Hollywood likes to explore intense, high-stakes situations to deliver audiences compelling and engaging plots. One of the best scenarios to place a protagonist is the hostage negotiation, with terrorists, thieves and killers taking innocent people captive until their demands are met. Often racing against the clock, the good guys will stall as best they can to try and defuse a situation — sometimes negotiating with people who have no intention of letting their captives go.

Hostage negotiation movies bring about a unique atmosphere of tension, as heroes are often left at the mercy of villains, who use the protagonists' value of human life against them. A combination of crime, thriller, drama and oftentimes action, these films can range from bank robberies to terrorist threats. Whether the film focuses on the negotiation or simply uses it as a backdrop, these movies have proven to be some of the most entertaining of all time.

10 Dog Day Afternoon Defined the Hostage Negotiation Movie

Dog Day Afternoon tells the story of Sonny Wortzik who, along with two of his friends, attempts to rob a bank. However, when he realizes the building doesn't have much cash, Sonny decides to take the staff and customers hostage, forcing a stand-off with the police. In a bid to gain the sympathies of onlookers, the young criminal riles them up by invoking the Attica prison riots, turning the scene into a frenzy as locals descend upon the scene to voice support. Realizing he's running out of options, the thief attempts to escape by demanding a helicopter.

Dog Day Afternoon basically defined the modern hostage negotiation genre, with everything from the demand for a helicopter to Sonny riling up the crowd being referenced in subsequent movies. The movie is one of Al Pacino's more iconic roles outside The Godfather, with audiences left to wonder if he'll get away, or if the cops will bring him down.

9 The Rock Follows The Siege Of Alcatraz

The Rock begins when a band of US Marines, under the command of a disaffected war hero, General Hummel, seize a supply of VX poison gas. Attaching the chemical weapon to a series of rockets, the Marines use Alcatraz as a staging ground, taking tourists prisoner and using them as human shields. In response, the government deploys a team of Navy SEALs, aided by a former SAS operative, Mason, and FBI chemical expert, Goodspeed, to find and neutralize the weapons. However, when the SEALs are killed, Mason and Goodspeed are forced to go it alone, as Hummel threatens to use the weapons unless his demands are met.

The Rock shares many of the same ideas and themes as Executive Decision, with the two being released the same year, both following in the footsteps of movies like Die Hard. With the odds stacked against them, Goodspeed and Mason set aside their differences, and fight their way through the island's traitorous Marines to save the day.

8 The Negotiator Is A Tale Of Police Corruption

The Negotiator focuses on a Chicago hostage negotiator, Danny Roman, a man with a stellar record of serving the city and saving hostages. However, when his partner claims to have information relating to a police corruption scandal, Roman finds him dead and is subsequently framed for both the scandal and the murder of his partner. Facing charges that will likely send him to prison for life, the embattled officer takes a corrupt Internal Affairs investigator hostage, along with his assistant, an informant, a fellow cop and SWAT officers. In order to negotiate with an honest cop, he arranges for a hostage negotiator from another precinct, Chris Sabian, to handle the situation.

The Negotiator casts Samuel L. Jackson in the role of the honest Danny Roman, desperately fighting to clear his name while trying to survive a siege from SWAT. The movie bucks expectations in some great ways, throwing audiences for a loop when it comes to trying to guess which of the cops are in on the frame-up. With great supporting performances by Kevin Spacey, David Morse and Ron Rifkin, the movie is a genre-defining thriller.

7 Executive Decision Follows A Daring Rescue Mission

Executive Decision follows the hijacking of a passenger plane by a group of gunmen, led by an international terrorist, Nagi Hassan, who places a chemical weapon aboard. Threatening to detonate the bomb over Washington D.C., the terrorist forces the US military into action. A team of Navy SEALs board the aircraft in a daring stunt, using a stealth jet to sneak aboard from below. Once they're aboard, they set about finding and defusing the bomb, while Grant tries to identify Hassan for the SEALs.

Executive Decision follows the SEALs in their attempts to neutralize the situation as Washington tries to negotiate, with Hassan even murdering a US Senator to prove his point. The movie is high-altitude action at its finest, giving Kurt Russell one of his best movies. The movie is loved by many for its bait-and-switch use of Steven Segal, something that did a great job of showing audiences just how stacked the odds are against the heroes.

6 Ransom Is a Thrilling Kidnapping Tale

Ransom focuses on a commercial airline tycoon, Tom Mullen, whose son is abducted by a group of criminals led by a cynical New York detective, Jimmy Shaker. With Tom dealing with a corruption scandal in his private life, the criminals hold his son to ransom, using him as a hostage to try and force him to pay up. However, when Tom gets tired of their games, he takes the ransom money and offers it as a reward to anyone who will return his son to him.

Ransom is a great twist on the classic kidnapping thriller, with Tom willing to do whatever it takes to get his son back and bring the kidnappers to justice. Juggling an FBI hostage negotiation team, a terrified and angry wife and the fate of his son, Tom plays a daring game of cat and mouse with Shaker. The film stands out as one of the best thrillers of its decade, one that brought out excellent performances by its all-star cast, which includes Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo and Rene Russo.

5 Air Force One Is Basically Die Hard on a Plane

Air Force One revolves around President James Marshall, an uncompromising leader with aspirations of ushering in a new age of US-Russian cooperation against terrorism. However, when a band of gunmen seize Air Force One after departing the Russian Federation, Marshall puts his past as a military veteran to use against the terrorists. With the aircraft's crew held hostage and the fate of the president unknown, the cabinet on the ground attempt to negotiate with the leader of the gunmen, Ivan Korshunov.

Air Force One is one of the more obvious Die Hard duplicates that came about during the 1990s, casting Harrison Ford as the presidential action hero forced to retake his plane. Using the confines of the aircraft to his advantage, President Marshal fights his way through the small band of terrorists to try and rescue the hostages. Known for an iconic theme tune and the gravitas of both Ford and Gary Oldman as the main hero and villain, the film remains one of the best action films of the decade.

4 Inside Man Is A Brilliant Bank Heist Movie

Inside Man follows a group of organized bank robbers, each using a variation of the name "Steve" as aliases, who enter a bank and take everyone inside hostage. As the police arrive, Detectives Frazier and Mitchell assume the role of hostage negotiation, and open a line of communication with the thieves. When the robbers move to safety deposit boxes, the bank's owner hires an elite fixer to try and extract compromising materials and protect his reputation.

Inside Man is a great heist movie, using the themes of hostage negotiation and even political drama as a backdrop for the elaborate scheme of the criminals. Under the direction of Spike Lee, the film's ensemble cast that includes Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer and Jodie Foster keeps audiences engaged until the very end.

3 Captain Phillips Explores A Harrowing True Story

Based on the harrowing true story, Captain Phillips follows the hijacking of a cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, at the hands of a small band of Somali pirates. In a bid to keep his crew safe, the titular captain attempts to negotiate with the pirates, desperately hoping to have them on their way without hurting anyone. When the US Navy arrive, they also attempt to find a way to get the crew free as safely as possible.

Captain Phillips is one of Tom Hanks' best performances, with a tense plot that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats as the negotiations become more volatile and chaotic. Culminating in the arrival of Navy SEALs to rescue Phillips and his men, the film turns into a grounded, realistic approach to a very real incident.

2 Speed Is High-Speed Action at Its Best

Speed follows LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven, who investigates a bomber in the city. After confronting him and believing him dead from his own device, the officer moves on. However, after a bus explodes, he's contacted by the bomber, who informs him that there's another bus that, if it drives above fifty miles per hour, will arm a bomb that explodes should it drop back below fifty. Contacting his department for help, Jack drives out to the freeway and begins his attempt to disarm it as the city negotiates.

Speed helped establish Keanu Reeves as one of the best leading action stars of the 1990s, and cast him alongside Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels in what became a decade-defining movie. With a unique twist on the hostage negotiation trope, the film follows its hero as he tries to figure out a way to outwit the terrorist from the confines of a bus.

1 Die Hard Is the King of Christmas Action