33
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s a good looking film, just a tad on the dull and predictable side. But the occasional flash of Hopkins threatens, at several moments, to turn this formulaic true-heist tale into something more psychological, more pathological or at least allegorical. He isn’t really given the chance.
- 42The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthKidnapping Mr. Heineken never conveys how a bunch of working stiffs transformed themselves into a coiled — if scrappy and ragtag — criminal operation.
- 40Village VoiceAaron HillisVillage VoiceAaron HillisJim Sturgess, Sam Worthington, and True Blood's Ryan Kwanten co-star in this glossy, lifelessly paced edition as three of the criminals, though their underwritten personas and motivations are fairly interchangeable.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckBy the time the relatively brief but seemingly interminable proceedings reach their conclusion, viewers may feel like they've been held hostage themselves.
- 40Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzThe utter lack of surprises and waste of a first-rate cast — Anthony Hopkins as Alfred "Freddy" Heineken; Jim Sturgess and Sam Worthington as kidnappers — make for a tremendous letdown.
- 40The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinKidnapping Mr. Heineken isn’t a comedy of incompetence, or the psychological battle of wills its opening scene suggests. It’s hard to see exactly what the filmmakers were going for, beyond bringing a real-life story to the big screen as dutifully and dully as possible.
- 38Slant MagazineCarson LundSlant MagazineCarson LundFor all the thematic emphasis the script ultimately places on the allegedly thick bonds among these men, it's surprising how often they communicate solely through exposition.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithA dull, trite thriller.
- Much like the lager that gives the film its name, Kidnapping Mr. Heineken is bland on the palette and best pissed away.