Hostage: A role close to Cesar’s heart

Star Cinema and Cesar Montano have been partners at the box office, with a consistent record of smash-hit action-dramas such as Utol (which introduced Victor Neri as an action star), Asero and Mahal Kita, Huwag Kang Kokontra (co-starring Dayanara Torres).

The "partners" are together again in another breathtaking suspense-action-drama, Hostage, which is Star Cinema’s first salvo for Year 2001.
Directed by Augusto Salvador, Hostage tackles a very timely subject – kidnapping and hostage-taking – which is actually a lingering problem bugging not only the Philippine government but other governments as well in other parts of the world.

In the movie, his first since he married Sunshine Cruz in September last year, Cesar plays a father whose little daughter is killed during the murder of his cousin, a congressman who has entrusted to Cesar a V8 tape of a drug lord’s activities, a damning evidence that could put the drug lord to jail. Cesar plans to take revenge during the opening of a gasoline station, intent on killing the drug lord. His plans are foiled, however, and in the confusion he takes hostage a little girl who turns out to be the drug lord’s daughter.

Cesar hides in the house of his friend with the little girl whom he eventually learns to love and care for like his own dead daughter. Soon, Cesar falls for his friend‘s pretty sister on whom he pours out his grievances and grief over his lost daughter.

The drug lord traces Cesar, intent on getting the V8 from him, to the extent of taking Cesar‘s friend and his sister hostage.

"It‘s right along my alley," said Cesar about his Hostage role, feeling the role even more intensely since he’ll soon be a father again (for the third time) when his wife (Sunshine) gives birth to their first-born in September. "Tamang-tama ang pelikulang ’to. Timely na timely ang topic."

Hostage also stars Kristine Hermosa as Cesar’s object of affection, Cesar‘s buddy Bayani Agbayani (his co-star in the sitcom Kaya niMister, Kaya ni Misis) as his friend, Roi Vinzon as the drug lord, Daniel Fernando as Cesar’s congressman-cousin, Maureen Guese as Cesar’s adopted daughter (the drug lord‘s daughter), Rommel Montano and Amy Austria.