Every once in a while, a film comes along that proves innovation is still alive and well in filmmaking. A Hijacking, an extraordinary Danish film by Tobias Lindholm, is one of those movies. A thriller that at every turn defies the conventions of its genre, A Hijacking is a truly stunning achievement.
The film centers on two individuals affected by the hijacking of Danish cargo ship Mv Rozen by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The first, Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk), is the ship’s cook, a meek family man completely unprepared for the situation in which he finds himself. The second, Peter Ludvigsen (Søren Malling), is the CEO of the shipping company, a well-intentioned suit behind a pristine office desk in Copenhagen. As Peter begins a tense, protracted series of negotiations with the pirates, Mikkel and the other crew members are left to suffer the horrific consequences of his continued inaction.
The film centers on two individuals affected by the hijacking of Danish cargo ship Mv Rozen by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The first, Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk), is the ship’s cook, a meek family man completely unprepared for the situation in which he finds himself. The second, Peter Ludvigsen (Søren Malling), is the CEO of the shipping company, a well-intentioned suit behind a pristine office desk in Copenhagen. As Peter begins a tense, protracted series of negotiations with the pirates, Mikkel and the other crew members are left to suffer the horrific consequences of his continued inaction.
- 10/14/2013
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
If you can’t wait for director Paul Greengrass’s fact-based Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks taking on Somali pirates who seize his American cargo ship, there’s a Norwegian movie, A Hijacking, opening first with a similar plot. I don’t know if Greengrass, known for United 93 and The Bourne Supremacy, will include the big action scenes the premise seems to indicate, but A Hijacking, not based on a true story, does not. The realistic, handheld style and look of the film makes it feel natural and unrehearsed.
While the Tom Hanks film is the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking which lasted four days in 2009, the Danish freighter in A Hijcaking is in peril for four months. Somali pirates seize the Mv Rozen in the Indian Ocean, demanding millions in ransom as the stubborn CEO of the shipping company tries in vain to negotiate a deal.
While the Tom Hanks film is the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking which lasted four days in 2009, the Danish freighter in A Hijcaking is in peril for four months. Somali pirates seize the Mv Rozen in the Indian Ocean, demanding millions in ransom as the stubborn CEO of the shipping company tries in vain to negotiate a deal.
- 7/12/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By titling this film A Hijacking rather than The Hijacking, the titular event is rendered less significant. This choice begins to make sense as we observe the way that the Danish shipping company handles the negotiations with the Somali pirates. Despite being advised otherwise, Peter (Søren Malling) -- the shipping company's CEO -- opts to handle the negotiations on his own. Peter sacrifices his personal life in order to remain at his office 24/7, in case Omar (Abdihakin Asgar) -- the pirates' English-speaking negotiator -- attempts to phone or fax him. It seems like an incredibly humanistic move on Peter's part, to focus so intently upon bringing his ship and its crew back to Copenhagen in one piece; but his intentions are infinitely more selfish. As is revealed earlier in the film, during a negotiation with a Japanese company, Peter sees himself as the only negotiator at his firm able to...
- 6/18/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Title: A Hijacking (Kapringen) Magnolia Director: Tobias Lindholm Screenwriter: Tobias Lindholm Cast: Pilou Asbaek, Søren Malling, Abdihakin Asgar, Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 5/22/13 Opens: June 21, 2013 If you like Santa Claus and Donald Duck and you want to keep believing that pirates look and act like Johnny Depp, don’t see “A Hijacking,” because everything in Tobias Lindholm’s riveting film looks so real that you might think it’s a high resolution videotape of a pirate hijacking. And the reality is not pretty. This drama about the capture on the high seas of a Danish ship is doubtless the most exciting one that has ever come down the pike about [ Read More ]
The post A Hijacking Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post A Hijacking Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/17/2013
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
"A Hijacking" is every bit as straightforward as its title. This Danish drama depicts the seizure of a cargo ship by Somali pirates and the months-long negotiations for the release of ship and crew, and tells this story partly through the eyes of the crew that experiences it, and partly in the corporate offices where a CEO takes charge by playing hardball, capturing the pressures on both fronts to secure the release of the ship and the seven sailors on board.
Writer-director Tobias Lindholm misses one dramatic moment as he doesn't show much of the capture -- just a radar blip, followed by skinny black men with Ak-47s, on board and menacing the crew. But it's what happens afterward that ratchets up the tension. Poor Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek ) is just the cook, a new dad anxious to get home and a man comfortable with making his small crew happy,...
Writer-director Tobias Lindholm misses one dramatic moment as he doesn't show much of the capture -- just a radar blip, followed by skinny black men with Ak-47s, on board and menacing the crew. But it's what happens afterward that ratchets up the tension. Poor Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek ) is just the cook, a new dad anxious to get home and a man comfortable with making his small crew happy,...
- 6/14/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Having not necessarily seen the poster, the film title automatically assumes a plane takeover at several thousand feet, like so many films before. However, this is a story of ‘terrorists at sea’ with writer-director Tobias Lindholm (The Hunt), putting to bed the romantic notion of swashbuckling pirates with a frank and tension-pounding pseudo-documentary account (based on real events) that is remarkably chilling to say the least.
Cargo ship chef Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk) only has a few days left at sea until he returns home to Copenhagen to see his young family. Unfortunately for him and his fellow crewmen, Somali pirates board the ship and demand a multi-million dollar ransom to free both crew and ship from the Danish parent company. Cool businessman and company CEO Peter C. Ludvigsen (Søren Malling) hires an expert to help negotiate with the pirates thousands of miles away, believing he can control the situation...
Cargo ship chef Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk) only has a few days left at sea until he returns home to Copenhagen to see his young family. Unfortunately for him and his fellow crewmen, Somali pirates board the ship and demand a multi-million dollar ransom to free both crew and ship from the Danish parent company. Cool businessman and company CEO Peter C. Ludvigsen (Søren Malling) hires an expert to help negotiate with the pirates thousands of miles away, believing he can control the situation...
- 5/8/2013
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Catch the trailer for Magnolia Pictures' A Hijacking, starring Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling and Dar Salim The cargo ship Mv Rozen is heading for harbour when it is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Amongst the men on board are the ship’s cook Mikkel and the engineer Jan, who along with the rest of the seamen are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death. With the demand for a ransom of millions of dollars a psychological drama unfolds between the CEO of the shipping company and the Somali pirates. Tobias Lindholm directs the R-rated film which opens on June 21st, and also has Roland Møller, Gary Skjoldmose Porter, Abdihakin Asgar and Amalie Alstrup on board.
- 4/23/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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