snake on a plane
Does Idris Elba Make Apple TV's Thriller Series 'Hijack' Worth Watching? Here's What The Reviews Say
It's been a while since we've gotten a show that plays out in real time, where every hour of screen time is exactly an hour in the show's plot to those characters. "Hijack" is the latest TV series to attempt this feat and maintain the tension and excitement throughout, and of course since it's about a plane being hijacked it has to star Gerald Butler or Liam Neeson...
Wait, I'm being told it's actually Idris Elba instead. At first you had our curiosity, but now you have our attention.
"Hijack" just ended its first season on Apple TV, and stars Neil Maskell, Christine Adams, Eve Myles, Archie Panjabi, Max Beesley, Neil Stuke, Jasper Britton, Jack McMullen, Ben Miles and Kate Phillips. Here's what critics have to say about the new thriller.
The premise
Six episodes into the seven-episode limited series of Apple TV+'s "Hijack," it's hard not to wonder, 'What are we actually doing here?' The series from George Kay (Lupin) is designed to track the hijacking of a plane from Dubai to London in "real time," much like Kiefer Sutherland's "24." In practice, what this means for "Hijack" is a lot of killing time.
Idris Elba plays Sam Nelson, a man who boards a plane to London in hopes of winning back his ex, Marsha (Christine Adams), who conveniently happens to be involved with a British detective, Daniel (Mac Beesley). The plane is hijacked minutes into the flight, which means Nelson has about seven hours to keep the passengers calm, prevent the hijackers from killing anyone, and defuse the situation before the plane lands in London.
This is the Idris Elba show
I don't know what the marketing people were thinking, but the casting folk played a blinder. Only Elba could carry this perfect piece of summer insanity off. Even then, it requires every ounce of his physically and metaphorically massive presence to do so... But of course, Elba is innately, majestically, irreducibly, all these things. And upon this rock, seven hours of preposterousness can safely be built. Which is not to say the creators have not taken their responsibilities seriously.
For his part, Elba maintains an effortless air of authority that made him so formidable in "The Wire" and "Luther," but he gets to play against that type to some degree here. Sam is a high-powered businessman, famous for his abilities as a negotiator, but he's not an action hero. In fact, he spends much of "Hijack" desperately trying to prevent anything violent from occurring on the plane, even if that means playing nice with the terrorists. It's a fascinating subversion of the typical power fantasy that actors like Elba are often tasked to embody.
With some actors, the idea that a basically normal businessman might be this innately persuasive could read as self-aggrandizing, even delusional. In Elba's strong, steady hands, it becomes the simplest thing in the world to believe Sam is truly that charming. He plays Sam with the self-possession of a man who has nothing to prove to anyone. None of the other characters get fleshed out to nearly the same degree. Most get to be in the thick of the action for a scene or an episode, before fading into the background.
Listen, it's not perfect
"Hijack" is not without its flaws. Sam's ex-wife and son pop in and out of the narrative but don't add much, other than helping communicate to officials that something is wrong with the flight. There are some pretty big logical leaps required for some silly moments, particularly the governmental response to the hijacking, which vacillates from head-scratching to totally ludicrous. The hijackers motivations are absurd and the reveal of the big villains pulling the strings is a letdown.
The show's silliness goes hand in hand with its modest spinelessness, as it habitually strives to avoid clearly defined political elements or viewpoints that might step on anyone's toes — to the point that even the idea of calling Stuart and his mates "terrorists" is overtly corrected by British Foreign Secretary Louise (Hattie Morahan), who's the good government-official foil to bad Home Secretary Neil (Neil Stuke). Increasingly determined to avoid controversy by setting its tale in a hazy and phony facsimile of reality, "Hijack" ultimately sabotages the very authenticity that was the ostensible goal of its real-time gimmick.
As the story unfurls, though, not everything adds up. Questions linger after the final episode and it's unclear if that's purposeful. (Maybe a season two is in the works?) It's a miracle Elba's character doesn't get himself shot for all the interfering he does in the hijackers plan, but the character is easy to root for. A cliff-hanger at the end of the penultimate episode is a great twist, although the finale has a few holes. Despite its missteps, however, "Hijack" is tension-filled and gripping, often putting the viewer on the edge of their seat. It's stressful, although probably not as much as your upcoming summer vacation. This is far more entertaining and far less tedious than an actual seven-hour flight.
TL;DR
"Hijack" largely succeeds because it dances around clichés with finesse.
Hardly any of the characters are plausible or likeable.
A gripping "24"-style exercise in escapism.
"It's like, 'yo, man, I think I can do these negotiations myself.'"
