| “ | Will Bechler: Look at this. He was only seventeen at the time. Clerk... He's trying to say something. Jeff Talley: He's saying, "help me." Will Bechler: Yeah. Why's he standing there? Why's he just standing there? Jeff Talley: He's not just standing there. He's watching him die. We're talking to the wrong guy. |
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| ~ Jeff Talley and Will Bechler discussing about Mars’ armed robbery as a late teenager. |
He’s just standing there…MENACINGLY!
What's the Work?[]
Hostage is a frankly underrated 2005 thriller based on the 2001 book of the same name by Robert Crais. Starring Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster, and Jonathan Tucker, the film centers on Jeff Talley, a hostage negotiator who, after failing on a mission in Los Angeles decides to move with his lovely wife Jane and estranged daughter Amanda to Briso Camino as the Chief of Police. But when suddenly a trio of juvenile delinquents break in and threaten the lives of shady Walter Smith’s family, it’s up to Talley to step up and rescue them before another pair of bad men kills off his own family.
Who is Marshall Krupcheck and What Has He Done?[]
Marshall “Mars” Krupcheck makes his debut as a passenger while his best buddy Dennis Kelly drives and his brother Kevin tags along, checking out fellow teenager Jennifer Smith, who promptly flips them off before leaving. Together, Mars and Dennis storm Jennifer’s house and withholds her, her father Walter and her younger brother Tommy hostage: evilly grinning as the latter cries, only then does Mars put him in his grasps. Out of sheer cruelty, Mars guns down Officer Flores twice, one in the shoulder and the other in the back which eventually claims her life. Mars also attempts to shoot hero Jeff Talley and his fellow colleague named Hector dead.
Mars begins making unwanted sexual advances to Jennifer while Tommy breaks free from his restraints and gets in contact with Jeff. Mars sadistically points a gun when he tries to get a unconscious Walter before sleeking behind the shadows. Mars suggests to Dennis and Kevin to set the house on fire. Mars’ backstory is that he witnesses his dad kill both his mom and himself. At seventeen years old, Mars robs a gas station and watches the clerk bleed out slowly and painfully while he begs “help me” and after it’s done, Mars gets some newspapers and dumps them all on his bloody remains. Mars then has Jennifer sit to a chair near the pool and blows a cigarette near her face and share a kiss.
Mars declares Jennifer for the taking and plans on getting together with her in a helicopter and almost strangles her after she initially refuses. Mars then tricks Dennis much to Kevin’s frustration and makes the situation worse by persisting that Jennifer goes with him after Talley states that the helicopter can only carry three at a time. Mars points a gun to Jennifer and then ties her up in her bed with rope. Mars quickly demonstrates he’s the mastermind when Kevin backs out to protect the children and he pushes him off the top floor to the ground, and then disposes of Dennis while witnessing Kevin perish.
Mars attempts to rape Jennifer and shoves Tommy nearby but Jennifer grabs a knife and stabs him in the cheek. Both Tommy and Jennifer flee and Mars gives chase. Mars corners them and scribbles a message in the bathroom wall with his blood: “Burn it.” Mars then lights Jeff’s police car on fire but he gets out in time. Mars then has a blast incinerating and firing at fake S.W.A.T. agents. Mars intends on finishing off Jeff, Jennifer, and Tommy in one fell swoop, but succumbs to his injuries and commits suicide by immolation.
Heinous Standards?[]
There’s another criminal known as The Watchman who decides to capture Jane and Amanda and repeatedly warn to claim their lives if Jeff doesn’t do as he’s told and get Walter for them, but he not only is just a pawn for the mafia as a whole: that’s literally all he does.
Mars on the other hand is just a mere teenager, yet he has the highest body count within the entire movie. He cruelly watches a cashier die after launching a bullet, he is more than willing to disregard laws and offs a cop while also desperately firing to get Talley and his friend Hector added to his kills, he stalks Jennifer and puts his hands on her neck before eventually deciding to have sex without her consent, making him the only (attempted) rapist and then proceeds to gruesomely dispatch Kevin and Dennis when they have second thoughts, before finally opting to burn Jennifer and Tommy (who is a young child) alive. Out of every villain we see, Mars is clearly established as the worst bar none.
Mitigating Factors?[]
Mars has a backstory which can literally be summed up as this: “he was left a orphan after snooping only to see dad commit suicide but not before taking mom with him”. While that sounds tragic, Mars himself not only never mentions it, but it is a throwaway line delivered at the same scene he coldly views a man dying right in front of him, which says more about how callous he really is beneath the surface.
Mars also seems to love Jennifer and seemingly acts amicable. Problem is that he’s ready to abuse her when things don’t go his way to the point where he again, chooses to chain her much to her desperate pleas and starts to remove his clothes, planning to have his sick fun and pleasures with her body, and when even that goes to shit he cuts his losses and tosses flammable mototov cocktails at her with nothing but a menacing glare. Mars’ death scene where he and Jennifer share a look before he lets the cocktail fall on himself isn’t sympathetic or pitiable as he was a few seconds earlier literally ensuring his plan succeeds and relents solely because he was about to succumb to his injuries.
Final Verdict?[]
Solid yes to our first Ben Foster keeper.