iHostage Review

Review of iHostage

Honestly most of the time I am not a fan of Dutch movies, because for me they end up being cringe. I will just fall straight with the door in house with this one: iHostage was a great execution of the true story that happend on Tuesday 22 februari 2022 in our beloved city Amsterdam! In the beginning of the movie I thought this would be a knock-off, cashing in on true events by the Dutch makers. Before I knew it I was so intrigued by the story and the acting of everyone that I was left impressed. 

The story and acting

The filmmakers were not focused on unnecessary action and drama. The focus of this movie was the Hostagetaker, the hostages and the mediator. iHostage makes sure that you see the Hostagetaker as a human with empathie, and the police of the Netherlands as passive negotiators. Honestly, without the hostages the police could do less. Mankiss, the Apple employee, is the Hero! 

The story had a few high point such as the moment the director of the police yelled at the person who shared information about the hostages online and did not want to remove it. Another moment was the acknowledge you as a viewer get when the Hostage expressed his frustration in Bulgarian. That moment was like, damn son! you really did not think this through. 

Admir (hostage) and Soufian (Hostagetaker) played their character really good. The relationship between the Hostage and Hostagetaker was an attempt to make it come across as a real bond. Admir in his character was trying to channel the humanity in Soufian as the Hostagetaker. Soufian did a geat job humanising the Hostagetaker. You kind of feel sorry for him, knowing he will most likely not get away alive. On the other hand you feel sorry for the hostages knowing that the Hostagetaker did not plan this really good. Loes (the mediator) played the listening ear for the Hostagetaker and you could see her eagerness to finish her job with succes. She plays her character well as the Dutch women in lead. 

Le Paanche Sitare

I was really impressed by the execution of this Dutch Netflix movie. People need to understand that this a great achievement for a Dutch movie. Because it is based on true events you can not exaggerate in scenes otherwise it will turn out to be fiction. Fortunate in REAL life not much happend and no one was injured, unfortunetaly that lacks in the REEL story of the movie. I never felt any actor fell out of character. This movie was consistent in energy and there was no unnecessary drama. It was like watching the news over again (when it happend in 2022) with this time more insight in what happend IN the Apple Store. It was close to realistic events.

Le Paanch Sitare gives 3,5 Sitare for iHostage
(3,5 out of 5 stars)

iHostage is a very good Dutch movie, with a good execution giving insight to an unfortunate event that occurred on 22 februari 2022 in the Apple store in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Hostages are the real heroes!

Backstory

Tuesday 22 februari 2022 was a day that the people of Amsterdam experienced a public hostage situation in their beloved city. A hostage situation took place at the Apple Store on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. An armed man entered the Apple Store with explosives and took one hostage, while other people in the store took cover in the above area of the building, on the ground floor there was one employee with three customers that took cover in a closet. The hostage taker demanded millions in cryptocurrency and took that one hostage under gunpoint while walking around in the store. This event attracted the Special Intervention Service (De Dienst Speciale Interventies) and Royal Military Police (Marechaussee) of the Netherlands. The hostagetaker asked for water and a police robot brought it to the door. The hostage could take the water, but decided to run for his life! The hostagetaker ran after him on the square, and a police car hit him leaving the hostage taker heavily injured on the ground. While an explosives robot searched the hostage taker, people where freed from the store. The hostage taker died the next day because of his injuries. 

How many stars do you give iHostage?