This Danish film is set in two locations; aboard the Rosen, a ship in the Indian Ocean, and in the offices of its owners back in Denmark. After a brief introduction to the crew of the ship it is hijacked by Somali pirates whose 'negotiator' Omar contacts the ship's owners to let them know what is happening. CEO Peter Ludvigsen is advised not to offer the pirates anywhere near the money they demand on the grounds that they will just ask for more. Omar initially demands fifteen million dollars and Peter counters with a much lower offer; clearly things won't be resolve quickly. Weeks then months pass as the negotiations move at glacial speed; while this is going life for the crew is getting uncomfortable; there are highs, such as the moment they are allowed to do some fishing, but for most of the time there is a constant sense of danger.It is inevitable that this film will be compared with 'Captain Philips' as both concern ships hijacked by Somali pirates however they have significant differences. This film is all about the negotiations rather than action… we don't even see the moment that the ship is seized. These negotiations aren't just between the pirates and the ship's owners; there is also a degree of negotiation between the crew and the pirates as they seek to improve their conditions. It was in keeping with this low key approach that we are shown what is happening to the crew by focusing on the ship's cook rather than somebody more obviously important; Pilou Asbæk does a fine job in this role. Søren Malling and Abdihakin Asgar also impress as Ludvigsen and Omar. The rest of the cast are pretty good too; especially the first time actors who play the pirates; they seem more threatening because what they say is not subtitled meaning we are as much in the dark as the crew as they cajole them with unintelligible threats. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; it may not be full of action but the tension is almost constant and there are some shocks.These comments are based on watching the film in Danish with English subtitles, although it must be noted that much of the dialogue is in English.

Taking a look on Ebay during the Christmas holidays for any good deals,I spotted a Nordic Noir title being sold for £1 (with no bids) with free postage! Since hearing about the title when the similarly themed Captain Phillips came out,I got set for a hijacking to take place.The plot:As the ship gets close to its destination,crew member Mikkel Hartmann starts to think about seeing his wife and daughter again for the first time in months.Before Hartmann and the crew have a chance to see land,a group of pirates get aboard the ship and hijack it. Learning that the pirates have taken control of the ship,the ship's owner Peter Ludvigsen begins attempting to negotiate with the pirates,as Hartmann and the rest of the crew start to find their hope of ever seeing land again to drift away.View on the film:Filmed on an actual ship in the Indian Ocean,writer/director Tobias Lindholm & cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck lock the crew and pirates down in a hellish Film Noir pit,as Lindholm's stiff,hand- held tracking shots superbly explore the decaying, claustrophobic wasteland that they are all being held in.Making the negotiation take place miles away, Lindholm gives the scenes away from the ship a stylishly pristine appearance,as the sharp suits and slick metallic walls show everything that the crew have sailed away from.Spanning a brittle 99 minute running time,the screenplay by Lindholm smartly makes sure the title never feels like Hartmann is alone at sea,thanks to giving each of the crew and pirates rough outlines which along with unveiling the comradeship that the crew share,also uncovers the blunt attitude the pirates have to their "cargo." Despite having a swift running time,Lindholm makes the agonisingly long passage of time for the hostage situation be whipped across the entire movie,as every attempt Hartmann and the crew make to bond with the pirates leads to them being struck with a ruthless hit.Going back and forth between the CEO and the pirates,Lindholm threads a deliciously dark comparison between the similarities shared between big business and the pirates,thanks to pirates negotiator Omar (played by a terrifically restrained Abdihakin Asgar) and CEO Peter C. Ludvigsen (played by a slippery Søren Malling) each being more interested in their power-play then ending the hostage situation quickly. Initially appearing to offer some light at the end,Lindholm instead takes the film into a harsh Nordic Noir final shot,as Hartmann (played by a wonderfully burnt out Pilou Asbæk) finds all his hopes to have been hijacked.

A HIJACKING takes a subject that would usually make a good B-movie and turns it into an emotionally wringing exercise in realistic fear. The plot very simply sees a Danish-owned ship captured by Somali pirates. The story moves between the ship's crew living in captivity with their captors and the corporate team trying to negotiate their freedom. The film is brilliant in avoiding cliché: the corporate team really do want the best but are hobbled by the cruel realities of a trade where agreeing a price instantly will just lead to more demands, forcing them to negotiate over a tiny sums for months; meanwhile the crew go from initial shock to bonding with the pirates over things like fishing, but without the film losing sight of the fact that the pirates are violent criminals who can and will kill over anything. As time passes during the negotiations the tension rises as nerves begin to fray. What makes this so effective is the total realism; every moment is tension- packed because the crew, who are utterly human, are so totally at the mercy of their capricious and alien captors; the film is often a hard watch, precisely because of this. This is combined with a poetically realistic depiction of what life is like on ships in the modern world. The ending is perfect: people go home, but they're all horribly marked by what they've been through.

"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.