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Danish filmmaker Tobias Lindholm is steadily making a name for himself; daring filmmaker not afraid to take chances and it pays off in this one.

Kapringen (A Hijacking) is sort of the antithesis of a Hollywood hostage drama devoid of tired clichés and the predictable story lines we -- as an audience of generational film-goers -- have become too accustomed to.

It features an incredibly in-depth character study from the two main characters: a chef aboard the hijacked ship and the CEO of the shipping company remotely negotiating with the Somali pirates dealing with the incredible pressure and moral dilemmas of the situation. Also the supporting characters are depicted with great nuances such as sympathy and even humanity.

The plot is tight and flows nicely as does the tempo of the film. Cinematography beautifully emphasizes the realism and atmosphere of the film, and even the score is wonderfully understated yet fully appropriate.

One of the most suspenseful films of the year, no doubt, perhaps it embodies everything that Argo should have been about.

As a side note, the person who gave this a horrible review also gave The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2009) a perfect 10/10 (go ahead and click his other reviews if you don't believe me). Take from that what you will.

A highly recommendable film for great acting, directing and general storytelling. Bravo.

I have just returned from seeing this at the cinema and I thought it was a really good film. I've seen most of the recent clutch of excellent Danish films and I would say this film was as good as any, perhaps with the one exception of The Hunt. I've noticed one reviewer objects to the lack of voice given to the hijackers, demonstrated by their speech not being subtitled. I completely disagree with this being an issue, the film is not about the hijackers, it is about the crew of the ship, the situation they find themselves in, and their relationship with the corporation that owns the ship and is responsible for the ransom that is demanded for the safety of the crew. The film seeks to portray the sense of terror that the crew are going through and arguably the best tool used in the film is the non-translated speech of the hijackers ... we have no idea what they are saying, why they can be calm and friendly one minute and then become furious seconds later for no apparent reason, waving their guns around ... this is exactly the way the crew would have experienced it. What would be the point of letting the audience know what the hijackers were saying if the crew don't understand, bearing in mind the film is trying to put us in their shoes? The CEO of the corporation comes across as stiff and unrealistic to begin with but we are shown at the start of the film that this is how he conducts negotiations, and as the hostage negotiation goes on, his stiff demeanour slowly slips away. The film expertly rackets up the tension, and is one of those films that makes you feel like you're experiencing what the characters are, rather than watching as an audience from afar. It is not a 10/10 classic but it is a very good film and well worth watching.

With the big budget film Captain Phillips arriving in the UK recently it reminded me that I had this much smaller film sitting unwatched in my queue. I don't know the details of Greengrass' film, but I presume the basic principle is the same as this film, which sees Somali pirates take over a Danish cargo ship and demand millions of US dollars for its release. The drama in this case unfolds in the boardroom of the company (focused on CEO Ludvigsen) and on the ship (focused on cook Mikkel).

The film puts an emphasis on realism in how it delivers the story to the viewer; conference calls between the CEO and the pirates are filmed as conference calls (complete with time lag and echo) and the expert in maritime security that the fictional company brings in is indeed not an actor but someone who does this for a living for a shipping company. It helps that this sense of realism is so deeply embedded in the techniques because it does make the film work very well in terms of tension. This isn't Under Siege where the cook takes on the hijackers, nor is it a film where the dramatic score does the heavy lifting – if anything the film sits back and lets the people just be in this situation. As a result it is a more toned back film in regard to the delivery but it works well to make everything feel tense and unpredictable – the calls are as gripping as the scenes of imminent personal danger on the ship.

The cast are a big part of this. At first I was concerned that I would not be able to get into the actors since so many were familiar faces to me from Forbrydelsen, Borgen, Game of Thrones and some other shows. As it was though I didn't struggle at all because everyone plays their characters so well that I forgot they were ever anyone else. Malling was the biggest jump for me as he is very different here than when I have seen him before, but he does it very well, letting the cracks show but never overdoing it for a specific scene. Asbaek has the toughest role as it is full of danger and emotion and he convinces throughout, sharing his frustration and fear with the viewer. Supporting roles are generally good with Salim, Moller and others doing good. I particularly liked Porter; occasionally he is a little clunky when working with the actors as a performance, but generally when he is in "the room" where he works in real life then he is a great presence and again really helps the sense of realism.

Kapringen maybe doesn't have the large budget or production aims of a bigger film, but the focus on realism in the making of the film pays off to produce a story that is tense and engaging throughout. Well worth a look.

An act of piracy brings together 3 different worlds.

1. The pirates. People who live in extreme poverty and see no benefit from the world trade that profits buyers or sellers of cargo and of course ship-owners and recruit fellow famished locals telling them that there's money in attacking these big ships.

2. The sailors. Those who spent up to months a time at sea as cargo is carried from A to B, with no skills in dealing with hostile invaders on board.

3. The ship management company. The people who either own the vessel in question or run it on behalf of the owner.

Pirates expect owners to dig deep in their pockets and by an unexpected takeover of a vessel as well as convincing the crew that they will die, the pirates hope that the owners would give in to their demands.

The owners, as it has become clear in this film, being all suited and booted and speaking from a comfortable corporate environment are trying to bargain with the pirates. Bargaining is all they do; they bargain with shipyards, charterers, insurers etc. Without discounting for a minute that they must bargain otherwise the demands will balloon out of proportion, they are unaware of the strain the crew are going through.

Interesting stimulating and highly watchable this is an interesting documentary that adds to one's perspective on a matter very known, but not acted upon although it should be pointed out that piracy and poverty go hand in hand. If world authorities want to act on piracy, they must act on poverty first.

A Hijacking is a richly layered examination of the corporate mindset via Somali pirates from Tobias Lindholm. Shot on a real once-hijacked boat off the coast of Somalia, this is realistic, understated, nuanced and gripping filmmaking. It says as much about humanities will to survive as it does big business's disregard for it. Johan Philip Asbeck is incredible as the cook on the boat struggling to deal with the desperate and dumb Somalis, no doubt driven to piracy by the disease and starvation in their country. The reviewer that said this is "amateurishly written" is a child or a moron. Also check out Lindholm's previous film R- the bleakest of all bleak prison films. It's hard to find but worth the hunt (The Hunt- another good movie Lindholm helped write). Both are highly recommended.

I happen to have seen this back to back with Captain Phillips another movie about a Somali hijacking. I have to say Captain Phillips was much better. It definitely felt more engaging and tugged on your emotions more.

A Hijacking fell short a lot I thought. I didn't really feel the tension that much. I also felt like it wasn't as realistic. It seemed like we were missing a lot of things like government intervention.

The Somalis were very convincing in both movies. I hope they used native Somalis and paid them well.

I didn't like the fact that we didn't know what type of vessel the ship was in A Hijacking.

Unbearably tense and anti-aesthetic.

For his second directorial feature, Tobias Lindholm (co-writer of Jagten) delivers the kind of indifferent, matter-of-fact realism not experienced since the early days of Dogme 95. And because it cuts through all the fluff and artifice that has invaded commercial films without compromising momentum as a situationist thriller, one must concede that Kapringen has upped the ante on Danish rebellion against the Hollywood system.

The refusal to include actual scenes of the hijacking in a film specifically titled "A Hijacking" is no accident.

A cargo ship MV Rozen is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Among the eight men crew taken hostage is Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk), the ship's cook. A translator for the pirates issues demand for $15M in exchange for release. But back in Copenhagen, CEO of the shipping company Peter (Søren Malling) learns that gaining the upper hand demands patience. And so negotiations play out in silence like a sociopathic Fischer-Spassky game: cold, calculated, unyielding.

I can't think of any movie in which I have wanted so much to resist and cease watching, yet fail to do so because it has a quality so raw, unsympathetic and intuitive. In keeping with Lindholm's debut feature (a prison drama "R"); Kapringen is filmed on location, in chronological sequence and on board a sea freighter that was hijacked in the Indian ocean. Casting also features a real life hostage negotiator as the central figure and naturally, Somali pirates.

Arguably, mechanical reproduction of genuine conditions doesn't guarantee a convincing film but in this case, it does — Kapringen looks so suitably stained with normality that one instantly recognizes the absence of gimmicky aesthetics. Unmanipulated (or to be PC about words, "seemingly so"), you resonate with the film's fabric of reality while searching for something more, and in the process, gain access into psychological domains that underpin both Peter and Mikkel.

It's not for nothing that Lindholm went through great lengths to replicate an uncomfortable, pressing scenario because the film offers reflection on an overlooked form of terrorism. Corporations may be showing it to employees as a resource on how to respond during such crises, but Kapringen's master stroke — is the revelation of an impasse between the moral versus the practical. There is no payoff at the end of this film, it is one the most sophisticated vérités I have seen, the meta-argument leaves you deliberating, and the film takes off like a thinker on paradox.

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A Danish cargo ship, MV Rozen, is hijacked by Somali pirates en route to Mumbai. The pirates, led by Omar (Abdihakin Asgar), who claims only to be the negotiator, take the crew of seven hostage and demand a ransom of $19 million in return for the ship and their lives. After an unnerving silence lasting days, Omar engages Peter Ludvigsen (Søren Malling), CEO of the shipping company, in a psychological game of negotiation that shreds the nerves of both Peter and the hostages.

Kapringen (A Hijacking) focuses on Peter, who shuns the offer of a trained negotiator, and three of his crew: Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk), the ship's cook; Jan (Roland Møller), an engineer; and the captain (Keith Pearson). With pressure from the board to resolve the situation, the burden of facing distraught family members and his own guilt at being unable to solve the crises with an instant payment, Peter struggles to gain the upper hand where his failure will mean the deaths of his men.

Tobias Lindholm, who co-wrote 2012's excellent Jagten (The Hunt) writes and directs this critically acclaimed film with a similar approach, refusing to spoon feed us with gimmickry or overstated episodes, instead preferring to leave us to join the dots, to imagine what is happening in the hours, days and weeks that Kapringen passes over. Lindholm understands that our fears are greatest when we cannot see or define them. As soon as the monster in a horror film is revealed, it ceases to be terrifying, and so it is in Kapringen. It's just that the monster isn't a vampire; it's isolation, the loss of basic human rights and the constant terror of impending execution.

As the weeks unfold, we make assumptions about the nature of the horror that occurs behind the locked cabin doors. For much of the time we don't know what is occurring as Lindholm exercises the same power as Omar. When he's revealed all he wants, he simply hangs up, cuts away, to leave us wondering. The only palpable evidence is Mikkel's increased shuffling and enhanced stoop as he cowers in the hijackers' presence and withdraws into himself.

Asbæk's performance is complete. We watch him decay in mind and body and can almost smell the sweat and fear on him. His resolve evaporates and he clings to any hope or kindness even though it comes from his tormentors.

Conversely, Asgar is cold as Omar, clearly the only character enjoying the experience. He's been here numerous times and has perfected the duel personas of good cop/bad cop offering kindness and threatening murder as if he, himself, is the victim. It is a chilling situation that feels too real to be entirely comfortable and does for sailing what Jaws did for swimming almost 40 years ago.

There is an oddness in the performance of Gary Skjoldmose-Porter as Conor Julian, the maritime hijack expert called in by the shipping company. With no other listings on IMDb but a job as Corporate Security Manager at Clipper Group, he appears to have been recruited to 'be' the adviser rather than cast to 'play' him. His (lack of?) acting prowess jars at times but the impression he gives of improvising his advice as the actors around him play their own parts in the crisis adds a certain depth and reality to Kapringen.

Malling (A Royal Affair and TV's The Killing and Borgen) gives a very restrained, but moving performance as a man who takes control through his arrogance but also needs to take responsibility so as not to feel impotent. Attacked from every side in subtle ways, he somehow manages to absorb the extreme stress and when he does shows signs of buckling, it is understanding and a relief to see that he is human.

Kapringen is a film with little action and barely a raised voice but the violence is unsettling and you'll find yourself wondering what on earth sane men and women are doing sailing around the world with such risks.

Kapringen is a film you'll struggle to find at the multiplexes so make the effort to seek it out at an arts cinema. Or wait for the DVD. Just see it.

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This hostage drama shows two different worlds: the despair of the crew on a vessel that has been hijacked by Somalian pirates, and the concern of the management of their shipping company in Copenhagen. The juxtaposition of these two worlds, connected by a dramatic event, is the strong cinematographic concept this film is built on.

The two worlds are very different. The crew on the ship is terrified by armed pirates they can't understand. They are locked up in a small room, where fear, heat, boredom and lack of food slowly drive them crazy. The managers in their design offices are dressed in tailored suits, wear cuff-links and drive limousines. Their fear is different, but far from negligible. The CEO chooses to personally negotiate with the pirates, and thus takes on the responsibility for the lives of his crew members. He is under great pressure from their families, from his board, and from the possibility that the press will report about the hijacking.

Director Lindholm focuses on two characters: the CEO of the shipping company and the cook on the vessel. The hijacking takes its toll on both of them, in different ways. The film switches from the clean offices in Copenhagen, where the CEO negotiates about the ransom, to the ship where the cook lives in continuous fear of being killed. The psychological approach of the film makes for great drama. Plus: this is a Danish film, so you can be sure the focus is on subtle human interaction, not on spectacular action scenes. The fact that the moment of the hijacking itself is not even shown, tells it all.

It is not too easy to see the good points of "A Hijacking" if you have already seen "Captain Phillips" like me. Both of them tackle the topic of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates. It is inevitable that they will be compared. They attack the story with vastly different approaches.

"Captain Phillips" is a Hollywood production. The action scenes were more intense, with nail-biting confrontation scenes and a bravura lead performance by Tom Hanks, ably supported by those scary Somalis pirates.

In contrast, "A Hijacking" is very low key in its treatment. There was no scene showing how the Somalis chased and boarded the ship. There was no scene of the captain trying to outwit the pirates. There was no scene of kidnapping in a lifeboat. There were no Navy Seals to the rescue. "A Hijacking" is more of a personal drama than action film.

The lead character in in the person of the cook, Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk). He represents the crew held in extremely uncomfortable conditions while unsure of their fate. The captain was not the focus here at all. He only figures in only one critical scene towards the end.

We do not see much of the Somali pirates themselves, nor do we understand what they were saying (no subtitles for their lines). We only understand their English-speaking negotiator, Omar.

They also show the tension going on in the board room of the shipping company in the person of their icy and soulless CEO (Søren Malling). The big bosses try to negotiate with the hijackers to bring down their formidable $15M ransom demand to a more reasonable price.

"A Hijacking" is a good film. However, the proximity of its release with that of the showier storytelling of "Captain Phillips" works to its disadvantage for majority of audiences.

Writer/Director Tobias Lindholm released his fictional hijacked ship movie, unsurprisingly called A Hijacking a year before the better known and ostensibly true story of Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks in the titular role was released. He was apparently inspired to write the screen play after reading about commercial Danish ships hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean. A similar scenario plays out in Captain Phillips.

The contrasts between the 2 thematically linked films is one of the chief attractions in viewing A Hijacking. But at the outset I have to ask why Lindholm didn't attempt to dramatise a real life event, rather than dream one up.

Kapringen is filmed in deliberately washed out colours, with the audience frequently watching an almost black and white screen. He eschews virtually all action and is more interested in the (extremely) drawn out negotiation process via satellite phone and the associated psychological impacts on the most affected players, namely the Danish crew and the CEO of the Danish corporation which presumably owns, or is responsible for the ship's cargo. (I don't think we ever found out exactly what it was.) Such a framework allows Lindholm access to a sub - story of corporate hi - jinks, with the audience being asked to question whether the parent firm and its CEO are actually doing enough to genuinely seek their crew's release, or are they more concerned with the financial bottom - line.

Pertinent questions certainly, but this is where the film revealed its inherent narrative weakness, which I'm surprised many others in this forum haven't already raised. Fundamental to the posed storyline is that the corporation has been successful in keeping the hijacking secret for well over 4 months, a scheme I suggest is just ridiculous. No media, no newspaper leaks, no Danish Government involved. The crew's families have been notified of course, but we're all expected to believe that they've dutifully followed the CEO's advice of not saying boo to anyone for month after very long month. Meanwhile a huge merchant ship just supposedly marks time, sailing in circles in the North - Western Indian Ocean and it's not a headline ... somewhere? Contrast this of course with Captain Phillips, where we observed real life US Naval involvement relatively quickly.

Too big a story bridge to cross for this punter anyway. A Hijacking is a well made and acted low budget film, but ultimately (and literally) pales in comparison to the more authentic and let it be said, more entertaining tale, spun out in Captain Phillips.

"We can't rush these people. Time is a Western thing. It means nothing to them." Connor Julian (Gary Porter)

If you want a reason to avoid a vacation that takes you to the Indian Ocean, then see A Hijacking, a cinema verite rendering of the harrowing experience that has Somali pirates holding a tanker and its 7 man crew hostage for ransom from a Danish company. The claustrophobia of Das Boot is there as well as the pressure at the company in Copenhagen and the homes of the crew.

Most of all, writer-director Tobias Lindholm has neatly juxtaposed Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek), the cook of the ship, a family-loving sailor, with Peter (Soren Malling), CEO of the company, to maximum emotional effect. The hand-held camera and long takes help heighten the heat. The cool efficiency of Peter contrasts with the warm affection of Mikkel, who becomes the spokesman of the crew. His daughter's birthday is imminent although it becomes apparent he'll not be there to celebrate.

The director accentuates Peter's cool, emphasized by the lover who appears each day at the office and his interaction with his wife by the phone. After his initial success negotiating a Japanese company for a bargain price, Peter is set to have a similar success with the pirates—he refuses to let a professional negotiator take his place. Over 140 days' negotiation reveals his expertise is not as sharp when dealing with pirates who play only by their own rules. The Danes, at the center of the story even though the Somali's rule the ship, are always at a disadvantage, thus heightening the suspense.

The close up camera work and the fetid circumstances serve as a constant reminder that this is a hell on water. The calm but stressful corporate offices reveal an icy hell of its own. The director does not spend wasteful time with grieving families, as most American disaster films do, but rather builds a believable scenario of almost impossible trial for the CEO and the crew; the pirates rarely are stressed, a scary circumstance as we realize they don't need to be anyway.

Just hope you never have this trip.

"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 hand-held 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.

Inspired by true events

Danish cargo ship, MV Rozen, on its way to Mumbai is hijacked by Somali pirates, and hostages are taken. Now the CEO Peter Ludvigsen (Soren Malling) of the shipping company must negotiate with the pirates, who are demanding $15-million. The company doesn't want to pay that amount.

I suppose it was only a matter of time that a movie was made of the Somali pirates and here we are. Yes, yes, I know you are waiting for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS with Tom Hanks, and MAN OF STEEL isn't out yet, but this is what we have now.

The main character is Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbaek), a cook. What? I hope you weren't expecting Steven Seagal as in UNDER SIEGE. No, this is a very slow, but realistic portrayal of Somali pirates, their hostages and the negotiations with CEO Peter Ludvigsen in Denmark. The director could have made this a more exciting Hollywood ride with CGI and all that goes with it, but by doing it this way, he ratchets up the tension to such a point it's like we, too, are hostages hoping bad things don't happen and that payment to the pirates is made quickly.

Most scenes involve Mikkel in his galley, and the offices in Denmark with Peter leading strategy sessions and taking advice from a professional hostage negotiator. So it's not like we are seeing the pirates treating the hostages badly. We don't see most of the hostages until near the end of the movie. We never saw the pirates boarding the ship. It's really quite a cat and mouse talk-fest, but one that hinges on getting the crew out safely while negotiating the payment. These bargaining sessions are dragged out, but this is the way they probably have happened in real life.

Most of the movie is a back and forth between the ship and the offices in Denmark. Everything is done by telephone and fax. The acting is first rate all around. The pirates use their own negotiator, Omar (Abdihakin Asgar), who is not a member of the pirates.

There are sub-titles and English mixed in. The sub-titles are short and to the point. Some F-bombs appear in the sub-titles as well as spoken in English.

This probably isn't for everyone, but is quite an eye-opener regarding the Somali pirates and the negotiations that take place. You would be shocked to learn how many days the negotiations lasted.

There is quite a shocker almost at the end that took us by surprise. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes and in sub-titles too.

This is a realistic movie that portrays the characters exactly the way it is in real life IMO. There's hardly any difference between the pirates & company owner/management. They are same, only the setting is different. The crews (common people) are as always the victim & sufferer. Story is very simple & real but the screenplay, direction & acting made it very engaging. Not edge of the seat drama but still the director created a very compelling atmosphere. And the best part for me was the ending.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A Danish cargo vessel is hijacked in the Indian Ocean by a gang of Somali pirates, who make a ransom demand. In Copenhagen, the CEO of the haulage firm Peter C. Ludvigsen (Soren Malling) takes it upon himself to act as a go between, against the advice of a professional they have called in, with negotiator Omar (Abdihakin Asgar) who is on board with the pirates and the captives. Having not buckled at the original ransom figure, and trying to get it down to a more reasonable demand, this time in line with what the professional advised, they find themselves in a devastating battle of wits with the pirates that lasts an unbelievable four months and leaves ship's chef Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek) doubting his sanity and fearing the worst.

Once again world cinema strikes itself a blow with an outstanding effort that wouldn't have stood a chance of being bettered by Hollywood. Although a re-make, or something certainly loosely based on this work, is already due for release, directed by Paul Greengrass and with Tom Hanks in the lead role. It's another unbelievable true life story, torn from today's headlines and even more relevant as a result, that director Tobias Lindholm has injected with a sterile air of claustrophobia, atmosphere and unease that gives you a truly uncomfortable feeling of real life being played out in front of you.

It's the appropriately human reactions Lindholm gets from his characters that gives it all the sense of realism that we see and feel. We have Malling as the CEO facing his worst nightmare, something he is told he hasn't the experience to deal with, but seeing it as his responsibility nonetheless, left to barter with Asgar's Omar, who he doesn't entirely trust and fails to hold his suspicion for. In turn, the trained negotiator ends up cracking under the pressure himself sometimes, as does Mikkel, during an unlawful imprisonment that would test anyone's endurance. They don't quite succumb to Stockholm Syndrome, but after catching a fish with their captors, the detained crew celebrate wildly with them as if in some way they have become their best friends. And while it's the desperation of the crew you feel most for, you can't help but wonder, if not sympathize, with the pirates for how desperate they themselves must feel to drag the siege out so long.

A Danish production has tackled a true life story that is a modern phenomenon in the world at the moment, and crafted an unshowy, uncomfortably realistic and naturally human account that begs to be seen. ****

"Hijacking" deals with the hijacking of a Danish freighter from the POV of the crew as well as the company. In docudrama like fashion, the scene switches between the crew's ordeal on the boat and the difficulties of negotiating. The focus of the crew is on the cook (Pilou Asbaek) and the negotiations take place between the company's CEO (Soren Malling) and an English speaking pirate (Abdihakin Asgar). Most of these actors will be unknown to American audiences although the Danish actors have considerable experience in European films.

Unfortunately, IMO the writer-director Tobias Lindholm has managed to squeeze almost all the drama and excitement from the experience, and many of the photographic choices do not advance the script (e.g., the long shot closing the film).

Though not compelling, the film is nonetheless interesting, and there are a few scenes that are exceptional (e.g., the catching and eating of a fish).

(FWIW – I was once a POW in an African prison where I spent a month during which the government negotiated (unsuccessfully) for my release, so I have some knowledge of what goes on under these kinds of circumstances, although my situation was obviously different from the one depicted in this film.)

It is often said that the jailer becomes a prisoner too. For as he watches the prisoner, he also becomes a prisoner since he cannot leave his post.

In this movie, we find that that all the parties are prisoners. The obvious prisoners are the crew, but then we have the Somalis who are guarding them. The negotiator, Omar, who declares himself a non-pirate and a middleman representing communications with the Somali pirates said that he cannot leave until the ransom is paid. On the other side, we have the family of the crew who is helpless in the ordeal. Then we have Peter, the self-assured CEO of the Danish shipping company who has chosen to negotiate with the Somalis. He may seem less of a prisoner at first, but as time progresses, we see that he is also in a cell of a different kind. He cannot afford to lose focus, he cannot afford to lose his cool, he cannot afford to offer too much money lest it backfire, and he has to keep his shipping board members satisfied and give comfort to the families of the crew. The real surprise is in who gives Peter the key to free him from his cell. Perhaps the final symbolism is at the conclusion in seeing him get into his car and drive it out into the streets. We see the garage door slowly open as Peter's car leaves and then it slowly settles back down afterwards. A prisoner has just been set free and the movie watchers never doubted this would happen, but we wondered when and how.

The movie is a masterful game of chess played over a period of weeks and months, but with the stake of human life if an error is made. The stress is overbearing on all parties and the movie watcher waits to see if anyone cracks first. All of this is heightened by poor communication with language, distance, and technology failures and as the conditions deteriorate with the progression of time. Additionally the relationships shift. The Somalis are the feared enemy in one scene, like comrades in another, and then feared again in yet another. The shipping company is slow to come to terms and you wonder who is friend and who is foe with lives hanging in the balance.

If you want to see a gritty movie from a dual vantage point, then consider "A Hijacking" a treat. It is not Hollywood predictable. Highly recommended!