bowmanblue 'Kidnapping Freddy Heineken' is a story about a gang of Dutch crooks who decide that holding one of Holland's wealthiest businessmen for ransom will be a fast-track to easy money. It's hardly an inspiring premise, but the thing that makes it – slightly – better than the rest, is that it's based on a true story.If you check out the literature online about it, you'll see that – surprise, surprise – liberties have been taken with the plot, but, from what I can gather, it is reasonably faithful – if you excuse the obvious parts which have been 'Hollywooded up' to speed the story up. The second plus point is Anthony Hopkins, who plays the titular millionaire. Always a good performance from 'Sir Tony.' Unfortunately, he's not in it as much as most of us would probably like. The main story focuses on the criminals, half of which are pretty bland, although one is played by Sam Worthington and another does have a family who features prominently, fleshing out his character a bit more. You may have to wait about forty-five minutes before we meet Hopkins though.The film does its best to get us to empathise with the criminals and, for the most part, it sort of succeeds. We can see that they're the down-on-their-luck sorts who are only really after the money, but, at the end of the day, they are criminals, so – deep down – we're pretty much waiting for them to get their comeuppance.If you're interested in the history of the case, it's probably best to read one of the books. Granted, I haven't, but I'm happy to settle for the big screen adaptation. Yeah, it passes the time – it's nothing special and I probably won't remember it in a year or so, but it kept me just about entertained enough while I was watching it.

dglink The title says it all: "The Kidnapping of Mr. Heineken." Director Daniel Alfredson's take on the 1982 abduction of the Dutch brewing magnate breaks no new ground. However, the film is engrossing and well paced, despite an evident low-budget European production. Based on real events, the movie depicts a kidnapping that resulted in the largest ransom ever paid for a single individual. Set in Amsterdam, five down-on-their-luck buddies seemingly concoct the abduction and a preliminary bank robbery without a great deal of deep thought or careful planning. Somewhat surprisingly, a man of Heineken's immense wealth is taken easily, and the first-time criminals have beginner's luck all around. However, the ransom payment is dragged out, and tensions erupt among the men.While Anthony Hopkins plays the small part of Alfred "Freddy" Heineken convincingly, when shackled in a cell, he displays familiar flashes of Hannibal Lector. Although Sam Worthington and Jim Sturgess head the kidnappers, most of the faces are lesser known, but, like Hopkins, all acquit themselves nicely. The film is better than average, and, with a fairly short running time, introduces viewers unfamiliar with the crime to some of the details, despite accusations of inaccuracy. "The Kidnapping of Mr. Heineken" moves fast, is worth a look, and will keep most viewers entertained.

LeonLouisRicci For Once, Film Critics and Audiences Agreed across the board that this is one of the most Boring Crime Films Ever Produced on this level. The Acting, Action, and Story are so Literal and Lackluster one wonders Who Thought this Thing was worth Making or Releasing.It is so Matter of Fact and Unexciting. The Robbery to get the Money to Finance the Kidnapping is Frantic, Hyper-Edited with Everyone Shouting and Flailing about. It is just Painful to Watch.Then the Bickering starts to fulfill the "Mr. Heineken" Tagline. "One can have Money or Friends, but can't have both." Wow. How's that for Deep. All Backstories of All Involved in the Plot Dangle and Go Nowhere.The Film is Rendered with a Confusing Conclusion after the 90 Awful Minutes it took to get there. No Closure to Speak of as if the Filmmakers were in a Hurry to get it all Over with as Little Explanation and Ambiguity as Possible. No Suspense, Mysteries Hanging Everywhere, and the Audience Leaves Wondering WTF just happened? The Story, the Actors, and Everyone Involved in Making or Watching this Movie Deserves to be Served Something with More Gusto.

shominy-491-652355 We just rented this DVD and thoroughly enjoyed the film. The cast is excellent (of course, Sir Anthony Hopkins never disappoints in any role he has played) and the movie will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially if you're not familiar with the Heineken kidnapping, which is a true story. (It's amazing that anyone actually had the guts to attempt such a kidnapping!) After watching a movie that is a true event, we often read the facts on Wikipedia or other news sites and this film stays accurate to the truth (which we love). Highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to enjoy a suspenseful, true story! Outstanding job done by the director, cast, set directors, etc.!