Movie review for “A Hijacking”
Synopsis: The cargo ship MV Rozen is heading for harbor 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.
Rating: R.
Run Time: 1 hr 43 min
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Blu-ray Extra’s: Behind the scenes features, behind the movie, the director, research, the chief engineer, the actors, trailer.
Nudity Factor: None
Of Note: The scenes on the ship were filmed in Mombassa in Kenya on a ship that had previously sailed under Danish flag.
Recommendations:
I was interested in these events, as I remember seeing some news at one point about Somali pirates holding a ship. I am not sure if what I was following was the same ship, but if not it had to be close. The movie follows the events that take place both at the company that owns the ships and what is happening on the ship. I appreciated all the cast of this film. They all really did a great job in some situations that would be challenging. The bulk of the story takes place either in a conference room or on a stuffy ship. It really comes down to who is going to break first. The pirates start out at a very high number, and the company counters with a very low number. This takes up most of the film as we see the impact this is having on the company, more specifically the CEO, but we also see what is happening to the crew. Though, I do think they missed a few opportunities to add a few things to the film. We don’t see how the pirates take the ship. This would have added a little more drama as well as really showing the dire situation the crew was in.A
Overall, I enjoyed the film, though it did have a few places that got very long. We got the sense of the desolation and despair the crew was in. At times, the shots were extended beyond what they needed to be to convey that. This creates an environment that put the viewer in a position to lose interest. You hold on waiting for the conclusion and what is the fate of the crew, it would have been nice if they had done a little more with the conclusion, giving us a little more finality.