which forty somethings and teens enjoyed together so makes a good... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2005 by Connecticut Sue

5.0 out of 5 stars Verbal jousting, smelly criminals, Xmas, it's all here!!
With every actors performance is in this, no-one goes over and above what each Charactor is worth, and the film is better for it. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2004 by G. Roberts

5.0 out of 5 stars The Film that Made Kevin Spacey
This movie is not for everyone but if you like Denis Leary & Kevin Spacey & you like a movie that has depth & some rib breaking scenes, this is a classic comedy of its time.
Published on 23 Jan 2004 by star_fury

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