11 Misunderstood Hostage Takers in Movies

In 'Money Monster,' a regular joe (Jack O'Connell) takes a TV financial guru (George Clooney) hostage after going broke on a bad stock tip. It’s a desperate act, but his heart’s in the right place -- like these 11 other on-screen abductors. Though they may be going about it the wrong way, we can (well, sorta) understand their motivations.

Just as 'Money Monster' reflects on recent economic scandals, 'John Q' was a call for health care reform. After its title character (Washington) getrs turned down by an insurance company, he forces a hospital at gunpoint to give his son a heart transplant.

Travolta plays a disgruntled ex-security guard REALLY upset over losing his job who takes a school field trip hostage. The situation gets further complicated by an ambitious TV newsman (Dustin Hoffman) who sympathizes with his plight. Though nearly 20 years old, the movie still features relevant themes of frustration and loss.

In a neat twist, Jackson is a hostage negotiator who takes his own police station hostage in order to find out who framed him. Trivia note: In 1969, the real-life Jackson held Martin Luther King Sr. hostage as part of a student protest at Morehouse College.

In 'The Negotiator,' Kevin Spacey plays the cop handling Samuel L. Jackson’s demands. In 'The Ref,' Spacey and Judy Davis are the hostages – though it’s their abductor, burglar Leary, who we feel sorry for when he becomes the victim of their constant bickering.

Would anyone call three dumb bodybuilders "sympathetic"? Well, maybe, at least compared to the millionaire gym client they kidnap (a perfectly sleazy Tony Shalhoub). Michael Bay’s genuinely funny, over-the-top farce was actually based on a true story.

Willis and Thornton play two criminals who break out of jail and rob a number of banks -- by kidnapping the manager of each bank the night before, then going in first thing in the morning. Cate Blanchett plays the Bonnie to these two Clydes.

These totally '80s stars are the nicest criminals who ever lived. When they abduct the wealthy wife (Bette Midler) of the crooked man (Danny DeVito) who stole their fashion idea, they soon learn who the real ruthless people are. This sleeper hit is hilariously nasty.

McGregor is a janitor whose callous boss replaces him with a robot, so he impulsively kidnaps the boss’s daughter (Cameron Diaz). She happens to hate her dad, and all too willingly sticks with him – even concocting a ransom plot. Oh yeah, and Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo play angels.

The screen veteran is terrific as a nuclear power plant supervisor who takes his plant hostage out of safety fears. Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas are supportive news people in this nail-biter, released 12 days before the Three Mile Island meltdown in Pennsylvania.

This is the film that all hostage dramas are measured against. In a career-defining performance, Pacino plays a bank robber for whom everything goes wrong. ‘Dog Day’ was one of the landmark movies of the 1970s – and it still holds up.

When Clark goes off the deep end about his year-end bonus, sympathetic (and stupid) cousin Eddie forces Clark’s boss back to the Griswold home for a confrontation. Totally understandable, when the boss’s gift was a Jelly of the Month club membership instead of the cash money expected.