“The Crowded Room.” “Hijack.”

“The Crowded Room” (Apple TV+) psychological thriller. The miniseries follows Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland) after he was arrested for his involvement in a New York City shooting in 1979. Danny unveils his life through a series of interviews with interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), and slowly details to Rya, and the audience, his mysterious past that led him to the fateful incident. As Danny retrospectively examines his life, he reckons with his past and a few pivotal moments, ultimately leading him to uncover a life-altering revelation.

        Although based on a real story as chronicled in the book "The Minds of Billy Milligan" by Daniel Keyes, "Crowded…" altered some pertinent facts. Danny (or Billy) was "convicted" for rape, not a botched shooting.. So that entirely alters the moral trajectory of the story. 

       Known as “The Campus Rapist,” William Milligan (who died in 2014 at age 59) was the subject of a highly publicized court case in Ohio in the late 1970s. After having committed several felonies including armed robbery, he was arrested for three rapes on the campus of Ohio State University. In the course of preparing his defense, psychologists diagnosed Milligan with dissociative identity disorder. His lawyers pleaded insanity, claiming that two of his alternate personalities committed the crimes without Milligan being aware of it. He was the first person diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder to raise such a defense, and the first acquitted of a major crime for this reason, instead spending a decade in psychiatric hospitals.

       However, in “Crowded…” Danny’s “crime” wasn’t as heavy as Billy’s. Yet the “dissociative identity disorder” as defense was the crux or moral center of the entire cinematic exercise. In this case, the real story is more “controversial” to me. 

       Overall acting performance in the series is passable, as Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried. It is Christopher Abbott as lawyer Stan Camisa who stands out. Scripting is a bit problematic as well to me. Too many side/psychology issues that mar the focus on Danny’s torment, which stayed debatable. Parallel-themed movies 1976’s “Sybil,” starring Sally Field, and 1996’s “Primal Fear,” starring Edward Norton are recommended. 🎥📺📹

“Hijack” (Apple TV+) British thriller, Idris Elba is a business negotiator who must use his skills to broker a peaceful end to a hijacking of a flight from Dubai to London. A couple of plotpoints don't add up here. First, a highwire hijack that could involve two or three countries as a stock market scheme is a bit implausible, improbable. Second, the hijackers are relatively inexperienced individuals although the reason behind the daring act is credibly strong. 

       Third, Mr Elbows Sam Nelson is a boardroom dealer not a police negotiator or some optional ops dude that is made to fix our end this whacked job. But Idris is Iris and he was almost a shoo-in as the black James Bond, you know what I mean?

       However, in case boredom got you on a weekend or you are in a sorta post-breakup funk, "Hijack" works as a binge watch escape or distraction. But if you are really serious about Idris Elba, try "Luther" on Amazon Prime instead. 🎥📺📹