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As with most films about the fight against Islamic terrorists, there is a rigidity about the entertainment value derived from pitting white Westerners against big bad Muslims. If you’re willing to overlook some inner challenges, “Hold for Ransom” is a surprisingly thoughtful hostage drama, given the frankness of its title.
Based on the 2013 kidnapping of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was held hostage by the Islamic State for 398 days, the film takes a holistic approach and draws its punches from Puk Damsgaard Andersen’s first mapping book, “The ISIS Hostage.” From the journey to Rye’s release.
A quick opening shows the twist of fate that turns gymnast Daniel (Esben Smed) into a photojournalist and sends him on a trip to Syria that soon goes awry. Rye’s is an inherently remarkable story, involving a brief escape, atrocities at the hands of unyielding torturers, and even bittersweet friendships with fellow prisoners—one of whom was James Foley (Toby Kebbell), whose beheading was videotaped in 2014.
Filmmakers Niels Arden Oplev (“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” from Sweden) and Anders W. Berthelsen unfold these events with tense uncertainty. Back in Denmark, Daniel’s family wrestle with a very different kind of beast when they are forced to raise 2m euros in funding on his behalf, although there is no real assurance that those holding him hostage will keep their part of the bargain. At the same time, a staunch hostage negotiator (Berthelsen) travels back and forth between the two countries, providing Daniel’s family with a shred of hope.
Most intriguing is the film’s take on the thorny issue of “negotiating with terrorists” when Daniel’s family does not receive help from the Danish government, which enforces a zero-tolerance policy. The tension of the human wage against the ideological principle is conveyed poignantly and sharply. When Daniel finally crosses the line of his freedom, but the camera shudders with the weight of his trauma – communicating that experience is ultimately the film’s greatest concern.
held for ransom
Not rated. Danish and English, with subtitles. Working time: 2 hours 18 minutes. In theaters and can be rented or purchased apple tv, voodoo and other streaming platforms and pay-TV operators.
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