‘iHostage’ Review: Netflix’s Dutch Crime Thriller Might Be Worth A Watch For True Crime Fans

Based on true events, iHostage is director Bobby Boermans’ dramatic retelling of the 2022 armed hostage standoff at an Apple Store in Amsterdam after the story drew attention from news sources around the world. The film reunites Boermans with screenwriter Simon de Waal following their work on the crime drama series The Golden Hour, currently available on Netflix.

Taking place in the Leidseplein section of the Dutch capital, the story follows Ilian (Admir Sehovic), a Bulgarian man staying in Amsterdam for work, who finds himself at an Apple Store to buy new AirPods after losing his old pair while traveling. However, shortly after his entry into the store, a man in camouflage attire (Soufiane Moussouli) pulls an automatic weapon and starts shouting commands. Many patrons & employees flee the store, some hide in various parts of the building, but sadly, only Ilian is taken hostage by the gunman, serving as leverage for his demands of some 200 million in cryptocurrency and a car for safe passage from the scene.

While this pairing of gunman and lone hostage will serve as the backbone of the film’s narrative, iHostage takes a full, zoomed-out approach as it encompasses all the angles of the story; the police control center, the hostage negotiators, the officers on scene outside the store, and a small group hiding in an employee closet get plenty of screen time to give a real-time blow by blow account of the situation.

Alongside Sehovic & Moussouli, the cast has at least one familiar face to a more global audience in Matteo van der Grijn, who plays Abe, the officer in charge of the scene, but notably played Hannah Waddingham’s Dutch boat captain love interest, Matthijs, in an Amsterdam-set episode of Ted Lasso. Van der Grijn also worked on Boermans’ previously mentioned show, The Golden Hour. The cast also features Loes Haverkort as lead negotiator Lynn, Marcel Hensema as Kees, and Emmanuel Ohene Boafo as store employee Mingus, also known as the King of the Closet.

While familiarity with the real life story & a couple of notable actors can draw eyes to the film, iHostage feels like a very basic entry into the hostage crisis genre; a central antagonist who’s motives in the epilogue are described as “never becom(ing) clear” and a hostage who rather listen to Michael Buble than to call his wife may not be the most compelling focal points of a dramatic crime thriller; Add in some key Apple product moments of glory (heart monitor for a possible heart attack?!) & the use of iHostage as a password for the police to the hostages themselves and you may start to lose confidence.

Nederland, Amsterdam, Marnixstraat, 21 februari 2024 Hostage Netflix Horizon film Bobby Boermans Daan Nieuwenhuijs foto: Elmer van der Marel

However, the film’s more spread-out procedural approach with key supporting performances allows the audience to engage with what DOES work for enough of the runtime to get to the inevitable conclusion of the crisis at hand. Moments of insight & defusing tension between lead negotiator Lynn and the gunman, along with the leadership & bravery of the lone employee Mingus keeping the police informed and his fellow hostages safe make up for most of the best scenes in the film. When the situation concludes, Lynn and Mingus are the only people I truly cared enough about to watch the epilogue to their emotional stories – with a tiny exception for Ilian who was clever enough and bold enough in spots to get through this rough ordeal.

iHostage serves as a well-constructed, well-balanced version of a far too vanilla event. While this may be a big story in real life, the lack of details in the motives, the long stretches between moments of real tension, extraneous supporting players, and a gunman without an imposing presence make for a more passive viewing experience. Emmanuel Ohene Boafo & Loes Haverkort give the film an emotional lift with their performances as store employee Mingus and negotiator Lynn, but far too many characters going through the motions can’t elevate this one to something more enticing.

Nederland, 2024 foto: Elmer van der Marel

Watch iHostage If You Like

• The Golden Hour
• Captive
• The Guilty
• Yara
• Lost Girls
• S.W.A.T.

MVP of iHostage

Emmanuel Ohene Boafo as Mingus

While the man with the gun to his head will always garner the most attention, Boafo performs the unsung hero role as the police‘s inside man admirably, balancing his own fear with the de facto leadership qualities needed to get his fellow cowering, hidden hostages to safety.

A few fleeting moments of tension can’t bring iHostage to a boil, but it will give you the procedural crime drama essence that true crime biopic fans may enjoy.