Rutger Hauer stars as Alfred Henry (Freddy) Heineken in 21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping based on the sensational true story of the Netherland’s most notorious abduction of Heineken himself in 1983. Directed by Maarten Treurniet, this taut, fast-paced thriller depicts the crime and the punishment by not only focusing on the kidnapping itself but also the after-math, the legal machinations and the lengths that one man will go to for revenge when he has unlimited resources at his disposal.
Rem (Reinout Scholten van Aschat) is an amateur street thug looking for an easy way out of poverty. When he overhears his brother-in-law Cor (Gijs Naber) and associates plotting criminal schemes, Rem wants in on the action. In an effort to impress the others Rem suggests the job to end all jobs – a daring kidnap. The target is Freddy Heineken, the multi-millionaire brewery president. Heineken’s immense wealth is the key attraction but Rem also blames him for his father’s failing health due to alcoholism after long years of service as a Heineken salesman.
The gang successfully execute the kidnapping and demand a large ransom, but when the family refuses to give up any kind of money their plan slowly begins to unravel. Rem is drawn deeper and deeper into the worsening situation and his darker impulses are revealed. When he is tasked with monitoring Freddy’s cell, Rem seems to enjoy the power he holds over the rich man and cruelly tests his psychological resolve.
After 21 days the ransom is finally paid but the police are already closing in. Two of the gang are arrested but Rem and Cor manage to flee to France. They are apprehended but legal proceedings and extradition issues may give them a chance to evade Dutch justice. Freddy Heineken then begins his own quest for extrajudicial revenge.
Release date: On DVD and Blu-ray from 4th February 2013. Check out some stills.
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