Film Title: A Hijacking
This taut Danish thriller by director Tobias Lindholm, about Somali pirates commandeering a merchant vessel in the Indian Ocean, keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What’s more, it manages to do so without any of the testosterone-laden heroics of its mainstream, bid-budget counterparts.
Like best-in-breed horror films (recall the original Halloween), Tobias wisely knows the ever-present threat of violence is often more riveting and palpably effective then the mayhem itself. That’s not to say the film doesn’t have its moments, however.
Then there’s the smart juxtaposition of the various worlds colliding – the blue collar ethos of the sailors, the crisp, sanitized, yet pressure-filled realm of the modern corporation, and the raw energy and engineered chaos brought to bear by the Somali pirates. How Lindholm harnesses these seemingly disparate cultural forces — depicting how they are obviously different and yet how they are also surprisingly alike — is the fulcrum upon which A Hijacking emerges as a complex and inspired piece of filmmaking.
A Hijacking is currently playing at the Royal, Playhouse 7, and Town Center 5.
– Marc Horwitz