A Netflix thriller based on a harrowing 2022 hostage crisis that played out at an Apple store in Amsterdam is currently the most watched film on the platform. The flick is called iHostage, it just landed on the streamer last week and it’s already dethroned the Clint Eastwood film American Sniper (which was number one earlier this week) to claim the top slot.
A vocal faction of critics and fans have lambasted the film as dull and called out the screenwriting as ineffective, but is it really? The case upon which this film is based is way stranger than fiction, so I hesitate to be too critical of the filmmakers knowing that.
Bobby Boermans helmed the picture. He also takes a ‘created by’ credit alongside Simon de Waal; de Waal takes the sole screenwriting credit. Boermans has previously directed some Dutch television and a handful of features, but iHostage is his first project to break out globally.
Soufiane Moussouli, Admir Sehovic, Emmanuel Ohene Boafo, and Fockeline Ouwerkerk topline the project.
What happened in the real case by which iHostage was inspired?
Believe me when I say that iHostage is based on a very unusual story. For one, Amsterdam isn’t known for violent crime. Moreover, the hostage crisis unfolded in broad daylight, in a very busy area. I noticed people blaming the screenplay for the film’s seemingly outlandish premise, but much of what you see in iHostage is taken straight from the case file.
Here’s the rundown: On Feb. 22, 2022, a man took an Apple store in Leidseplein, Amsterdam hostage. He had explosives on his person and also kept a gun trained on a shopper for hours on end. The aggressor’s demands included 200 million Euros in cryptocurrency.
Many of the patrons who were shopping when the crisis played out managed to flee the scene, but several stowed away in cabinets, hoping to avoid detection. The ordeal went on for several, hours, until the situation reached a rather unexpected conclusion.
What happens in iHostage?
When a gunman enters an Apple Store in the heart of Amsterdam, the police face a delicate challenge to resolve the stand-off.
So, there you have it, iHostage is topping the Netflix charts but the response from critics and subscribers has been lukewarm at best. Stay tuned to the site for more updates on which films are making noise on your preferred streaming platforms. If you’d like to keep tabs on me via social media, you can find me on Threads.
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