Kidnapping Mr. Heineken 2015

Kyle Smith, New York Post: In 1983, five knuckleheads decided to strike it rich by kidnapping beer magnate Freddy Heineken. "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" is a dull, trite thriller about their crime and undoing. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: 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. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: Anthony Hopkins and a cast of erstwhile next-big-things go slumming in Daniel Alfredson's listless, fact-based kidnapping caper. Read more

Keith Uhlich, AV Club: Much like the lager that gives the film its name, Kidnapping Mr. Heineken is bland on the palate and best pissed away. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The utter lack of surprises and waste of a first-rate cast - Anthony Hopkins as Alfred "Freddy" Heineken; Jim Sturgess and Sam Worthington as kidnappers - make for a tremendous letdown. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Heineken may be weighed down by the predictable reality of actual events. Or it just may be lacking in electricity and depth. Either way, it's lacking. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: In just a few scenes, Hopkins conjures up some sorely needed fizz. But the low-key vibe of the film doesn't match the high-stakes audacity of the crime. Read more

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

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Swedish director Daniel Alfredson pushes the caper button too many times. More sly wit would have helped things come to a head. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: The sole object lesson in the true-crime drama "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" is that not every crime deserves its own movie. Read more

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: The true story of Freddy Heineken's kidnapping is fascinating, but "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" is a disappointingly superficial film in which neither the kidnappers nor their captives are particularly interesting. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Globe and Mail: Not only is Hopkins's Freddy incomparably more charismatic than any of his captors, he's the only one who, weirdly enough, seems to be enjoying the ordeal. But maybe that's simply a matter of pay scale. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Fairly enjoyable and credit is due to its sterling cast, led by Anthony Hopkins as Heineken ... Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: One capably staged chase sequence apart, it's not one to set the pulse racing. Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: The real-life kidnapping had all the elements of a thriller, so how it became such a mild-mannered movie is anybody's guess. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: Glossy, lifelessly paced ... Read more