Based on an absurd but true story
2019-04-12
N/A
92 min
Based on the extraordinary true story of the European city’s 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis that was documented in the 1974 New Yorker article “The Bank Drama” by Daniel Lang. The events grasped the world’s attention when the hostages bonded with their captors and turned against the authorities, giving rise to the psychological phenomenon known as “Stockholm Syndrome.”
My wife and I enjoyed this movie. I was a little surprised at how relatively close the plot was to what I read about the incident. It was paced well enough to make what went on in the hostage situation believable. After watching a preview, I expected more humor, but some of it was subtle, too subtle for some reviewers, I’m guessing.
The soundtrack to this film is made up mostly of lesser known (to me at least) Dylan songs. They knew enough to keep the movie fairLy short, at around 90 minutes. They knew they weren't working on Gone with the Wind. I was also relieved that they didn't use that old dependable crutch, the almighty flashback. What backstory they needed they revealed in character dialogue.
So it is a pretty good movie. I won’t go out of my way to watch it again, but I don’t see it as time wasted either.
