iHostage is a 2025 Dutch-language Netflix original film directed by Bobby Boermans and produced by Horizon Films. The script was written by Simon de Waal, who is well known for his gripping and realistic stories. The movie runs for about 100 minutes and was shot in Amsterdam, with sets carefully built to look just like the real Apple Store. It was released worldwide on Netflix on April 18, 2025, and has a TV-MA rating for its intense themes and moments of violence. Since its premiere, the film has gained a strong following, especially in Europe and Latin America, praised for its quiet tension, powerful acting, and true-to-life storytelling.
iHostage is a beautifully mournful and suspenseful thriller that is inspired by a real-life event that occurred in Amsterdam in 2022. The film brings you into the horrible ordeal of a hostage-taking inside an Apple Store, revealing how everything was normal one moment, and then the very next, it was all turned upside down. The most ghastly part, though, is that it happened in real life, and it follows almost all of the facts while changing names and particulars for dramatic purposes.
It all starts with a normal day at the Apple Store on Leidseplein, a highly traveled part of Amsterdam. Then, a third person enters the store, several chaotic things happen—a body falls to the floor with a gun and camouflage. Then, suddenly, a customer is taken hostage and a terrible demand is made: 200 million euros in cryptocurrency, plus a declaration that there are explosives. For five hours, everyone inside the store is forcefully locked in fear, while the police circle the area, and tension just keeps rising.
The gunman is portrayed in the movie as Ammar Ajar and is played by Soufiane Moussouli, and he is truly intense and unpredictable. There’s something worse inside him—he’s not simply a typical criminal. His hostage is Ilian Petrov, a Bulgarian man played by Admir Sehovic. What you see through Ilian’s eyes is the full jamboree of emotion associated with a threatening situation—the fear, confusion, and sideways strength of someone squeezed between alien and non-alien forces. However, there are more people shelled in the infernal store as they try to keep quiet, while outside, the police try to make it all peaceful between both the hostages and the hostage-taker.
The film manages to switch perspectives quite well so that we get to see not only the ordeal faced by the hostage and attacker but also those hiding in fear, the pressure mounted upon the police, and even some insights about Ammar’s psychological state. It is not just about action; it is about human behavior under tension. What happens when one is not seen, not heard, or otherwise lost in society? What causes him to commit such desperate acts? The film does not excuse Ammar but provides a glimpse into this troubled mind.
Interestingly enough, director Bobby Boermans actually lives very close to that Apple Store and witnessed the real episode with his own eyes. Such personal connections make the film very raw and very true and perhaps provide one of the most critical underpinnings for it. Boermans mentioned that what was most shocking to him was how quickly things seemed to normalize once again in the outside world, following such a traumatic event. That tension between chaos and calmness is something that permeates the film.
What happened in real life took place on February 22, 2022. The attacker, Abdel Rahman Akkad, 27, entered the Apple Store with a gun and took a 44-year-old man hostage. He made the same demand as Ammar did in the film: 200 million euros in cryptocurrency. He fired some shots during the hostage situation and stated that he had a bomb, which made it even riskier. At one point, the hostage had a lucky break to run away, and the police ran over the attacker with a car as he chased the hostage out of the store. He died later from his injuries. Amazingly, no one else was physically hurt, though it would have been something terribly traumatic for everyone involved.
iHostage takes the real-life occurrence and creates a film that gives so much credence to the truth while being an entertaining dramatic story. There are no over-the-top action scenes or Hollywood shootouts. It builds tension through silence, glances, body language, and emotional strain, and one can almost feel the weight of every second inside that store.
Every single performance is excellent. Admir Sehovic gives Ilian a quietly powerful presence. He is no hero; he is simply trying to survive. One already feels for him, right from the moment he is taken hostage. Ammar is given depth and layers by Soufiane Moussouli, who plays a dangerous and unstable man; yet, there is a sadness in his eyes, a sadness that speaks of pain and confusion. His instantaneous calmness is threatening and maintains suspense all throughout.
The visual style of the film also deserves accolades. Most of the events are set in the store, and that limited space adds to the feeling of claustrophobia. The camera is tight and close-up, often focusing on faces or hands trembling with fear. The lighting shifts in tone from the warm glow of the showroom to the cold dark of the hidden storage areas, where some of the employees are in hiding. It sets the mood perfectly.
Sound is an area where restraint blends with intelligence. There’s no dominant score to tell you what to feel; the film lets natural sounds—sirens, heavy breathing, footsteps—do their job to create anxiety. It adds more realism to the piece, bringing you into the moment. You almost feel like you are watching a live feed of something actually taking place.
When it comes to reviews, though, iHostage has been a bit divisive. Some appreciate the sober qualities and how it humanizes all involved. They appreciate that it is not told as an action spectacle but remains respectful to the truth. Others find it somewhat slow or lacking in emotional weight, particularly if you are expecting character development or backstory. Some critics also suggested that the film could have gone more deeply into the social or psychological reasons for the attack.
Disenchantment has crept over some quarters in viewing audiences, responding to the transfer of a fairly recent traumatic real-life event into a Netflix thriller. Fair enough. True story movies teeter on a fine line in terms of storytelling or sensitivity. In this case, however, it seems that the filmmakers were careful not to veer off into exploitative territory, with thoughtful attention to the subject. The names were changed, and the criminal’s personal life was only touched on ever so lightly. This goes a long way in preventing the movie from feeling exploitative.
Still, many varying opinions about this particular piece of work have been flying around. One thing is for sure—people are talking about it. It shot up the Netflix charts and into the Top 10 in many nations, hitting No. 2 on the global stage at one time. You can’t treat it as another film that requires little attention. Your focus must remain glued to the screen. It draws you in and never lets go until the very end.
To watch or not to watch: that’s the question. If true crime stories, psychological thrillers, and intense one-location dramas stand out for you, then certainly watch it. But just know that it’s more about emotional tension than action. Not really a blockbuster—just a quiet, intimate reflection on how tenuous safety can be and how much can go wrong in just a few hours.
Bravery also deserves that kind of appreciation. That hostage probably saved so many lives, just by taking that moment to run away. It was heart-stopping; in that moment, he leapt away and brought hope—an act of courage shining in the darkest hours.
When it comes to iHostage, in the absolute end, it is not about crime; rather, it is about people. People under pressure. People fighting to survive. People facing impossible odds. This film does not profess to have all the answers or fully succeed in every respect, but it presents a hell of a story in a way that feels true and respectful. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.
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