Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Non Negotiable,’ a strange situation develops when the President of Mexico is abducted by a man who calls himself Lamb. The fact that the President was abducted while visiting his mistress, who happens to be another notable politician, makes things much more sensitive, especially when it comes to the reputation of the current regime. In the midst of all this, the kidnapper calls for Alan Bender, the most successful hostage negotiator in the country. He complicates matters further by abducting Alan’s wife, which brings a personal twist to the situation, raising the stakes to a much higher level. The story unfolds in a way that makes one wonder how easy it is to abduct the president of a country and whether this situation and the characters are as feasible as shown in the movie. SPOILERS AHEAD
The President and His Kidnapper in Non Negotiable are Entirely Fictional
‘Non Negotiable’ follows a fictional tale of crime with a touch of comedy, and none of the events that transpire in the film are related to any real-life event. No president of Mexico has ever been abducted in such a fashion. There was a minor case in 2010 when a former presidential candidate in Mexico was abducted while driving near his ranch. However, he was later freed by the kidnappers, and he didn’t press charges, saying he had forgiven his kidnappers. The whole situation was solved peacefully, and the situation never escalated to require the services of a hostage negotiator.
The characters in the movie are completely made up by the writers and were constructed in a way that would serve the plot of the film while getting across the point. While it is wrapped in a thrilling premise, the point of the story is to highlight the growing dissent of the public and show the unending hypocrisy of politicians who promise to change the world before they are elected but go back to being the same as every other politician when they come to power.
In the form of Francesco Araiza (played by Enoc Leaño), we get a president who came to power by lambasting the conservatives and promising to overthrow the corruption and capitalist-minded tendencies of the previous government. However, when he comes to power, he becomes just as corrupt as the politicians against whom he rode his entire campaign. Not only this, but he also steps back on all the promises he made to the public, making things much worse than before.
To portray the point of view of a dejected public, we get the kidnapper, aka Lamb, aka Vincente Zambrano (played by Leonardo Ortizgris). Vincente’s past as a trained negotiator himself gives him a complete idea of what steps someone like Alan Bender would take while trying to tackle the situation. Having worked for the government before, Vincente is also intimately familiar with the ins and outs of a president’s security and knows the easiest way to get to him. This is why the abduction becomes so much simpler for him.
While the film doesn’t rely on any real-life personalities to base the abductor, the filmmakers do make a point of portraying Vincente as a highly relatable character. The audience can see themselves in him because his dissent against the president and the government is fuelled by the things that almost everyone is angry about with their own government. We start to root for Vincente because we see him as a vigilante, taking the course of justice into his own hands because no one else would. His tragic backstory also adds an emotional touch and makes the viewers more invested in him. To sum it up, while the film and its characters remain entirely fictional, the filmmakers have made it a point to have the characters come across as relatable to the audience, giving more weight to their actions.
Read More: Non Negotiable: Is Alan Bender Based on a Real Hostage Negotiator?
