You might expect big action from a movie about the hijacking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates. But after a preliminary flurry of roughing-up, the Danish drama A Hijacking is mostly about the excruciating process of getting to “yes” when language is the least of the barriers between two very different mindsets.
A Hijacking is the story of two men and their fate, but in its unassuming, specific way, it’s also about global capitalism and its fallout. On one side sits arrogant Western rational calculation, on the other the intimidation and brute force that have become common practice in less affluent societies in disarray.
The action, such as it is, toggles between the captured ship, an increasingly fetid hellhole becalmed in the crippling heat of the Indian Ocean, and the sleek, silver-gray corporate headquarters of the Copenhagen-based shipping-company that owns it.
When we meet the CEO, Peter (Soren Malling), he’s fresh off rescuing his deputy from botching a lucrative deal with Japanese clients. Slim, confident and disciplined in a series of crisp shirts, Peter is accustomed to being in control. He’s the antithesis of his marooned ship’s cook, Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek) — the film’s other protagonist, and a shaggy, good-natured lug who wants only to get home to his wife and kids.