Kapringen (2012)

The crew of a Danish cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates who proceed to engage in escalating negotiations with authorities in Copenhagen.

Director:

Tobias Lindholm

Writer:

Tobias Lindholm

Stars:

Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Dar Salim

16 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pilou Asbæk	...	Mikkel Hartmann
Søren Malling	...	Peter C. Ludvigsen
Dar Salim	...	Lars Vestergaard
Roland Møller	...	Jan Sørensen
Gary Skjoldmose Porter	...	Connor Julian
Abdihakin Asgar	...	Omar
Amalie Ihle Alstrup	...	Maria Hartmann (as Amalie Alstrup)
Amalie Vulff Andersen	...	Kamilla Hartmann
Linda Laursen	...	Anette Ludvigsen
Keith Pearson	...	Kaptajn
Allan Arnby	...	Niels Giversen
Bettina Schjerlund	...	Jytte
Derrick Dharmakan	...	Sømænd
Juma Mvita	...	Sømænd (as Jumamvita)
Mikyan 'Thura' Aung	...	Sømænd

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

shot in the head | hijacking | somali pirate | pirate | cargo ship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Swedish English Japanese Somali

Release Date:

20 September 2012 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

A Hijacking

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 15,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,392, 23 June 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$413,276, 29 September 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nordisk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the pirates are played by local Somalis, only one had been cast beforehand.

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Quotes

Connor Julian: We can't rush these people. Time is a Western thing. It means nothing to them.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2012 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Down in the Dark
Performed by CODY (aka Kaspar Kaae)
Words and Music by Kaspar Kaae
From the album "Songs"
© Nordic Music Society, 2009

User Reviews

Delivers real drama.

"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.