#REVIEW: “KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Daniel Alfredson certainly is no stranger to us having directed The Girl Who Plays with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. His latest is Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, which is based on the True Story of the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, Heir to the Brewing Empire. The Story here actually is quite remarkable ad while this Film at times that same level of fascination, the Ensemble here do an outstanding job.

The Story starts-off 1982 in Amsterdam where we meet our three Average Joes trying to make ends meet, willing to go to illegal means in the name of survival. They come in the form of Williem (Sam Worthington), Cor (Jim Sturgess) and Jan/Cat (Ryan Kwanten). Robbing banks however will not do that for them, as it will take too many banks to make ends meet for them and odds of escape are unlikely. So they come up with an elaborate plan to hold-up a money truck to fund their  mission of kidnapping Freddy Heineken (Anthony Hopkins). Once they accomplish this, they hold Freddy for ransom and this is where things start to turn for the potential worst. Heineken refuses to pay at first and as a result Williem, Cor, and Jan fear that they are going to get caught as they have waited too long, and they have to make a further step in advancing their plan. The lingering question throughout the Movie is whether or not can they can complete their mission and keep the money.

The performances here are fantastic. Anthony Hopkins does a great job at putting on the brave face, staring danger right in the face, with demands of proper treatment. However since Hopkins is not front and center here, this leaves much to Kwanten,  Sturgess, and Worthington and as a Trio they work well playing off one another – they captivate and engage start to finish.

With a Story that is public knowledge here, a challenge always is keeping us engaged with that element of surprise for a full  93 minutes. Much credit goes to Screenwriter William Brookfield whom while relatively unknown, gifts us with a Story that helps us get inside the twisted minds of these three young Men.

VVS Films release Kidnaping Mr. Heineken at The Carlton in Toronto and on VOD Friday March 6, 2015.