This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Excellent, smart action film.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

While this film started out well, it kind of descended into a ball of meh. Even though boredom is one thing, this bordered on a world of trite; it could have been handled well, like Tarkovsky often pulled off.The film displays a level of excitement and tension, almost always on the level of the hijackers and their captives, although it kind of simmers off after a while. The last third of the film is dead in the water - pun intended - and the ending is just a big meh.The positive of this film is the general atmosphere created at the start, when the boat was hijacked - but that's it.

Based on real-life events, Tobias Lindholm's drama focuses on the consequences of a hijacking of a Danish cargo ship bound for India by Somali pirates. What sets it apart from other hijacking films is its focus on the delicate negotiations between the pirates, their mediator Omar (Abdihakin Asgar), and Peter Ludvigsen, the CEO of the cargo ship company (Soren Malling) back in Copenhagen. We understand the delicate bargaining process; how the pirates are quite prepared to sit it out until they achieve what they want, and how it is imperative that Peter should keep control of his emotions. To do otherwise would be to cede the advantage to the pirates. In several sequences of unbearable tension in the situation room in Copenhagen, we watch Peter being advised by hijacking specialist Connor Julian (Gary Skjoldmose Porter), while struggling to maintain his calm. Meanwhile, back on the cargo ship, director Lindholm shows how the hijacking affects the crew, especially ship's cook Mikkel Hartmann (Pilou Asbæk). Eventually he almost cracks up under the strain, as he is shown cowering in a corner, unable to move or speak. Even when he is finally restored to his family, he can hardly raise a smile. THE HIJACKING is an intense film: Lindholm's camera focuses relentlessly on the characters' facial expressions. A gesture, or even a blink of an eye, denotes a change of emotion. The performances are uniformly excellent - especially Malling, who is shown at the end getting into his car and driving off. This is something he might do on any normal day, but this time he walks in silence, staring blankly into space; not exactly ruined, but profoundly scarred by the experience.

Kapringen ('A hijacking') is the directorial debut of Tobias Lindholm, who also wrote the script and previously wrote Jagten. It shows. The film has the same strong psychological tension without much physical action, the same combination which made Jagten such a strong film.The story is that of a Danish freighter being hijacked by Somali pirates, and the negotiations that follow.Half the film takes place on the ship, truly capturing the cramped pressure the crew is in, who do not even know if the others on the same ship are OK and are hardly able to communicate with their Somali captors. The other half takes place around the negotiation team in Denmark, where the company's CEO experiences a whole different kind of stress and pressure while handling the uncertainties that come with dealing with foreign demands over a crappy and intermittent phone line.Kapringen is not a thriller, it's a very emphatic observation. Which is so much harder to make and more impressive to watch!

Inspired by true eventsDanish 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.