A Hijacking
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: June 21, 2013
7.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
31
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
netflicJun 24, 2013
A Danish movie which is not an action movie as it's name might suggest but rather a suspense movie.

A cargo ship is taken over by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Ransom negotiations between the pirates and the company owner are theA Danish movie which is not an action movie as it's name might suggest but rather a suspense movie.

A cargo ship is taken over by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Ransom negotiations between the pirates and the company owner are the focus of the movie.

Acting of two leads is superb. I think it's another Oscar contender.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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9
nutterjrJan 16, 2014
Director Lindholm, a graduate of the Dogma school, creates such immense tension without the use of time-watching techniques and other on-screen antics prominent in other hijacking films, in an absorbing and carefully woven thriller thatDirector Lindholm, a graduate of the Dogma school, creates such immense tension without the use of time-watching techniques and other on-screen antics prominent in other hijacking films, in an absorbing and carefully woven thriller that focuses on emotion as seen from the eyes of one victim (the chef) and the CEO of the shipping company. It must also be noted that the very same guy, in the capacity of a screenwriter penned two of my favourite films of 2013, this one and ‘The Hunt’.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
greggaAug 18, 2013
The suspense is not just carried out between the hijacked ship crew and their captors, but also back at shipping HQ where the CEO declines advice to use an outside negotiator and instead installs himself as the mouthpiece in direct talks withThe suspense is not just carried out between the hijacked ship crew and their captors, but also back at shipping HQ where the CEO declines advice to use an outside negotiator and instead installs himself as the mouthpiece in direct talks with the "translator" of the Somali pirates. It's nail biting stuff.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
adhamhanyNov 4, 2013
A very well-acted film, thanks to its two leads. It avoids any action movie cliches, in favor of the drama and thriller of the negotiation process, and the toll it takes on everybody involved.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
TyranianJan 1, 2020
Really good shipjacking with good performances and direction, better than Captain Phillips.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
Nesbitt10Nov 4, 2013
"A Hijacking" features excellent performances from two protagonists, delivered in an unflinching fashion that lays out the scenario, and simply allows the raw emotions to transpire on their own. The timing of the release on Blu-Ray coincides"A Hijacking" features excellent performances from two protagonists, delivered in an unflinching fashion that lays out the scenario, and simply allows the raw emotions to transpire on their own. The timing of the release on Blu-Ray coincides with the theatrical release of "Captain Phillips," which stars Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass. The films both tell the same story of cargo freighters hijacked by Somali pirates who seek millions in ransom. Aside from the similar subject matter however, the two films could not be any more different. "Captain Phillips" is an appealing action thriller concerned with presenting a satisfying, pulse-pounding conclusion for its audience. "A Hijacking" is a tense, grounded-in-reality based drama without the sense of comfort of a predetermined finale.

A Danish cargo ship named the "MV Rozen" is en route to Mumbai when Somali renegades gain control of the vessel and demand millions for the return of the ship’s seven-man crew. Negotiations ensue between the corporate office and the pirates that follow the give-and-take of everyday business deals, with one important difference. In this case, the goods are human beings. Shot with handheld cameras, the movie cross-cuts between two perspectives: the captured vessel’s cook Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk), and the maritime company’s hands-on CEO Peter Ludvigsen (Søren Malling).

At the outset, the two characters share a common interest, but as the bartering drags on for months, the uncertainty of an outcome takes these two men in very different directions. Danish director/writer Tobias Lindholm perfectly balances the dual psyche of the captive Mikkel and corporate CEO Peter, two psychologically exhausted protagonists in remarkably different ways. A tense, slowly unwinding ticking-clock drama this may be, but the film is as much a character study, both the powerful and the subordinate, existing under extreme duress with life or death consequences attached to their decisions.

The film isn't a white knuckle ride and the pacing is slow at times, but this is one of the cases where that’s exactly the point. Lindholm's account of a contemporary piracy situation doesn't offer the commercial appeal of "Captain Phillips," but it is nonetheless completely engaging and riveting material. There could have been several predictable avenues taken by Lindholm when telling this harrowing tale of survival and perseverance, but instead he charts into unexpected territory, and delivers real drama.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
LeoKearseApr 17, 2016
I saw this in the cinema and it was sickeningly tense and felt very real. It shows the impact on the crew and the executives negotiating for their return, and it was fascinating seeing the business behind a hijacking, on both the hijackers'I saw this in the cinema and it was sickeningly tense and felt very real. It shows the impact on the crew and the executives negotiating for their return, and it was fascinating seeing the business behind a hijacking, on both the hijackers' and the shipping company's sides. A very lean, well constructed film. Superior to the similar film Captain Phillips, which was also good but a little too cliched.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
meediocreFeb 12, 2014
You might recognise an actor or two from The Killing and more recently The Bridge, those nordic dramas that have made it to the BBC. This film has that nordic feel too, with some solid acting and a genuine attempt to make it as "realistic" asYou might recognise an actor or two from The Killing and more recently The Bridge, those nordic dramas that have made it to the BBC. This film has that nordic feel too, with some solid acting and a genuine attempt to make it as "realistic" as possible. Still, realism is not why we watch movies, I would say, and the film suffers from a genuine lack of suspense. Yes, you want to know how it will pan out, but you do not feel that emotionally connected to the characters. Would suggest watching the South Park Somali-pirate episode as a light-hearted antidote.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
foxgroveJun 21, 2013
Another Danish success which for the most part is directed with spare economy (we don't even get to see a big battle as the hijackers take over the ship). The film is generally absorbing although not edge of the seat stuff. It's ace card,Another Danish success which for the most part is directed with spare economy (we don't even get to see a big battle as the hijackers take over the ship). The film is generally absorbing although not edge of the seat stuff. It's ace card, however, is in the hypnotic and multi layered performance of Soren Malling as the C E O of the company whose ship is taken. Whether demonstrating authority, rage or empathy he is central to one's involvement with what is happening on screen. The movie itself could have been tightened up slightly in the mid section where hijackers and hijacked become tentatively and temporarily attuned to one and other. Also the last scene on the ship is both irritating and disappointing in its predictability. Overall, though, definitely worth a watch.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
raydffJun 27, 2013
The amount of intimacy created by director Tobias Lindholm resulted in only one of the finest releases of the year right here, led by a splendid performance from Pilou Asbaek, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite emerging young actorsThe amount of intimacy created by director Tobias Lindholm resulted in only one of the finest releases of the year right here, led by a splendid performance from Pilou Asbaek, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite emerging young actors in recent years.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
arssonistSep 22, 2013
I wish there was a way for users to delete reviews. I thought this was a great film but I want to delete the review under this profile, and so I write 150 words.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
theseparatorSep 22, 2013
I have traversed the Gulf of Aden twice, the piece of ocean between Yemen and Somalia notorious for it’s pirates. I was somewhat familiar with the methods that pirates use when commandeering ships to demand ransoms, but to appreciate theI have traversed the Gulf of Aden twice, the piece of ocean between Yemen and Somalia notorious for it’s pirates. I was somewhat familiar with the methods that pirates use when commandeering ships to demand ransoms, but to appreciate the events of Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking no sailing experience is necessary.

Even though the film is a representation of how an actual Hijacking would take place: Quick, precise, and severe, the film spends little time on the mechanics of how the pirates actually board. This is not an action film. We learn that a high-speed boat has approached and boarded effortlessly, that’s it. More important to the film is what happens while the pirates are onboard.

The first thing the pirates do, even before starting negotiations for money, is demand food. The ship’s cook, played brilliantly by Danish actor Pilou Asbaek, becomes the pirate’s gopher, and an ad-hoc negotiator between the pirates and the ship’s owners.

Conditions onboard are miserable. Shocking even. The cook and 2 other crewmen are kept in a small closet for weeks, four other crewmembers below deck. They’re not allowed out to relive themselves in a toilet; they must use a corner of the room. My training on ships did not include images like these. There was no training about how to interact with maniacs with automatic weapons.

The job of casting the actors that play the pirates is ingenious. All the actor’s performances are in the Somali language (I think). Their interactions with the ship’s crew are so authentic that I’m guessing none of these men were trained actors. Probably just local Somali men recruited by the casting director, but I can’t verify this. If they were actors, they’re the best I’ve ever seen.

Contentious negotiations between the ship’s owners and the pirates leave questions. The hijacking ends without incident, almost, but the negotiations take months. Could the ship’s owner have done more? Given in to the pirate’s demands sooner? Gotten the crew home faster? Undoubtedly questions that need to be asked of the real hijackings that take place routinely in the Gulf, where we get little more than a single paragraph in the news about some, and no more.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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