The Hijacking of Flight 601 (Secuestro del Vuelo 601) is a Colombian drama series based on the real-life hijacking incident in 1973. It is directed by C.S. Prince and Pablo González is said to be based on the novel Los condenados del aire by Massimo Di Ricco. There are 6 episodes in the series with a runtime of about 44-60 minutes.
The cast of the series includes Mónica Lopera as Edilma Pérez aka Edie, Christian Tappan as Commander Richard Wilches, Angela Cano as Bárbara Gallo, Enrique Carriazo as Engineer Pirateque, Marcela Benjumea as Manchola, Johan Rivera as Guillermo Luís Lequerica, Carlos Manuel Vesga as Francisco “El Flaco” Marulanda, Ilena Antonini as Marisol, Valentin Villafañe as Borja, Alian Devetac as “El Toro” Solano, Juan Pablo Raba as Ulises, Germán Jaramillo as Chavarriaga and others.
The story of The Hijacking of Flight 601 unfolds as two hijackers seize control of a flight carrying 43 passengers in search of ransom and political demands. The co-pilots and limited crew members must strategize to outsmart their captors while keeping the passengers composed during a tense more than 24-hour journey over Latin America.
The Hijacking of Flight 601 Review
Although the story is based on the Hijacking of SAM Colombia Flight HK-1274 (a Lockheed L-188 Electra), it’s fair to say that most of the content has been fictionalised for dramatic/entertainment purposes. The show opens with a scene of Mónica Lopera as air hostess Edilma Pérez in a bloodied and dishevelled state with a gun being pointed at her head.
Giving us a hint as to what’s about to happen in the later episodes. The scene cuts to Edilma aka Edie’s chaotic home, where she can’t even get a breath with her three kids running around. She seems to rely a lot on her eldest son, William to take care of his brothers and perform the duties that she should ideally be doing.
However, she is running late for work and requests her friend Barbara to cover her shift instead. However, the roster manager puts up an ultimatum – to board Aerobolivar Flight 601 or lose her job. Despite all attempts, she ends up missing the flight, which takes off with just one newbie stewardess and 43 passengers.
On the other hand, we see two nervous men hiding guns by strapping them on their thighs or inside of a cake in a box. Suspiciously, they are seen making their way to the airport and getting on Flight 601. As soon as the flight takes off, they unleash their terror on the pilots and passengers by holding their guns high and holding everyone to their seats.
The flight that was bound for Havana from Bogota with a stopover in between at Olaya Herrera was asked to change course after a stopover to Aruba instead. The pilot, Captain Richard Wilches was smart and experienced enough to keep the calm and inform authorities of the situation.
First, he stated the hijacker’s demands – that the Colombian government release dozens of political prisoners, and pay the hijackers $200,000 in cold hard cash. Also added his own request of onboarding one more air hostess for help. As a last resort to save her job, Edie volunteers to board the plane but is also joined by her friend Barbara, who just wants to get a thrill of it and a story to tell, later on.
Thinking it to be a situation that would get resolved with negotiations and paying the ransom, the stakes get dangerously higher when the government refuses to grant the hijackers’ conditions. As the plane hovers over the continent of Latin America with no place to land – the lives of everyone on the flight also sway in the balance with unexpected events occurring, adding on-ground political chaos and personal agendas, interfering with the guaranteed safety.
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The first three episodes of The Hijacking of Flight 601 (Secuestro del Vuelo 601) can be described as chaotic and witty at times. The initial chaos comes from Edie’s personal life, where one starts to question if she is even a good person. Then the chaos transfers to the flight, as guns are taken out. The interaction between the hijackers Borja & Tora and everyone else brings out elements of dark humour fuelled with fear and danger. However, from episode 4 onwards, the mood shifts to a bit more grim and dark – as the previous lives of Borja and Toro as struggling football athletes are unveiled, shedding light on the motives that led them to their present actions.
While Borja and Toro could be the main leads, showing their history and state of mind that led them to that place. Instead, Edie is the one taking the show forward at all times. It’s more about her character development to become a better parent who cherishes her kids than the nitty gritty of two desperate criminals. Her decision to board the plane despite knowing what she would be walking into seems like an irresponsible decision.
As if she is running away from her life, leaving her three kids alone at home. Therefore, whenever she mentions how she wishes to go back to her kids in an emotional state, it’s hard to empathise because she could have avoided this situation easily.
The Hijacking of Flight 601 is definitely not a story of one certain person’s bravery but a collective narrative of people wanting to escape from their life of struggle and ending at a point of no return. Edie probably wants to keep her job to provide for her kids, instead of looking for a new one which isn’t certain. Barbara is tired of being mistreated for her ethnic roots and wants to be a part of something that could become meaningful later.
Borja and Toro have also reached their tipping point after having their dreams crushed and being daunted by the reality and how far they are from making it in life – leading them to take an extreme step with a “do or die” mentality.
Similarly, the lives of the people on the ground are no different. It’s a constant struggle to keep going and make something of themselves while being met with prejudices, discrimination and a lack of opportunities. The mistreatment of Indigenous people is one of the core elements of the story and how it affects the characters in everyday life. One could say that the whole scenario comes to fruition due to the buildup and amalgamation of the character’s daily struggles and taking the shape of a time bomb which would become brutally fatal, if not worked out in time.
Overall, The Hijacking of Flight 601 is more of a dramatic series than staying true to the real events. The characters are based on real ones but their backstory, maybe not so much. It’s a good thing that the show wasn’t centred around the hijackers or justifying their actions but on a more complex character that’s neither the antagonist nor a hero. Mónica Lopera runs the show, captivating us in every scene, along with her Angela Cano shows that not everything is as it seems.
Rating: 3/5
The Hijacking of Flight 601 is available for streaming on Netflix.
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