A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 21, 2013

Winner of Bodil Award for Best Danish Film, Tobias Lindholm's "Kapringen" a.k.a "A Hijacking" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; raw footage from the shooting of the film; interview with director Tobias Lindholm, video interviews with actors Pilou Asbæk and Soren Malling; and more. In Danish, Somali, and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Omar, are you there?

A Danish cargo ship is hijacked by heavily armed Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The pirates then contact the CEO of the Danish company operating the ship and demand $15 million for its release.

The drama that ensues is seen through the eyes of two different men. The first is the ship’s cook, Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk, TV's The Killing Trilogy, TV's Borgen), an exhausted man who has been hoping to reunite with his family back in Copenhagen. Initially, Mikkel ties to stay calm and wait for the company’s bosses to come up with a solution that would please the pirates and they will agree to release them, but after the negotiations begin and he realizes that they are not willing to pay the ransom he panics.

The second man is the CEO of the company, Peter (Soren Malling, Accused, A Royal Affair), an overconfident businessman who knows how to manipulate his opponents. Shortly after the news about the hijacked ship reaches Copenhagen, Peter is advised by a professional negotiator (Gary Skjoldmose Porter) to step back if he wants a quick solution and as little coverage in the local media as possible. But he refuses and instead decides to follow his instincts, as he always does when he has to close an important business deal.

The action moves from the ship to Copenhagen rather quickly. On the ship, Mikkel is frequently asked by the pirates’ speaker, Omar (Abdihakin Asgar), to make it clear to his bosses that unless the ransom is paid the ship will never return to Denmark. Back in Copenhagen, Peter, advised by a few of his best men and the professional negotiator, does his best to convince Omar that $15 million is an unrealistic sum which his company can’t afford to pay. As time goes by and the captain of the ship becomes seriously ill a few compromises are made, but the deal everyone wants remains elusive.

The focus of attention is strictly on the complex negotiations. The excellent editing and the hand-held camera footage create the impression that the viewer is actually witnessing real-time negotiations broadcast on TV. Only the occasional scenes where Mikkel and Peter are seen collapsing under the enormous pressure add that extra bit of cinematic drama that is typically present in big budget productions.

The acting is top-notch. Malling is very convincing as the overconfident CEO who slowly begins to realize that his negotiating skills are not good enough to sell his deal to the Somali pirates. Asbæk looks appropriately fatigued and brittle. Porter, a real life expert, is also outstanding as the experienced professional who understands exactly how much room for maneuvering there is while dealing with the pirates. Linda Laursen (Festen) has a small role in the film playing the CEO’s part-time lover but is truly outstanding.

Director Tobias Lindholm and cinematographer Magnus Jonck shot A Hijacking with the ARRI Alexa camera. The film’s budget was 2 million euro.

Note: Lindholm has been a lot more prolific as a screenwriter. In addition to writing the script for A Hijacking, Lindholm also worked on the scripts for acclaimed director Thomas Vinterberg’s last two films, Submarino (2010) and the terrific The Hunt (2012).

A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tobias Lindholm's A Hijacking arrives on Btu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.

Light is frequently overexposed or underexposed in this digitally shot film. As a result, clarity and contrast levels fluctuate as the action moves from the hijacked ship to the tiny office in Denmark where its owners are negotiating with the Somali pirates. Colors are cool and natural. (The entire film favors a wide range of grays). Clearly, the intent was to create and sustain a documentary feel. Image depth is very good, but during the sequences where natural light is underexposed small objects can be rather difficult to see. Compression is good. Also, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, excluding a few very light artifacts Arrow Films' technical presentation of A Hijacking is indeed very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Danish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of English and Somali). For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. However, please be aware that there are no English subtitles for the portions of the dialog where English is spoken.

The sound is crisp and very clear. However, because this is primarily a dialog-driven film dynamic intensity is rather limited. There are only a couple of sequences with notable movement in the surround channels as well. The negotiations are crisp, clear, and relatively easy to follow. (Optional English subtitles for the English dialog would have been appreciated by some viewers as a few of the main protagonists have thick accents).

A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray machines, including the PS3.

• Behind the Scenes - raw footage from the shooting of the film with short comments from director Tobias Lindholm and cast members). In Danish, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• The Director - director Tobias Lindholm explains what inspired him to shoot A Hijacking. In Danish, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min).

• Research - Per Gullestrup, CEO of the Danish shipping company Clipper Group, recalls a real hijacking of a ship operated by his company. Also included is footage with Derrick Dharmakan, captain of MV Rozen. In English and Danish, with imposed English subtitles for the Danish footage. (4 min).

• The Chief Engineer - in 2007, Juma Mvita was hijacked for 111 days. He is the chief engineer aboard the MV Rozen and plays a supporting role in A Hijacking. Actor Roland Moller talks to Juma about his hijacking experience. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Actors - actors Pilou Asbæk (Mikkel) and Soren Malling (Peter) discuss the filming of key scenes from A Hijacking. In Danish, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for A Hijacking. In Danish and English, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (2 min).

A Hijacking Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Inspired by true events, Tobias Lindholm's A Hijacking should appeal to viewers who appreciate realistic thrillers. Arrow Films' technical presentation of this recent Danish film is very good. The Region-Free Blu-ray release also comes with a few short but very informative supplemental features. RECOMMENDED.