Contained thrillers are far from a new concept. Whether it be Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant and ever-influential Rear Window or David Fincher’s underrated Panic Room, the idea of secluding a high-stakes situation in a single location has proven to make for some great entertainment. Apple TV+’s new limited series Hijack is like the love child between 24 and the Liam Neeson actioner Non-Stop, telling an intense story in real-time with much of the excitement happening high in the sky. Idris Elba, an almost always reliable presence on screen whether he’s playing John Luther or starring in a big-budget superhero affair, leads the seven-episode series that aims to be a thrilling addition to your summer TV schedule.
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Hjiack follows Tom Nelson (Elba), a successful business negotiator who has become estranged from his wife and son. While on a flight from Dubai to London, Tom is forced to take his skills in negotiating to a new extreme when the plane is hijacked by terrorists. Knowingly risking his life, Tom hopes to find a way to peacefully stop the hijackers by building a sense of trust with them as well as the passengers. In the meantime, government forces on the ground attempt to avoid causing a mass panic among the public, while also trying to find out the hijackers’ ulterior motives.

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‘Hijack’ Would Have Worked Better as a Movie

Image via Apple TV+

Much of Hijack feels familiar, from the simple setup, added familial drama, and twists and turns — even down to the title. The first handful of episodes do show a lot of promise; unlike a film like Non-Stop, Elba’s Tom Nelson isn’t some veteran air marshal who has been thrust into his most daring case yet. Instead, he’s just a regular upper-class man who attempts to use his white-collar business skills of negotiating to deal with terrorists who are trying to ignite a global conflict. There isn’t as much hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, mainly because it really wouldn’t make sense for its characters. Rather, creators George Kay and Jim Field Smith hope to bring much of the thrills through dialogue, and after a while, it becomes pretty repetitive, especially for a series that runs for nearly seven hours. Hijack does do a decent enough job of creating a believable tone and treats the premise in a way that is never too exploitative. In that sense, it is more similar to a show like the BBC’s Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden.

Hijack likely would have worked much better as a two-hour movie rather than a miniseries, as the story begins to get tedious in its latter episodes before finally becoming more compelling in its finale. Imagine if 24 was brought back for another revival, but instead of Jack Bauer thwarting terrorists in exciting globe-trotting adventures, he’s confined to an airplane full of mostly obnoxious passengers who you couldn’t care less about. It simply doesn’t work as a series. The show would benefit from more of a binge-worthy format, but with Apple releasing episodes weekly, it’s hard to see audiences caring enough to stick around week-to-week.

Hijack also spends a large chunk of time with a subplot revolving around Sam’s ex-wife Marsha (Christine Adams) and her boyfriend Daniel (Max Beesley) as they try to break Tom’s son out of his shell. It’s these kinds of elements that could have been trimmed down to bring back at least some sense of suspense. The series attempts to show the events through numerous perspectives, but when most of the characters are already underwritten, you’ll mostly spend your time wondering when Elba will pop back up onscreen. It’s a slow-burn show when it doesn’t need to be, and it really shouldn’t have been.

Idris Elba Carries Much of ‘Hijack’

Image via Apple TV+

Hijack isn’t a bad series in any sense. Whenever Elba shows up on the screen, it comes alive, especially as he stumbles upon some startling revelations in the first two episodes. Moments involving Elba attempting to find a doctor onboard the plane to stitch up a gravely injured passenger prove to be extremely compelling. He is the kind of actor who can be believable in almost any role that you give him, and that’s no different here. It is very easy to feel for Tom and to root for him to talk down the hijackers and make things right with his own family. Jasper Britton also proves himself to be a menacing presence as the hijacker Terry, believable and intimidating in his role. Much of the rest of the cast is either underwritten or depicted in ways that make them unbearable. Rochenda Sandall and Marcus Garvey give decent enough performances as Kate and David Miller, but they are also written in a manner that renders them grating and obnoxious.

Hijack is directed in part by Smith, who steers the thriller away from feeling cheap. It has a clear cinematic look to it, despite the limited locations on the screen. Several of the cliffhangers at the end of each episode also do some of the heavy lifting of keeping the viewer invested, even if some are a bit too predictable. That being said, you never really get a sense of the real-time element that the show has. While Hijack doesn’t need the luminous countdown clock that 24 had, it would have benefited from some sort of looming visual to make the series more immersive.

Hijack could have been one of the more thrilling shows to come out this summer, but it’s simply stretching a simple premise far too thin. It lays out multiple subplots that make the story convoluted, and the episodes start to feel repetitive after a while. Elba does his best to carry the story, once again delivering some solid work, but it’s not enough to save this new miniseries from being seized by mediocrity.

Rating: C

The first two episodes of Hijack premiere on Apple TV+ on June 28, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.