iHostage

A suicide bomber takes a hostage in an Apple Store.

This was based on a real event. Maybe this is riveting to Dutch people, but I found it a bit lifeless in spots. The story is interesting, but the parts that involve the hostages sometimes feel like cheap dramatic reenactments on a TV show. These scenes could have been nail-biters. The intensity just wasn't there, though.

The scenes with the police were better, I thought. They got to move around more and didn't have to constantly act terrified. More scenes with the police might have helped the movie move along a bit. Some of the scenes with the hostages were tense, though, and I thought they handled one scene in particular well, where there was a potential medical emergency.

We never really learn a lot about any of the characters, and the drama isn't exactly the most intense thing ever. It's an adequate time-passer on Netflix, though. As a bonus, the English dub is pretty good.

I love how so many people on here are complaining about the fact that there was no explanation about the hostage taker's motive, his Arabic name, the little details there are about the hostage, etcetera. Meanwhile this movie is based on real events and it's simply a mystery what his motives were (because it was never found out, duh!). The hostage taker literally had a Syrian ethnicity (news flash: people with around 180 different ethnical backgrounds live in the Netherlands and many have very thick Dutch local accents, because they were born and raised here). The hostage decided to stay anonymous after the event, so there is little known about him, except that he's from Bulgaria. So they made a movie about facts. They followed the literal storyline as much as possible. But it's not sensational enough? It needed a bit more drama, or... well, lies? Reality can't have plot holes, just missing facts.

Oh and for the ones saying: I'd rather have watched an actual documentary, with actual statements from people who were there. So..? Go do that then. That documentary already came out over a year ago. You can't blame anyone for not knowing, except yourself. Some people don't like documentaries. Now they can watch this movie and also learn about what happened that day.

Let's get this straight: iHostage is a gloriously chaotic, brainless thrill ride that I can only describe as a "watchable shi* movie" - and I mean that as a compliment. This Dutch Netflix thriller, inspired by the 2022 Amsterdam Apple Store hostage crisis, delivers exactly what you'd expect from a high-octane crime drama: relentless action, sweaty-palm tension, and a premise that keeps you glued to the screen. But don't go looking for a deep plot or clever twists - this movie is as shallow as a kiddie pool and proud of it.

From the jump, iHostage throws you into the deep end. A gunman storms an Apple Store, takes a Bulgarian dude named Ilian hostage, and demands 200 million dollars in crypto. The setup is simple, and the film leans hard into the claustrophobic vibe of a single-location thriller. Director Bobby Boermans cranks up the intensity with CCTV-style shots and body-cam footage, making you feel like you're right there in the chaos. The action never lets up - from gunfire to tense standoffs to awkward pizza deliveries (yes, really), it's a nonstop adrenaline shot. Loes Haverkort as the negotiator Lynn is a standout, balancing cool-headed smarts with the stress of talking down a volatile gunman. The pacing is so relentless you barely have time to notice the flaws.

And oh, the flaws. The plot? Basically nonexistent. It's a straight line from start to finish: guy takes hostage, cops try to fix it, rinse, repeat. Don't expect any mind-bending twists or profound character arcs - the script is thinner than an iPhone screen. The gunman's motives? Who cares, apparently, because we never find out. The characters are flat as cardboard, and the dialogue is so cliché it feels like it was ripped from a B-movie playbook. Yet, somehow, this lack of depth works in its favour. IHostage doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. It's not here to make you think; it's here to make your heart race.

What makes this a 5-star guilty pleasure is how shamelessly it embraces its own absurdity. The tension is real - you'll be on edge wondering if everyone makes it out alive. The action sequences, while not exactly Die Hard-level, are gritty and engaging enough to keep you hooked. It's the kind of movie you watch with a bucket of popcorn, yelling at the screen when something dumb happens, but loving every second of it. For fans of mindless thrillers like Phone Booth or Drop, it's a perfect Friday night flick.

In short, iHostage is a hot mess of a movie that knows exactly what it's doing: delivering pure, unfiltered chaos with zero pretense. No plot, no twists, just action and tension turned up to eleven. Watch it, love it, forget it by morning.

For a Dutch movie, it was really impressive. There are not many Dutch movies that are this strong. The acting of most actors was really good. However, they rushed some scenes and took their time with others.

Seeing how all of this went from the insider and outsider perspective, instead of only from the media, was a nice point of view. The main parts that were in the media were also in the movie, what I personal really liked.

However, I would have preferred some scenes to be shorter, and others (like the ending of the movie) to be a bit longer.

But besides all of this, it was a really good movie. It is something I didn't expect for a Dutch movie!!! Impressive.

I think the movie does achieve some thrilling atmosphere in the beginning, but fails to maintain that as it gets repetitive. It has some good elements to it, a few good actors (but a weak script), and the setting is good. However, very poor attempts at tough-sounding one-liners are made, as well as powerplay moves that make no sense, which give the movie a cringe vibe. Also, characters are weak and shallow, testosterone-driven, and not in a good way-they come across as thick and egocentric. Shame, it's such an interesting non-fiction event, but it absolutely fails to reach its potential. I'd recommend watching the documentary.