Kidnapping Freddy Heineken

Plot

The film takes place in 1983, primarily in Amsterdam and centers in a group of five Dutch friends: Willem Holleeder, Cor van Hout, Jan Boellard, Martin Erkamps and Frans Meijer. Looking for easy money, they decide to kidnap Heineken owner, the tycoon Freddy Heineken in order to achieve a very high ransom. Although capturing Heineken and his driver Ab Doderer, the group eventually face difficulties due to their lack of experience in crime. They fail to negotiate with the police, and Cor feels it is his duty to take care of his pregnant wife, Sonja. After Heineken is finally released by the police, Willem and Cor flee to Paris, where they plan to remain hidden. However, Cor experiences strong emotional will to phone call Sonja, a dangerous action that could easily reveal their location to the police tracing. He is initially reluctant and has arguments with Willem, but ultimately gives in to his feelings and calls Sonja to tell her about his whereabouts, resulting in the two being arrested by the French police while leaving their apartment.

Cast

Production

Filming began in Belgium in October 2013.

Reception

Kidnapping Mr. Heineken received generally unfavorable reviews from critics. The film holds a 33/100 score at Metacritic, and a 20% score at Rotten Tomatoes.

The Los Angeles Times commented: "Despite its true-events pedigree, Kidnapping Mr. Heineken is woefully captive to B-movie crime saga tropes."

Variety: "About as appealing as day-old beer littered with cigarette butts, the abysmal caper drama Kidnapping Mr. Heineken is one of those international co-productions produced for all the right tax-credit reasons and none of the right artistic ones."

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter: "By the time the relatively brief but seemingly interminable proceedings reach their conclusion, viewers may feel like they've been held hostage themselves." Conversely, Rex Reed of The New York Observer gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and commented: "Anthony Hopkins plays the king of the hops, and he is excellent. So is the rest of the movie, a sober, no-frills account about the highest ransom ever collected up to that time—$10 million and counting."