Informant Europe SPRL, European Film Company, Umedia,
Jim Sturgess, Sam Worthington, Ryan Kwanten, Anthony Hopkins, Mark van Eeuwen, Tom Cocquerel, Jemima West
This docudrama is based on the real 1983 Kidnapping of Beer king Alfred Heineken, which in 1983 resulted in the largest ransom ever paid for a hostage. A group of buddies led by Cor Van Hout (Jim Sturgess) and Willem Holleeder (Sam Worthington). They planned this kidnapping for several years, and started off with a bank robbery to net them the money needed for the grandaddy of all heists, that of Belgian King of Hops himself and his chauffeur. Freddy is played by Anthony Hopkins They hold the captives for several weeks while they figure out a way to get off with all the money. This story follows the planning and execution of the kidnapping as well as the eventual outcomes and separation of the group.
This docudrama was hit pretty hard by the critics for a couple of reasons. I didn’t find it all that bad. The main complaints were how quickly the robbery and kidnapping happened. I think people were looking for a heist movie, which this wasn’t. Since this was a true story, they focused on the facts of the case. Most of the time is spent on the difficulty in keeping the hostages, and the trickiest part of the job, trying to pick up the ransom without being caught. Then after they have it, how to safely release the hostages and flee the country. Perhaps even more so, is the problem of keeping secrets from your family and friends. The extremes that these guys had to go through were ridiculous. This movie is a perfect mix between documentary and drama, but unlike a well written fictitious heist movie, this film goes deeper. They had real problems, and did not have a Hollywood screenwriter to bail them out. I felt the performances were pretty good, although I don’t know much about Alfred Heineken, but I must wonder if Anthony Hopkins was the right choice in casting to play him. He doesn’t seem a bit Belgian. Still, his role isn’t exactly minor ,but he doesn’t have a lot of screen time, and most of what he does is monologue since none of the kidnappers wanted to risk having him hear their voices. They kept silent around him. So certainly Mr. Hopkins has the chops to pull off the soliloquies. All in all, not a hit by any means, but at the same time, it was better than the average documentary on a subject. I enjoyed it, and I wasn’t disappointed, so if you are interested, give it a go.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
