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

Unveiled
Performed by Hildur Guðnadóttir (Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir) with Guðni Franzson clarinet and bass clarinet
From the album "Without Sinking" (Touch, 2009)
(p) TOUCH MUSIC (MCPS)

User Reviews

Interesting, but not compelling

"Hijacking" deals with the hijacking of a Danish freighter from the POV of the crew as well as the company. In docudrama like fashion, the scene switches between the crew's ordeal on the boat and the difficulties of negotiating. The focus of the crew is on the cook (Pilou Asbaek) and the negotiations take place between the company's CEO (Soren Malling) and an English speaking pirate (Abdihakin Asgar). Most of these actors will be unknown to American audiences although the Danish actors have considerable experience in European films.

Unfortunately, IMO the writer-director Tobias Lindholm has managed to squeeze almost all the drama and excitement from the experience, and many of the photographic choices do not advance the script (e.g., the long shot closing the film).

Though not compelling, the film is nonetheless interesting, and there are a few scenes that are exceptional (e.g., the catching and eating of a fish).

(FWIW – I was once a POW in an African prison where I spent a month during which the government negotiated (unsuccessfully) for my release, so I have some knowledge of what goes on under these kinds of circumstances, although my situation was obviously different from the one depicted in this film.)