hostage movie review 2021

[Movie Review] HOSTAGE

• August 26, 2021 August 26, 2021
• Josh Taylor

Who can be the most evil? Sometimes I think that’s what Eddie Augustin ’s full-length feature debut film HOSTAGE is asking. I’ve seen movies similar to this, where the villain ends up being some sort of anti-hero, but this movie is in a consistent pursuit of finding out who is more evil. Sometimes, that quest comes at the detriment of the story itself.

After briefly showing a glimpse at what is to come, HOSTAGE begins its story with a burglary. A man ( Mike Cannz ) breaks into a home not knowing if anyone is home. Unfortunately for him, Ashley (Nicole Henderson) and her father (Daryl Marks) are home. They tie the burglar to a chair and hold him hostage, hence the name. From here on out it becomes a mostly dialogue-led movie filled with lies, manipulation, and unfortunately lots of upsetting language, and not in the sense of 4-letter words.

The biggest flaw of HOSTAGE is that it takes cheap routes to make certain characters eviler than others. Immediately you’d want to side with the family whose home has been broken into, but the father who seems decent enough blurts out the N-word several times in the early goings of the movie. As we meet Ashley’s mother (Tina Trineer) she follows up with the N-word too, so we know she isn’t a good person. Ashley, herself, persistently accuses the burglar of trying to rape her. This writing doesn’t only feel cheap but also can be potentially triggering or off-putting, turning off a potential viewer completely.

If you can stick out those moments of cringe, there is actually some good acting to be seen here. Tina Trineer , in particular, has some wonderful scenes. She rides the line of being completely psychotic while also seeming like your friendly suburban housewife. Nicole Henderson steals the film though. Her torment of the burglar is difficult to watch but captivating, and at times, you might feel a bit sorry for her. She is both a victim and an antagonist and, as I watched, I didn’t know if I should help her or run from her. That’s hard to pull off.

HOSTAGE is a beautiful looking film, with the perfect blend of cinematography, set design, and lighting, but the writing for these characters was so off-putting that I didn’t really care who won this rat race to the bottom. This dialogue-heavy movie can be fun, but it isn’t the psychological thrill ride it aims to be.

HOSTAGE is now available on Digital.

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In Theaters and Digital

Hostage - movie review.

A nice house on the outside equals a nice house on the inside, right?  Maybe not.

Hostage , directed by newcomer Eddie Augustin , has all the right makings for a cult following to grow in the months to follow its debut.  Tightly-made and solid in its handling of edge-of-your-seat thrills and spills, Hostage is not afraid to lead its audience straight into the dead of night on the chilliest night of winter as its mysteries unravel themselves at our feet.

From the rule of not wearing sneakers in the house to its Christmas Eve trimmings, Hostage is ready to deliver the Holiday goods with its character-driven crime thriller leanings.  It’s a home invasion gone wrong and I am here for it.

Co-written by Augustin and Laura Poliasena, Hostage is a dark and demanding story about a robbery gone wrong as one man gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to rob a house of its holiday cheer.  Quite simply, Mark, a down on his luck ruffian, has chosen poorly when it comes to homes to steal from.  He wants an easy ride to soften up his harder edges, but fate has other plans when Ashley, the daughter of the family that lives in the house he’s chosen to rob, takes him hostage.  Soon enough, he’s being grilled by her father who just wants some time to get to know this would be robber and, possibly, rapist.

And that’s just the warm-up in this guns a blazing home invasion story.

Hostage is full-on killer crazy fun as tables and expectations are turned while brutal secrets - long thought lost and abandoned - are revealed.  Ultimately, this is a thriller about choosing sides as an adopted cheerleader must decide between the past or the future in this yuletide bloodbath.  You see, she might have captured a home invasion loser, but the real threat might just be her adopted parents who - without batting an eye - don’t hesitate in showing just what it is that they can do when pushed to the edge.

Starring Nicole Hendersen, Mike Cannz, Daryl Marks, Tina Trineer, Hostage works on many levels as it twists its steely knife into the characters, their backs, and their loyalties.  It is grisly in that grindhouse way as characters are twisted and paraded around thanks to a cast who is all about capturing their essence.  Ultimately, the film works to create an atmosphere that is endlessly shocking thanks to its tight quarters and its “out there” characters.

Hostage is brutality on a low budget.  It has its fair share of twists and turns, and as almost everyone has a dark side in this suspenseful movie, the audience is never sure who exactly to root for.  It makes for some sparkling debate as the movie goes on and, as it ends on a rather shocking note, Hostage makes for an solid indie thriller thanks to an engaged cast and an active camera which showcases the set design and the characters within its haunted halls.

Hostage debuts from Terror Films on August 20.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language. Runtime: 94 mins Director : Eddie Augustin Writer: Laura Ashley Polisena; Eddie Augustin Cast: Nicole Henderson; Simon Pelletier; Daryl Marks Genre : Horror | Thriller Tagline: Some family secrets are deadly. Memorable Movie Quote: Distributor: Terror Films Official Site: Release Date: August 20, 2021 DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Synopsis : From writers Laura Ashley Polisena and Eddie Augustin (also director), the film follows young cheerleader Ashley, who was adopted by her parent’s killers. Years later, during a home robbery, her crazed family reveal what they are really capable of and Ashley must decide who’s side she is on.

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Rogue Hostage

Single father and former Marine Kyle Snowden, on a routine stop for his job in Child Protective Services, finds himself and a group of innocent customers trapped inside his stepfather's stor... Read all Single father and former Marine Kyle Snowden, on a routine stop for his job in Child Protective Services, finds himself and a group of innocent customers trapped inside his stepfather's store. Single father and former Marine Kyle Snowden, on a routine stop for his job in Child Protective Services, finds himself and a group of innocent customers trapped inside his stepfather's store.

• Mickey Solis
• Tyrese Gibson
• Christopher Backus
• John Malkovich
• 139 User reviews
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• Kyle Snowden

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• (as Chris Backus)

• Clove Martinez

• Angel Snowden

• (as Carlos Sanchez)

• (as Aleksander Vashelboym)

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User reviews 139

• Jun 11, 2021
• How long is Rogue Hostage? Powered by Alexa
• June 11, 2021 (United States)
• United States
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• Yale Productions
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• Runtime 1 hour 33 minutes

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Directed by Eddie Augustin

Young cheerleader Ashley is adopted by her parent’s killers. Years later, during a home robbery, her crazed family reveal what they are really capable of and Ashley must decide who’s side she is on.

Nicole Henderson Tina Trineer Daryl Marks Maria Jimena Osorio Mike Cannz Nico DeCastris

Director Director

Eddie Augustin

Writers Writers

Laura Ashley Polisena Eddie Augustin

Anxious Eddy Inc Rev13Films

Alternative Titles

رهينة, Refém, 顫慄人質, 人质, Włamywacz

Releases by Date

27 aug 2021, 29 nov 2021, releases by country.

82 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by madegeeky ★★½ 2

Hello, I'd like to speak to the manager of whoever wrote the description(s) of this movie. I have a complaint to make.

So, as of 30 Aug. 2021 the two descriptions I've found for it (this one and another found on Amazon) describe a movie but it sure isn't this one. Here's mine:

A teen girl and her family have their home broken into one night. Unfortunately for the robber, they are not a normal family, and he soon finds himself at the mercy of the psychopathic teen and her family. (This isn't great but it's a damn sight better than the two I found.)

Side note: I think this film would be spectacular as a play on stage. Found it wanting as a film though.

Review by Channel Donstar (Roger B. Domian) ½

No no no no...

That's all I'm gonna say.

Take a major pass on this one.

Review by Femalienations ★★½

Iiiiii don't know about this one 😅 What is it trying to say? She should have appreciated her mom earlier? That doesn't feel right. Sometimes even a thief (I personally don't have a problem with thieves per definition but this movie seems to 🤷‍♀️) can teach you something valuable if you terrorize and torture them enough? That doesn't really feel right either. Once a murderer always a murderer? That might be it but I think it is a fallacy so 😅

Review by Paul ★★★★★

Fantastic indie film. Intense from the start and packed with plenty of cool imagery and tension. Very crisp cinematography and editing. I'd say it's a testament to how great indie films could be when effort is put into the quality of cinematography and effects. The scenes are long, tense, and offer a lot by way of character development. Every scene had me curious. Information is offered to the viewer at a great pace. K go watch it!

Review by GreggoMyEggo ½

The things she did to that man was not halal

Review by frankiefox ★

The mother standing in front of the antlers was a pretty cool image. Otherwise just no.

Review by Frank Fox ½

Bad acting and unnatural dialogue, she could be better with a good director… Boring and overall, a waste of time.

Review by gybrshthrpwd ★★½

This movie is pretty well crafted from a technical standpoint. I also enjoyed the third act. However, up until that point the characters and dialogues are very badly written. Some of the lines are SO cringeworthy that they feel like a three year old wrote them. What shame, because I liked the concept of this movie. All that being said, it seems to be the first movie making experience for everyone involved, which is kind of impressive, so I'm gonna give half an extra star for that.

Review by anaghast vincent anathema ½

what if this was my 13th reason

Review by kitshrek ★

can't give more than 1 star to a film that has two white characters drop the n word multiple times for literally no reason

Review by Mandi ½

I understand that this is the first movie for everyone involved but it was so bad. Weird coloring changes that didn’t make sense?? The writing was so weird and made no sense!?!!? And dropping the n word with white actors multiple times for absolutely no reason?!?!! Interesting plot though and it was funny

Review by Dustin Baker ★½

Hey, bet you never saw a movie dumped to Prime where someone's tied to a fucking chair for 90 minutes, have you? Fuck. At this point it seems like a sick joke to keep making retread throwaways like this. This offers nothing worth remembering, save for how obnoxious and wooden the characters are.

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By Alex Saveliev | August 25, 2021

As far as ultra-lo-fi, DIY productions go, you could do worse than co-writer/director Eddie Augustin’s horror thriller  Hostage . You could also do a lot better. As derivative as its title, the film contains its share of cringe-inducing moments, some intended as such, and some certainly not. Gorehounds may be disappointed, as the film relies heavily on extended passages of dialogue, at least until the blood-soaked finale. Since the dialogue almost transcends “atrocious” into a sort of blissful lunacy, fans of psychological thrillers will most likely also be left unsatisfied. Neither here nor there, it’s not a keeper, but don’t discard it straight away either.

Ashley (Nicole Henderson) and her father, Thomas (Daryl Marks), apprehend a thief, Mark (Mike Cannz), during the latter’s attempt to break in on Christmas Eve. The hunter becomes the prey, as daddy and daughter tie Mark to a chair and question him. Things only become weirder. “Now we’re gonna have some time to get to know each other quite well, Mark,” Thomas says.

Hostage  then diverts to another storyline, its B-plot, taking place entirely within the confines of a coffee shop, wherein Ashley asks someone to murder her mother (Tina Trineer). And there’s the C-plot involving Grace (Maria Jimena Osorio) and some truly reprehensible acts of violence. Viewers are thrust between storylines with reckless abandon, which sadly doesn’t help make any of them palatable.

“… daddy and daughter tie Mark to a chair and question him.”

Ashley is a victim here, okay. Her vicious upbringing led her to this. Her parents, who casually spit racial slurs, embody American sadism, doled out nonchalantly. Is the thriller a thinly-veiled treatise on America’s white suburbia? A study of parental domination? Laura Ashley Polisena and Augustin’s screenplay touches upon these themes – or, rather, slams them into our face with the bluntness of a sledgehammer – but fails to explore them fully. At least, you know, they’re there, limp and lifeless. It’s not all  completely  stoopid.

The acting leaves a lot to be desired. But no one watching this film expects  Macbeth . Henderson turns the ham dial to 11, chewing scenery with relish. It’s a committed performance and enjoyable for its camp value, but a good performance it’s not. Maria Jimena Osorio fares better, surely a more relaxed screen presence, and it’s a shame to see so little time devoted to her character. There’s one sequence involving Grace and a break-in that’s so twisted and well-done, it serves as a glimpse into the film  Hostage  could have been.

Scenes both baffling and amusing permeate the narrative. Ashley eats a cheesesteak in front of someone in a strange, extended sequence that both draws you in and leaves you slightly dumbfounded. “I’m fine with it, really,” Ashley says nonchalantly, referring to, you know, cold-blooded murder. “You know how I feel about shoes in the house,” the dad exclaims during a tense moment. Other memorable verbal tidbits include: “Chill, you f*****g p***y. Just trying to keep your a*s awake, bitch.”; “As serious as an HIV test, that’s how serious it is”; “Kids die every day. People die, so what.” My favorite quote, however, comes during a throwaway moment that involves a spiel about social security. Again, I wish there were more non-sequiturs like this one.

Cheesy and ridiculous,  Hostage  may prove to be more fun if you were to stumble upon it really high, awake deep at the night, flipping through channels. There’s wry humor and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness to be found, but you’d have to dig through a hell of a lot of murk to get to it. “Yeah, not very smart,” one of the characters says. My thoughts exactly.

Hostage (2021)

Directed: Eddie Augustin

Written: Laura Ashley Polisena, Eddie Augustin

Starring: Nicole Henderson, Simon Pelletier, Daryl Marks, Maria Jimena Osorio, Mike Cannz, Tina Trineer, etc.

Movie score: 5/10

"…not a keeper, but don't discard it straight away either."

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Young cheerleader Ashley is adopted by her parent’s killers. Years later, during a home robbery, her crazed family reveal what they are really capable of and Ashley must decide who’s side she is on.

Eddie Augustin

Laura Ashley Polisena

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Nicole Henderson

Tina Trineer

Daryl Marks

Maria Jimena Osorio

Nico DeCastris

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Hostage (2021)

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Common Sense Media Review

By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Very violent hostage drama.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is an exceptionally violent movie with extreme, intense, and graphic images and many kinds of weapons. Characters are in severe peril, including children and a young girl who is bound and threatened with rape. Many characters are wounded or killed. Characters drink and use drugs and use…

Why Age 18+?

Very strong language.

Extreme, intense, and graphic violence, many injuries and deaths.

Drinking and drug use.

Sexual references and threats are made.

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Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents need to know that this is an exceptionally violent movie with extreme, intense, and graphic images and many kinds of weapons. Characters are in severe peril, including children and a young girl who is bound and threatened with rape. Many characters are wounded or killed. Characters drink and use drugs and use some very strong language. A strength of the movie is strong minority and female characters. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 8 parent reviews

Some graphic violence and gore and a lot of swearing 16+

Violent action movie not for kids, what's the story.

Three combustible forces come together in one fortress of a mansion in this bloodbath of a hostage drama. First is Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis), a former big-time hostage negotiator who was shattered by a tragic failure and gave it up to become a small-town police chief. Second is three strung-out teens who decide to steal an SUV but end up in the house when things get out of control, taking the owner and his two children hostage. Third is a group of ruthless professional bad guys who have no interest in the boys or the hostages but will do whatever it takes to retrieve a DVD with some very important files that is hidden inside the house, its location only known to a man who is unconscious.

Is It Any Good?

HOSTAGE has a nice set-up. The contrast between the impulsive, hot-headed amateurs and the implacable, cold-blooded professionals as they interact with the hostages and the increasingly compromised Talley take this story above the usual guns and explosions multiplex fodder.

The film also has some good performances, especially Ben Foster as the most volatile of the boys. It has a sensational opening credit sequence. But the dialogue is stock UPN-drama and a promising premise disintegrates quickly into standard guns and explosions fare.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why Talley responded the way he did to the tragic outcome of the first hostage situation in the film. How can a negotiator gain the confidence of someone who may be disturbed or irrational?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 11, 2005
• On DVD or streaming : June 21, 2005
• Cast : Bruce Willis , Jimmy Bennett , Kevin Pollak
• Director : Florent Emilio Siri
• Studio : Miramax
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 113 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong graphic violence, language and some drug use
• Last updated : August 3, 2023

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Hostage Review

11 Mar 2005

118 minutes

Five years. Five years of crap like The Whole Nine Yards, The Whole Ten Yards and Tears Of The Sun. Five long years since Unbreakable - the last time we had anything remotely approaching a cracking Bruce Willis movie. Now, Hostage is hardly a spectacular end to this famine (that honour will likely fall to Robert Rodriguez's upcoming comic-book adaptation, Sin City), but this convoluted-yet-fun action thriller does just enough to show that Willis has still got the drop on most of the young pretenders muscling in on his action hero business.

Right from the intriguing opening sequence, which hints at the bleakness which envelops the movie, Willis' Talley is an interesting character - he-s a truly broken man, more passive and vulnerable than the typical Willis protagonist. And even when, somewhat inevitably, he does what a man's gotta do, and the guns and all-action demeanour come out, the wisecracks stay firmly locked away, replaced by a palpable air of fear and desperation. It's a fine, deliberately underplayed performance by Willis, and he grounds the film in the face of an almost unfeasibly complicated plot, which piles contrivance upon contrivance - Kevin Pollak's hostage just happens to be a Mafia accountant? One of the three kidnappers is a card-carrying psychopath? - until it's all fit to burst.

Even with Willis' stoic performance anchoring the absurdity, this could have gone tits-up very easily - but former video-game director Siri, in his first English-language movie, manages to hold things together with some decent camerawork and some brave choices (an excellent sequence sees Willis bidding to rescue a hostage while at the mercy of Foster's maniac). Siege movies live and die by the tension they generate, and in making the plight of the squabbling hostage-takers as interesting as Willis' efforts to break into the compound and save his family, Siri manages to keep the audience on its toes.

Sadly, a horrendous final act, which sees the Mafia, the psycho and Willis all converge upon each other in a burning building, comes close to undoing his good work as Siri cranks up the slo-mo, hikes up the half-baked religious imagery and aims for a big emotional finish. He misses by some considerable distance.

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‘Hostage’ review: Swedish plane hijack thriller could do with a bit more thrust

‘Hostage’ (Channel4.com) 3/5

Adam Lundgren as Erik, the co-pilot under pressure in Swedish thriller 'Hostage'. Photo: Walter Presents

One of the surprise hits of last year was Hijack, a rollicking, ridiculously entertaining airborne thriller fuelled by the pure star power of Idris Elba as a business negotiator who has to save the day in real time.

It was so popular, it became only the second Apple TV+ series after Ted Lasso to break into the Nielsen Ratings in the US. To no one’s surprise, a second season is on the way.

There’s no danger anybody will ever confuse Hijack with Hostage (episodes one and two streaming on Channel4.com). This Swedish thriller, also centred on the hijacking of an airliner, is a more slow-burning affair. Some might even say it’s a bit too slow-burning for its own good.

Based on a novel by Kristina Ohlsson, a popular Swedish crime writer, it reunites criminologist Fredrika Bergman (Liv Mjones) and detective Alex Recht (Jonas Karlsson), the protagonists of 2018’s police procedural Stockholm Requiem, which is also streaming on Channel4.com.

A lot has changed in six years. Fredrika is now working for the ministry of justice, while Alex is no longer a cop.

“Didn’t he leave the force to have a breakdown?” says a character who could probably do with brushing up on their sensitivity training.

With his unkempt hair, baggy cardigan, haunted expression and unfortunate habit of wearing socks with his sandals, Alex – who tells people he’s “between jobs” – certainly gives every impression of a man who’s been through the emotional wringer.

A Nordic Airlines flight is en route from Stockholm to San Francisco when terrorists remotely take control of the plane’s computer system, causing the power to fail temporarily.

When it comes back on, the crew receive a message from the hackers that there’s a bomb on the plane.

The hijackers demand two things: the release of Said Khelfi (Tsahi Halevi), a Syrian music professor who’s been arrested by SAPO, the Swedish security service, during a public engagement in Stockholm, and the turning over of all files related to something called Operation Tennyson, which is apparently so secret, nobody in SAPO has ever heard of it.

The CIA want to extradite Khelfi, an outspoken critic of the West’s involvement in the Middle East, on a charge of conspiracy to commit terrorism.

To Fredrika’s annoyance, she finds herself seconded to bossy SAPO counter-terrorism agent Eden Lundell (Ana Gil de Melo Nascimento), who leaves her in no doubt that she and she alone is the one running the show.

The plane’s captain (Zardasht Rad), a taciturn type who seems to be permanently agitated, is ordered to turn the plane around and fly back into Swedish airspace. He refuses, saying the safety of his passengers comes first.

Around about here, you might find yourself questioning the intelligence of the intelligence service.

It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone that the captain’s odd behaviour could be a sign that he’s being blackmailed into doing the hijackers’ bidding.

Luckily, though, the co-pilot is none other than Alex’s son Erik (Adam Lundgren). So Alex is brought in from the wilderness to try to persuade Erik to take control of the plane away from the captain and execute an emergency landing in Iceland.

Hostage takes a while to get off the ground and, at least in the two opening episodes, never reaches full throttle. Flashbacks to 2014, which presumably have some bearing on present-day events, slow things down.

The suspense comes from trying to figure out who among the passengers are the bad guys. It’s made plain from early on who on the plane is causing the power to shut down.

But since when did plane hijackers fly solo? Could the grey-haired Swedish woman who reports the suspicious behaviour of the bloke in the seat next to her really be just deflecting suspicion from herself?

Could the gruff, middle-aged man who keeps enquiring about his parcel that’s been stashed in the hold be in on it? Or how about the pretty, perma-smiling new cabin crew member Lydia, who seems unperturbed by the prospect of being blown to smithereens?

Hostage, which continues on More4 on Friday, does just about enough to hold the attention, but it’s going to need a lot more thrust in order to stick the landing.

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Summary Devastated by an unspeakable tragedy while on the job as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD, Jeff Talley (Willis) resigns and accepts a low profile job as the chief of police in a sleepy town. On a slow Monday morning Talley's job becomes anything but quiet and sets him on a course that could change not only his professional but personal ... Read More

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REVIEW: “Rogue Hostage” (2021)

“Fast and Furious” wisecracker Tyrese Gibson is handed a much more serious role leading the upcoming action-thriller “Rogue Hostage”. Jon Keyes directs from a story by screenwriter Mickey Solis. Their movie, set mostly in a Wal-Mart styled department store, starts out with glimmers of promise. But as the tropes start to pile up and the flimsiness of both the characters and the story is exposed, it quickly becomes evident that the film’s title isn’t the only thing that’s generic.

Gibson plays Kyle Snowden, a former Marine suffering from severe PTSD following a traumatic tour of duty in Afghanistan. Now he works for child protective services with his fellow caseworker and friend Clove (Brandi Bravo). Through a couple of vague information drops we learn that Kyle’s wife up and left him and their young daughter Angel (Zani Jones Mbayise). We never learn why, only that her departure has left Kyle in a tough spot.

Kyle’s stepfather, a wealthy local business owner named Sam Nelson (John Malkovich), doesn’t help much. He barely notices Kyle’s struggles, instead offering such unhelpful advice as “ You need to find your purpose again .” The hard-to-read Nelson is much more interested in his bid for Congress, and with the election right around the corner optics are everything.

Of course in a movie like this you have to have a baddie and here we get it in the form of Eagan Raize, an angry militant type holding a pretty big grudge. He’s played by Christopher Backus who has both the look and demeanor that the role demands. His introduction is foreboding and frightening. It teases a ruthless and unstable antagonist, driven by something unseen and determined to see his personal mission through. Unfortunately like so much else in “Rogue Hostage”, he too becomes a shallow caricature and the kind of cookie-cutter villain you could plug into almost any movie of this type.

The story is kickstarted when Kyle and Clove rescue a young Mexican boy and stop by Sam’s store to get him something to eat. Inside Sam is prepping to shoot a new campaign ad making it the perfect time for Eagan and his two heavily armed cousins to barge in and take over the place. From there the movie turns into your prototypical hostage flick with Kyle trapped inside with an assortment of surface-level characters – the resourceful store manager Sunshine (Luna Lauren Vélez), a young shoplifter (Holly Taylor), Nelson’s self-absorbed press secretary (Susannah Hoffman) to name a few.

From there nothing about how “Rogue Hostage” plays out will surprise you. Despite hitting some pretty conventional beats, it sets itself up to be a fairly entertaining genre film. But soon all hints at originality start to unravel and it becomes your garden-variety hostage thriller with most of the clichés yet none of the thrills. And it tosses in so many themes yanked from today’s newspaper headlines. Income inequality, white supremacy, guns, the southern border, crony capitalism and more, all handled superficially and with no punch whatsoever. Just more frustration from this unfortunate misfire. “Rogue Hostage” opens tomorrow (June 11th) in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

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6 thoughts on “ review: “rogue hostage” (2021) ”.

Oh dear that sounds more meh than a meh thing on a meh day. Pass.

It’s pretty……meh.

EH…. Come on John Malkovich! You’re better than this.

Pure overrated American crap…

I wasn’t a fan either.

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‘Rogue Hostage’ Review: Everything Must Go

In this film from Jon Keeyes, violent men take over a giant store. Nearly all the major hostages are connected, but nothing makes sense.

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By Ben Kenigsberg

The bulk of “Rogue Hostage” takes place during the siege of a Walmart-like store where customers love buying stuff cheaply, the proprietor, Sam Nelson (John Malkovich), smugly notes. It’s the sort of place where you might expect to stumble on a familiar-sounding but possibly imagined movie like “Rogue Hostage” on the DVD rack. The recycling bin would also do.

On a day when Sam, who is also a congressman, plans to appear at the store, violent men led by Eagan (Chris Backus) hold the venue and its shoppers hostage, with the seeming goal of getting Sam to confess a crime. The motive isn’t really relevant — or at least the director, Jon Keeyes, and screenwriter, Mickey Solis, treat it that way. The tossed-off explanations for the villains’ behavior don’t add up to much.

Nearly all the characters are connected, but nothing makes sense. The trapped customers include the movie’s hero, Kyle (Tyrese Gibson), a former Marine and current officer for child protective services. He happens to be Sam’s stepson, and a foster child he’s worked with, Mikki (Holly Taylor), happens to be a store employee. Mikki spends most of the siege in the security office with her boss, Sunshine (Luna Lauren Velez), who used to tutor Eagan when he was in high school.

Even in establishing physical space — it’s hard to figure out how Kyle subdues a man who is abusive to a child or where he hides in the home goods section, or how Sunshine opens a door without detonating a bomb — “Rogue Hostage” is shoddy work.

Rogue Hostage Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Apple TV , Vudu and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.

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‘Rogue Hostage’ Summary & Ending, Explained – Big Words Without A Spine

Battlefields have casualties. Death is a possibility but the worst is its nightmares. In Rogue Hostage , US marine Kyle Snowden is haunted by a battlefield memory that has taken a toll on his present. But the film doesn’t ponder much into PTSD. Instead, it majorly focuses on big guns and bombs. The protagonist fights against rogues to protect his family.

Directed by Jon Keeyes and written by Mickey Solis, the film stars talented Tyrese Gibson and witty John Malkovich in the lead roles. But even without a perfect cast and crew, the film has its flaws, majorly the writing, that hinders its engagement.

Plot Summary

Set in a rural US state, the film begins with a battlefield nightmare flashback that wakes up marine Kyle Snowden ( Tyrese Gibson ). After the frightening incident (the nightmare events), Kyle left the service and now works in Child Protective Services. However, his wife left him for no apparent reasons, and thus, he is the sole guardian of his younger daughter, Angel.

With a feasible premise, the narrative brings in conflict. A rogue group of mercenaries plans to attack Congressmen Sam Nelson ( John Malkovich ). The leader of the group, Eagan Raize ( Christopher Backus ), shares a personal enmity with the congressmen. His father, Luther, was Nelson’s business partner who was sent to jail for 18 years in a fraud case. Eagan believes that Nelson ruined his father’s life to take over the business.

Interestingly, Sam Nelson is Kyle’s stepfather and Angel’s grandfather. On the day Eagan attacked Nelson’s store in the town, Kyle, his daughter, and many others happened to be under the same room. Kyle is now required to pick them up again, or else he won’t save the hostages. But picking up again would mean killing people, and is he ready for the bloodshed?

Major Spoilers Ahead

‘Rogue Hostage’ Ending, Explained

On the battlefield, Kyle shot his own partner accidentally. But the remorse was heavy, and it kept deteriorating his sanity. He was never able to pick up a gun again. In fact, the sight of a gun made him lose his mind. But when Eagan attacked the store and planted a bomb in it, Kyle had no other option but to become a marine.

Eagan entered the store with a motive to bring out a change. To seize capitalism and capitalism in his town. He wanted to destroy Nelson and set out an example. However, by the end, none of his big words were supported by his endeavor. He ended up stealing money from the store and taking Sunshine ( Luna Lauren Velez ) at gunpoint because he was infatuated by her. It is one of the lousiest character sketches of a rogue that I have ever witnessed.

After the murder of Kyle’s companion, Clove from the Child Protective Services, the Spanish kid Manny became Kyle’s responsibility. In a Hollywood action hero avatar, he raided the rogues and saved the day (in an awful action sequence).

Manny was adopted by Kyle until further notice from the court. Shoplifter Mikki steals Nelson’s money that was picked up by Eagan. She shared it with Sunshine and a store worker, hoping to live a better life with it. Nelson tried to convince the officers that it was a planned robbery and not an act of terrorism to get sanctioned for insurance money. However, his efforts went futile, and he lost a huge chunk of his wealth. But, nevertheless, Kyle and Nelson made peace at the end, which was way more important than the store money.

Rogue Hostage is a 2021 action thriller film directed by Jon Keeyes .

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Doug emhoff says he's 'gutted' after killing of goldberg-polin, hostages.

• ASSOCIATED PRESS
• Sep 4, 2024

An Israeli-American family that became an international symbol in the struggle to free hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza laid their son to rest on Monday after the discovery of his body and those of five others brought a fresh outpouring of grief. Tens of thousands of people thronged a J…

WASHINGTON — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris — and the first Jewish person married to a nationally elected U.S. leader — said he is “gutted” after the killing of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Goldberg-Polin spent his youth in Richmond.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin is shown with his mother Rachel Goldberg as a child.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, pictured on screen, speak Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Speaking Tuesday at a vigil for the hostages at his synagogue in Washington, Emhoff said, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Hersh and his parents, or about the five others and their families.” He added: “This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted.”

Emhoff, who stands to become the nation’s “first gentleman” if Harris is elected president in November, has emerged as a prominent administration liaison to the Jewish community and a voice in countering antisemitism, particularly in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. About 1,200 people, including at least 40 Americans, were killed in the assault, and about 250 more were taken hostage.

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“How you feel right now is how I feel,” Emhoff said at the event at the Adas Israel Congregation organized by local and national Jewish groups. “And how we all feel is something Kamala hears directly from me.”

He added: “Hersh’s loss feels personal to the two of us. We’re both grieving.”

Goldberg-Polin , 23, lived in Richmond for four years when his father worked at Capital One and later immigrated to Israel.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and local buildings and grounds in memory of him.

Emhoff recounted his and Harris’ conversation with Goldberg-Polin’s parents on Sunday, a day after Israeli forces discovered their bodies in a tunnel under Gaza. He said that even while mourning the loss of their son, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jonathan Polin were pressing Harris about the latest on the negotiations to reach a cease-fire deal that would free other hostages.

“Part of Rachel and Jon’s world had just ended, and they somehow are still looking forward and looking out for others,” Emhoff said.

He continued: “Jon and Rachel’s hearts have room to hold everyone. They are not giving up, and neither can we. Not on this 333rd day. Not ever. Not until every hostage is reunited with their family.”

Emhoff added that Harris and President Joe Biden are working “around the clock to get a hostage and cease-fire deal done.” He said, “The time to bring them home is now.”

Goldberg-Polin and Polin spoke at last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago as part of their family’s global tour to raise awareness about the hostages and their plight. Emhoff said they understood “that unless we tell the story again and again, we have no hope of ‘never again,’” and said the Jewish community must continue to tell the stories of the hostages.

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Gallery: hersh goldberg-polin funeral, israel palestinians.

Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, attend their son's funeral in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

MOURNING THEIR SON

The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, attend his funeral in Jerusalem on Monday. The body of the former Richmond resident was found in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. 

Mourners gather by the grave of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal attend the funeral of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

The burial of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog speaks during the funeral of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, as parents Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg, and sisters Orly and Leebie sit at rear, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents, and sisters Orly and Leebie of killed US-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose body was recovered with five other hostages in Gaza, speak during the funeral in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

Mourners march during the funeral of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.

A mourner comforts Jon Polin, left, father of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, on his way to his son's funeral Monday in Jerusalem.

Jon Polin, center left, and Rachel Goldberg, center right, parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, attend their son’s funeral in Jerusalem on Monday.

Mourners wave Israeli flags on Monday as they accompany the family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on their way to his funeral in Jerusalem.

A mourner comforts Jon Polin, left, father of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, on his way to his son's funeral in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Israel said Sunday it recovered the bodies of six hostages, including Goldberg-Polin's. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

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Country singer jelly roll performs at oregon prison, country singer jelly roll took a break from touring arenas to play a concert for inmates at an oregon prison.

• Sep 5, 2024
• Sep 5, 2024 Updated 2 hrs ago

FILE - Jelly Roll performs during CMA Fest on Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.

• Amy Harris - invision linkable, Amy Harris/Invision/AP

FILE - Jelly Roll performs during "Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Detroit.

• Carlos Osorio - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Country singer Jelly Roll has been playing sold-out shows across the U.S. as part of his “Beautifully Broken” tour. But earlier this week, his venue wasn't a massive arena: it was the Oregon State Penitentiary.

The award-winning artist posted a video and photos of his visit to the Salem prison on Instagram, showing him singing a cover of Johnny Cash's “Folsom Prison Blues” and signing autographs for people incarcerated at the prison.

According to Jelly Roll, it was the first live music in the prison yard in 20 years.

“I am a firm believer that if we commit crimes we should do our time and be held accountable for our actions, but I also believe that every human deserves love no matter how bad of a decision they have made,” the 39-year-old wrote on Instagram.

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Jelly Roll, who was incarcerated in his youth, said he wrote his first song while behind bars.

“It never feels better than to come back behind a wall and sing a song for y’all,” he told the crowd.

His lyrics often touch on his troubled past and issues of addiction, and in his video from the prison, one man speaks about how Jelly Roll's music changed his life.

“I heard ‘Save Me’ on the radio, and I got clean that day,” the man said, referring to a song on Jelly Roll’s most recent album.

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, began his musical career as a rapper before becoming an acclaimed country artist. In 2023, he won New Artist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.

“I remember being in a dark place and no one ever coming through and showing us any hope of changing the path of our lives,” he said. “It felt so good bringing a little light to such a dark place.”

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