Kapringen
| A Hijacking | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Tobias Lindholm |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Tobias Lindholm |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Hildur Guðnadóttir |
| Cinematography | Magnus Nordenhof Jønck |
| Edited by | Adam Nielsen |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 minutes |
| Country | Denmark |
| Language | Danish English |
| Budget | DKK 15 million (approx. $2.8 million) |
| Box office | $2.2 million |
A Hijacking (Danish: Kapringen) is a 2012 Danish thriller film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm about a ship hijacking. Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling star as a cook taken hostage and the CEO that attempts to negotiate for his release, respectively. It premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.
Mikkel Hartmann, the cook on board the Danish merchant ship "Rosen", is anxious to return to his wife and child in Denmark. Jan Sørensen, the ship's engineer, asks him to take a letter home to his family. Back in Denmark, shipping company representative Lars Vestergaard, unable to close a difficult deal, requests help from CEO Peter Ludvigsen, who concludes the deal with the Japanese businessmen. Ludvigsen suddenly learns that pirates in the Indian Ocean have hijacked the "Rosen". On the ship, the crew is separated into two groups, and Hartmann is forced at gunpoint to cook a meal. Automatic gunfire punctuates the night, frightening the hostages and keeping the atmosphere tense.
Ludvigsen hires Connor Julian, an English hostage negotiator who has experience with pirates. Julian's first suggestion is to use a neutral third party to handle negotiations, but Ludvigsen insists on running negotiations himself. Their first communication with the pirates comes when Omar, a Somali who says that he is a translator taken hostage by the pirates, asks Hartmann to contact Ludvigsen. Ludvigsen, however, refuses to negotiate through Hartmann and hangs up. Omar himself then calls and relays the pirates' demands. Ludvigsen's counter-offer, an unrealistic low-ball number, opens the negotiation process. Julian explains that if they give in too quickly or easily, the pirates will only renege on the deal.
As the weeks roll on, the pirates allow the hostages a few limited privileges, such as use of the bathrooms. Hartmann and Sørensen attempt to befriend one of the pirates, who humiliates Sørensen as a prank. When Hartmann becomes agitated over the dwindling supplies, Omar refuses to restock the vessel and forces Hartmann to call Ludvigsen. Ludvigsen again refuses to communicate through Hartmann and hangs up. Negotiations slowly continue, and Omar reacts incredulously to Ludvigsen's continued low-ball offers, which he says will result in the deaths of himself and the crew unless Ludvigsen makes a realistic offer. The situation takes a toll on Ludvigsen, culminating in his yelling at his worried girlfriend.
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Wikipedia