Apple TV’s Hijack is the best thriller of the year and a ’90s throwback

The ’90s are still alive and well in the skies above Europe, at least in the new Apple TV Plus series Hijack. This twisty thriller is about a group trying to escape a hijacking during a 7-hour flight between Dubai and London. It’s exactly the kind of mid-budget excitement that would have made for one of the most popular movies in the world 30 years ago, but has largely disappeared since. Thankfully, after five episodes, Hijack is proof that the good old-fashioned thriller hasn’t died out completely.

Hijack’s band of resourceful passengers are led by the self-appointed leader Sam Nelson (Idris Elba), a closer who specializes in finishing off business deals for massive international companies. Nelson takes action as soon as it becomes clear that their plane has been hijacked. He tries to negotiate with the perpetrators, and also pacify the passengers. He’s also where the show’s ’90s flair really gets started.

Sam, just like the other Jack Ryans who came before him and all regular guys protagonists (who aren’t secretly spying), is not an ex-spy or a former special forces. He isn’t a badass action hero or a super genius who’s also studied Krav Maga. He just happens to do a job that involves high-pressure deal-making, and he’s very good at it. So when he finds himself in a crisis, he turns the whole hijacking into one big business negotiation, because that’s something he knows he can win.

The character also taps into an incredible strength of Elba’s, delivering convincing dialogue in a way that never lets other characters forget he’s primarily working for his own interests. Sam, early on in the episode, tries convincing Stuart (Neil Maskell), the leading hijacker that he’s not trying to steal the plane because he just wants to survive. The camera lingers on Stuart’s face as he slowly gets beaten down by Sam’s logic and the pressure of the situation until all he can do is fall back on an uneasy kind of trust.

Apple TV Plus

It’s a spectacular dynamic that the show employs well, especially in the fifth episode, when things finally get a little violent and Stuart needs to be calmed down. Sam’s always smarter than whoever he’s talking to, and both parties know it. It’s a fact that gives Sam power, but makes everyone else uneasy. When talking to him, both the hijackers and the other passengers are constantly doing the mental calculus of trying to figure out how they’re being tricked, or if Sam’s just telling a slightly venomous version of the truth.

You can do more than just give us someone to cheer for. Hijack It is incredibly good at organizing the thrilling parts of a mystery in the exact order that they should appear. Characters are usually able to answer questions that may seem obvious, and they all take logical steps in solving problems. If you’ve spotted a loophole or a clear next step, chances are someone else on the plane has too and they’re about to say it out loud. It’s the kind of clever writing and audience trust that feels rare in modern thrillers, which too often leave open massive logical gaps to keep their tension high or over-explain every moment and let the camera linger on solutions to let the audience feel clever.

Apple TV Plus

Keeping all this tension and cleverness in balance for 90 minutes is a challenge most movies can’t overcome, but Hijack It is spread elegantly over seven installments. This show has a very natural flow to it, with a lot of suspense and action. Each episode builds to climaxes that are thrilling and impressive, but without feeling obligated by the hour long running time most dramatic shows have. Each episode is brisk, entertaining, and can last up to an hour.

What you need to know about Hijack Feels like a throwback to an earlier era in the most positive way. From its airtight tension to its hero that would rather get out of a jam with his mouth than his fists, it feels like the return of the ’90s thriller… just on TV instead of at the movies.

Hijack is streaming now on Apple TV Plus, where five of the season’s seven episodes have already been released.