Matt Charman wrote Hostage as a contemporary political thriller steeped in suspense and conspiracies. Netflix is positioned as a major home for such high-stakes dramas alongside other hits. Abigail Dalton, played by Suranne Jones, is introduced as a competent, popular prime minister still early in her tenure. Dalton confronts overlapping personal and political crises, including a crippling shortage of vital cancer drugs in the National Health Service. The drug shortage forces a negotiated deal with French president Vivenne Toussaint, portrayed by Julie Delpy, who is depicted as a steely, election-focused, ruthlessly pragmatic leader.
There's nothing quite like a ludicrous political thriller, is there? Questionable believability aside, they make for delicious TV: the suspense, conspiracies aplenty, the sense that you're getting a peek behind the curtain at the inner workings of high political office, as contrived (and unrealistic) as it can all feel. Written by Matt Charman, best known for Bridge of Spies (he also wrote the entertainingly silly, Charlie Cox-starring political thriller Treason), Hostage is just the latest in the genre for Netflix,
The crises she faces are both personal and political: On the one hand, a shortage of vital cancer drugs crippling the National Health Service has forced her to strike up a deal with the French president, Vivenne Toussaint, who is herself facing down the barrel of an election year. Before Sunriseroyalty Julie Delpy plays Toussaint as steely and unrelentingly focused on the task at hand; she is a ruthless pragmatist
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