Hostage

The film opens with real-world news clips detailing the Beirut crisis, including bombings and the hijacking of TWA flight 847. Reporter John McCarthy finishes a story about Brian Keenan, the kidnapped Irish lecturer who was abducted days earlier. This opening establishes the backdrop and stakes of the hostage drama.

En route to Beirut Airport, McCarthy's car is surrounded and he is identified as British, then abducted by the captors. He is taken to a Beirut apartment, stripped, blindfolded, and locked in a closet. The abduction sets the chain of events that follows for the other hostages.

Back home in the United Kingdom, Jill Morrell seeks guidance from local officials on securing John's release. Officials bluntly declare there will be no negotiations with the captors. The denial of negotiations cements the government's hard line stance during the crisis.

Brian Keenan's sisters seek help from Belfast officials, mirroring Jill's efforts. They confront similar inaction as authorities refuse to negotiate. The sisters' pursuit mirrors the broader public push for intervention.

McCarthy is moved to another Beirut location where he shares a room with Brian Keenan. The two men forge a cautious friendship as they endure brutal conditions, including beatings, meager food, lack of sunlight, and dirty, bug-infested cells. Their camaraderie becomes a lifeline amid oppression.

As Syria invades Beirut, McCarthy, Keenan, and Reed are duct-taped and moved under the underside of a pickup truck to a new location. They are joined by American hostages Terry Anderson, Thomas Sutherland, and Frank Reed. The five hostages are then kept in harsher, more cramped conditions.

The hostages remain together, chained to walls and blindfolded whenever their captors enter. Anderson's sister Peggy Say works with Morrell and Keenan's sisters to publicize the plight to local media. Their efforts aim to apply pressure and attract international attention to secure a resolution.

Reed is released after some time, and later Keenan is released, though the process inspires optimism that is often thwarted by last-minute cancellations. The captors repeatedly promise imminent releases that fail to materialize, creating a cycle of hope and disappointment. McCarthy and his fellow hostages cope with the uncertainty as the situation evolves.

Terry Waite begins visiting the captives regularly, providing rare external contact after years in isolation. During one visit, McCarthy is tapped on the shoulder and told he will be released, with captors implying others will follow soon. The momentum of potential releases becomes a central thread of the narrative.

Jill is phoned with news of John's release, and Keenan learns of it from a relative on the local news. McCarthy travels to the United Kingdom with Jill and Keenan and arrives at the airport, signaling the impending end of the ordeal. The atmosphere shifts from uncertainty to cautious relief as the hostages near freedom.

The remaining hostages—Anderson, Reed, Sutherland, and Waite—are released, bringing the crisis toward its conclusion. The narrative closes with narration by Brian Keenan, reflecting on the ordeal and its lasting impact. The film ends on a note of fragile relief tempered by the scars of captivity.