A Hijacking revolves around the unraveling of the mystique of bravery and its risks and rewards. To be brave does not mean to be smart. When Danish cargo ship MV Rozen, with seven crewmembers, is hijacked by Somali pirates, an outside consultant is hired by the corporation that owns the boat to help in negotiations and tactics. Instead of following his specific advice, though, the CEO of the company wants to handle the direct negotiations instead of utilizing an outside negotiator. We learn early on that he runs a hard bargain when dealing with clients, but those matters aren’t life and death. While we see the tremendous toll and pressure that it places on the CEO, we also learn what it’s like to be part of that seven man crew as well.

We start with the Rozen’s cook, Mikkel Harmann (Johan Philip Asbæk), who wants nothing more than to get back to his wife and kid. Unfortunately, he’s been extended a few days and we know that’s an ominous sign, particularly when a few minutes later we are shown a text overlay that signifies “Day 1.” When the Somali pirates take over, the engineer, captain, and Mikkel are herded away from the rest of the group and Mikkel becomes the unwitting negotiator for the pirates, talking with CEO Peter Ludvigsen (Søren Malling). Cleverly, the company informs the families to keep quiet on the matter as a way of helping their loved ones home. We’re told that the pirates are very aware of press and how that can put immense pressure on the company to speed up the negotiating process. In fact, at one point, the consultant has to remind the boardroom to not lose patience: “Time is a Western thing. It means nothing to them.”

Thankfully, director Tobias Lindholm has plenty of patience. Quietly and with subdued emotions, we witness the deterioration of the Rozen crew. White undershirts become brown, flies start to appear out of nowhere, and the crew looks increasingly haggard. Asbæk in particular has to carry a huge load of the narrative’s power as we follow him around. He has to cook and negotiate with the middleman. Near the beginning, we hear a sudden burst of gunfire within the ship that sounds otherworldly loud because of the echoing reverberations of the ship. Sound is an incredibly important factor as some of the simplest uses can drive us crazy. Every word Peter speaks when on speakerphone while negotiating with the pirates he can hear echoed back at him. Whether it was ADR or not, the effect is maddening for us as an audience as Peter delivers clipped speech broken up by technological mimicry.

As the days wore on, I could feel the stunned awe of the audience around me. This is truly a journey you begin to empathize with. Through the intensity of the situation and the way Asbæk and his two comrades play it, you begin to get a sense for the hell they are going through. Is the cruelty to them beneficial to the negotiations? You don’t get those answers and you never would. Yet, with subtlety and care, A Hijacking provides a stomach-churning and hold-your-breath cinematic ride.

A Hijacking screens at the Dallas International Film Festival and opens in theaters on June 14th.

Grade: B+

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