The film is loosely based on the real-life kidnapping and murder of Dutch businessman Gerrit Jan Heijn that took place in the Netherlands in 1987.

Wayne Hayes and his wife Eileen are living the American dream in a wealthy Pittsburgh suburb, having raised two children and built up a successful business from scratch.

The store manager calls to verify the serial number on the $100 bill is on a watch list the FBI distributed to local businesses.

During questioning, police ask Arnold if he wanted to be caught, and he admits that the kidnapping was to get money for his depressed wife—but it took him all day to bring himself to kill Wayne and he could not live with the guilt of his crime.

"[6] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "The pleasures of this endeavor, directed with a keen eye for detail by Pieter Jan Brugge, come from what the actors bring to the material.