iHostage – Movie Review | Netflix (3/5)

iHOSTAGE on Netflix is a thriller based on real events. It’s essentially a dramatized true crime story from the Netherlands. Back in 2022, a man attacked an Apple Store and demanded a huge sum to release a hostage. Read our full iHostage movie review here!

iHOSTAGE is a new Netflix thriller from the Netherlands. The fact that this movie is Dutch is because it’s based on real events that took place in an Apple Store in Amsterdam. The gist of everything shown in this Netflix movie correlates to the true crime it’s based on.

With a runtime of around 100 minutes, it’s tense storytelling with several action-packed sequences. I could have done without some of the movie classic (or rather, stereotypical) one-liners that I assumed are not direct quotes. Then again, maybe they are?!

Continue reading our iHostage (2025) movie review below. Find it on Netflix now.

Based on the true Apple store tragedy

As already mentioned, iHostage is based on a true story. In February 2022, a man entered an Apple store in the Netherlands and threatened to kill a hostage. Actually, he also threatened to blow up the entire building and maybe even an entire block in Amsterdam.

Of course, not everything you see in this Netflix thriller is exactly as it happened. Instead, it’s a dramatization of the events at the Apple store. Having watched this thriller, I am intrigued enough that I just might watch an actual documentary as well.

Especially as the key events of iHostage actually follow the true events rather closely. Not least, how it all finally came to an end after many tense hours in and around the Apple store.

The most obvious title

Of course, the title of iHostage seems like the most obvious choice, as this is very much about the hostage held in an Apple Store. However, it also feels a bit like a ploy. Sure, we follow the soon-to-be hostage from the beginning, but otherwise, he’s just one of many characters.

What this is really about is the true story of a man who went into an Apple store intending to get his huge payday. I won’t reveal his demands here, but the story of this Netflix thriller does follow the facts, so it’s quick to look up if you’re so inclined.

I always appreciate when a hostage (or the victim) gets as much focus as the perpetrator, but I don’t really feel it’s the case here. Not all the way through, anyway.

Having said that, the true crime this is based on will show you exactly why he is a key person in the true events.

Watch iHostage on Netflix now

The Dutch Netflix thriller iHostage was directed by Bobby Boermans, who also directed the Netflix series The Golden Hour, which I highly recommend checking out as well. The screenplay was written by Simon de Waal, based on a story by him and director Bobby Boermans.

If you’ve watched other Dutch productions, you may recognize a few of the actors. Among them are Robin Boissevain (Netflix series Ares) and Matteo van der Grijn (Ted Lasso, Tribes of Europa).

If you’re curious about this wild true story and want a well-made movie, then do check out iHostage on Netflix. Just know that it’s a bit (at times quite a lot) heavy-handed in the “hero story” department. Even focusing on those who only play split-second key roles.

iHostage premiered on Netflix on April 18, 2025.

Details

Director: Bobby Boermans
Cast: Soufiane Moussouli, Admir Sehovic, Emmanuel Ohene Boafo, Fockeline Ouwerkerk, Roosmarijn van der Hoek, Robin Boissevain, Louis Talpe, Marcel Hensema, Loes Haverkort, Eric Corton, Matteo van der Grijn, Ahlaam Teghadouini, Thijs Boermans