The 10 Best Negotiation Movies – Truly Inspiring Scenes

Mastering negotiation can be tough and confusing. A negotiator or procurement manager always has to learn how to be calm, collected, and confident during the whole ordeal, but striving to achieve those things can be difficult. This is why you have so many mediums of training and communication on how to achieve those things. 

For this article, we are going to discuss the power of movies in mastering negotiation. We’ll talk about the top 10 movies about negotiation and why we picked them on this list.

Once you’re done reading this article, we expect you to start looking for these movies either on Netflix or Amazon Prime! 

The Power of Videos and Movies

From the written form of communication, you have books, magazines, brochures, and pamphlets. While those are very easy to come by, reading too much information can cause a person to lose interest in a topic as big as negotiation. This is why for today, we are going to talk about movies about negotiation.

In mastering negotiation, videos and movies are actually a big help because they are always informative and entertaining at the same time.

One of the biggest challenges in mastering negotiation is always about focus and interest. This is why variety is very important when it comes to learning materials. This is one of our principles when we at Procurement Tactics created the Negotiation Gamechanger, which is why most of our students have mastered the art of negotiation in mere months!

In any case, social media nowadays are filled with viral videos that do nothing but attract millions of viewers and followers. And even the subject of negotiation has caught up with the viral video effect. One can view millions of tutorial videos on negotiation on Youtube or Vimeo. 

For today, however, we are going to touch on movies.

The Top 10 Movies on Negotiation

So why movies?

It’s because movies are highly entertaining yet educational as well. You might not notice it much, but your support team here in Procurement Tactics will be more than happy to point out to you the lessons that you’ll get from such movies.

So if you’re excited, let’s get right into it. Lights, camera, action!

1. A Hijacking (2013)

The movie is all about the kidnapping and attempted release of a Danish freighter and its crew. The center of the movie is all about the negotiations between the CEO of the shipping company and the translator for the Somali pirates. It’s a suspenseful train ride as a single mistake from either party could cause serious consequences. Emotions flare up as the negotiations extend up to 120 days with either party giving up with their demands.

The Lessons Learned: It’s a prime negotiation movie where lives are at stake, so the actors during the negotiation scene are all dead set and serious in achieving their end goals. You’ll see concessions and various negotiation styles in this movie.

2. Lincoln (2012)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is all about the 16th President’s negotiation prowess as he overcomes adversities while trying to get the Congressional majority to vote against slavery. He finally succeeds in the end, despite the strong opposition he faced from the plantation owners and pro-slavery politicians.

The Lessons Learned: Lincoln’s negotiation tactics change to adapt to the situation. At times, he persuades through metaphor and storytelling. There are also other situations where he appeals through logic and reason; then through pressure and incentivizing if he still can’t get what he wants using his first tactic.

3. Big Miracle (2012)

A movie that is clearly underrated, Big Miracle is about the international effort to rescue three gray whales that were trapped under the ice near a small town in Alaska. The film is based on a true story and is set in 1988 where groups that clearly had their own interests set are united by a common goal.

The Lessons Learned: When a group of diverse, disparate, and conflicting parties realizes their own common goal through the creative use of self-interest, even the most bitter of foes can become momentary allies.

4. Thirteen Days (2000)

“Thirteen Days,” tells the re-telling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This time, it’s in the viewpoint of Kenny O’Donnell, President Kennedy’s special advisor. It’s a race against time as powerful negotiations move by a few good men ultimately save the world from a near nuclear holocaust.

The Lessons Learned: The movie shows a variety of negotiation styles. From contentious to compromising to collaborative, the Kennedy brothers are actually master negotiators and are able to unlock solutions to otherwise impossible-to-negotiate problems. There is a lot of debate and discussion in this movie as seen in the clip below.

Editor's note:

The Negotiation Game Changer Certificate Program teaches you:

• the skills needed to drive better, fact-based decisions that ultimately benefit both organizations and its employees.
• a comprehensive analytics skill set that will enable you to achieve deals with results you have been dreaming of.

5. The Founder (2017)

The Founder is an amazing movie that depicts the rise of Ray Kroc’s rise to power. For those who have no idea who he is, Ray Kroc is just the businessman who transformed a small drive-in restaurant in Saint Bernardino, California into one of the biggest fast-food franchises in the world. A story about business relationships, capitalism, and avarice, the Founder is a must-see for any negotiation master.

The Lesson Learned: The movie is all about how Ray Kroc managed to negotiate his way to actually ousting the original owners of McDonald’s. All throughout the film, we will see actual evidence of how poor communication ultimately eroded the trust that is supposedly seen between two partners. Or in this movie, between Kroc and the McDonald brothers.

6. The Godfather

Francis Ford Copolla’s masterpiece, The Godfather is another movie that all negotiation masters must watch. Each character is presented wonderfully and the negotiation scenes are also set in a powerful way. This movie is all about how the most powerful of men are not exactly the ones with actual money and physical strength, but those who think ahead and negotiate like a boss.

The Lesson Learned: From start to finish, the movie is all about negotiations. From Don Vito Corleone’s offer-that-can’t-be-refused to famed Hollywood director and studio head Jack Woltz up until Michael Corleone’s distributive negotiation style with Moe Green on buying him out of Vegas, the Godfather is all about hardball negotiation.

7. Tommy Boy

This is a comedy film, so why is it here? Well, you’d be surprised to know that this movie actually has fun bits of negotiation tactics. It’s hilarious, it’s stupid, but it’s good fun. So if you’re itching for a good laugh while still learning about the wonderful world of negotiation, then watch Tommy Boy.

The Lesson Learned: The film is all about the heart during negotiation. It’s a good example of showing concessions and having confidence and humanity while talking about a deal. Just look at this clip of Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) explaining to the waitress why he is a loser salesman. He does this in order to get his chicken wings, which he actually does. Because in negotiation, “…there’s book smarts and street smarts”.

8. Dog Day Afternoon

 A crime drama starring Al Pacino, it’s another movie where it highlights the importance of being cool and collected during an intense negotiation. Again, another awesome movie where Pacino delivered a great performance as an actor and as a petty criminal who is trying his best to weasel out of confrontations through negotiation.

The Lessons Learned: During the bank robbery scene, Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) is s completely surrounded by the police. At first, Sonny is the one holding the negotiations because the other party, led by a sweating and emotional police officer is too intense to handle the situation. 

However, things turn around when an actual ice-cold negotiator, an FBI officer, informs Sonny that “…there will be no more new favors”. This is the kind of negotiation that Sonny is most aware of, so he finally starts to negotiate.

9. The Negotiator

Probably one of the best action movies and a movie that’s about negotiations at the same time, The Negotiator is the kind of movie that you want to see if you want to pit two master negotiators having at each other. Both Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey make convincing master negotiators, which is why this movie is on the list.

The Lessons Learned: One of the most memorable lines in this movie is probably the one where Samuel L. Jackson is taunting the negotiator on the other line with his “Never Say No” line. Just listen to it and watch how the other party reacts.

10. Captain Phillips

Another negotiation movie where lives are at stake, “Captain Phillips” is based on the true-to-life accounts of Richard Phillips, captain of a merchant ship that was held hostage by Somali pirates. Portrayed by Tom Hanks, it’s another movie where emotions should always be in check or else, you won’t get anywhere.

The Lessons Learned: Watch the clip below and witness how intense emotions will ruin any chances of creating a good atmosphere for negotiation. However, it is always where a skillful negotiator shines the most when he/she is able to calm down everyone before the negotiation can begin or continue.

FAQS

What is a negotiation movie?

A negotiation movie is a movie that highlights negotiation scenes as important scenes

What are the best negotiation movies?

The best negotiation movies are those where the plot is centered around an important negotiation.

Where can I find negotiation movies?

You can find good negotiation movies with streaming video platforms, like Netflix.

Learn more about Mastering Negotiation!

Join our Negotiation Gamechanger course today and learn everything about how to become a professional negotiator. It’s as simple as watching a movie!

Talk to us at www.procurementtactics.com for more information!