R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Mystery & Suspense
Directed By: Tobias Lindholm
In Theaters: Jun 21, 2013 Limited
Magnolia Pictures - Official Site
Danish cargo ship, MV Rozen, is sailing through the Indian Ocean when a gang of Somali pirates seize the vessel. News quickly reaches the company offices in Copenhagen where the decision is made to bring in an outside adviser, Connor Julian (Porter), an Englishman with experience in dealing with pirates. Julian suggests the best course is to hire a professional negotiator but company C.E.O Peter Ludvigsen (Malling) ignores his advice and insists on handling matters himself. When an initial cash offer fails to satisfy the demands of the hijackers, the situation escalates.
Lindholm was responsible for writing duties on last year's excellent 'The Hunt', and here takes his sophomore directorial bow, proving himself something of a master of tense, yet realistic, drama. For a long time, Danish cinema was associated with the extravagances of film-makers like Lars Von Trier and Nicholas Winding Refn, but a new wave of gritty realism is sweeping the country's cinematic landscape. 'A Hijacking' is the first of two movies we'll see in 2013 dealing with this topic, as Paul Greengrass' Tom Hanks vehicle, 'Captain Phillips', is due later this summer. I'm not going out on much of a limb by theorizing Lindholm's film will be the more subtle of the two, as it's an underplayed, yet all the more tense for it, realistic piece of high drama.
It would have been all too easy to make the Peter character the villain and portray him as someone who cares more about the company coffers than the lives of his workers. Lindhom resists this, making Peter a reluctant hero. Malling is fantastic in the role, an actor with the ice cold exterior of a future Bond villain, and one I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of, outside of his homeland. As the situation escalates from weeks to months, his calm exterior slowly and subtly breaks down; there are no Hollywood histrionics on display here. The entire ensemble are thoroughly convincing as real characters, dealing with a horrific scenario in their own unique ways.
'A Hijacking' is another quality piece of drama from a country punching above its weight.
A Hijacking (Kapringen) Danish semi-documentary film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm (scripter for The Hunt) . Lindholm has mentioned that his film critically analyzes the situations - he has made the movie for the corporations eager to handle such critical situations (which I have some objection toward). Film uses much of English language.
Somewhere in Indian Ocean Mumbai-bound Danish ship 'Rosen' has been captured by the Somali pirates with 7crew aboard the ship including central character the Cook Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek). Company CEO Peter has taken over the job to subdue or negotiate with the Somali pirates who have put US $15m demand however, Peter has offered just about US $0.9m over the past 4 months making the other seniors run out of patience with CEO's slow handling.
Film opens moderately the unique style of life aboard ship for the crewmembers. To keep the best atmosphere of thrill the music has been well composed - performance is brilliant.
Few things need to be discussed here so to give perspective view on Somali pirates. Back in 2009 when I had discussed this issue of piracy with my then engineering classmates from Somalia here in Pakistan, they told me that how they had adopted ways of being pirates after their coasts had come under foreign military occupation under UN mandate (especially US). He further told me that these Somali pirates were formerly fishermen who would fish to make both ends meet but since their business has been destroyed by the occupying forces some of them have chosen to teach them lesson in this way and so to earn as well.
Negotiating techniques used in the film actually seemed childish at some places. To say the least Somalia does not sit in European junction where you believe the cultural way of talking (that is best adopted in the Europe) should play well for you. For example, when Peter says to negotiator 'Don't play pressure game on me, I know you will not kill anybody' and in the next few seconds he hears the gunshot...now this should only ignite temper of the person you are talking in that tone - people of some parts of the world, cannot be taken for granted with the kind of gesture that you think might pluck out a kind 'consciousness' in them.
This analysis should not mean the film contains flaws and no soberness - it is extremely wonderful if you like pressure buildup movies and only of a kind on modern sea-piracy dominance in the Indian Ocean!
