Kapringen (2012) Reviews

• Epic realism at its finest

  lortemsnmessengerkonto2013-03-09

  Danish filmmaker Tobias Lindholm is steadily making a name for himself; daring filmmaker not afraid to take chances and it pays off in this one. Kapringen (A Hijacking) is sort of the antithesis of a Hollywood hostage drama devoid of tired clichés and the predictable story lines we -- as an audience of generational film-goers -- have become too accustomed to. It features an incredibly in-depth character study from the two main characters: a chef aboard the hijacked ship and the CEO of the shipping company remotely negotiating with the Somali pirates dealing with the incredible pressure and moral dilemmas of the situation. Also the supporting characters are depicted with great nuances such as sympathy and even humanity. The plot is tight and flows nicely as does the tempo of the film. Cinematography beautifully emphasizes the realism and atmosphere of the film, and even the score is wonderfully understated yet fully appropriate. One of the most suspenseful films of the year, no doubt, perhaps it embodies everything that Argo should have been about. As a side note, the person who gave this a horrible review also gave The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2009) a perfect 10/10 (go ahead and click his other reviews if you don't believe me). Take from that what you will. A highly recommendable film for great acting, directing and general storytelling. Bravo.

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• Taut and realistic

  allenrogerj2012-10-20

  A fine realistic- almost documentary- examination of the hijacking of a Danish-owned freighter by Somali pirates. The two central characters are the ship's cook and the company's C.E.O., who negotiates the crew's release after over four months. There is an almost obsessive concern for realism- the scenes with the crew and the pirates were filmed on a real freighter- which had itself once been hijacked- off the coast of Somalia; the offices of a real shipping company were used; the hostage negotiator used as a consultant plays the part of a hostage negotiator. There are only two lapses from exact realism: the C.E.O. rejects the consultant's advice to recruit an outside negotiator. This makes for more drama at the expense of realism, but we have just seen him negotiate a deal that looked impossible with a Japanese company and- coolly impassive though he is- we can accept he is triumphant and thinks he is the best man for the job. Much of the film is a study of this man's moral education and moral courage as he learns to take others' advice, comes close to psychological collapse and finally triumphs, only to have his triumph destroyed by chance. Even then, he accepts his duty to take responsibility for what has happened, even if it is out of his control. The other lapse from realism is probably the result of the cinematic demand that something has to happen, even in a film where triumph consists of making sure nothing happens. The film takes place almost entirely in confined spaces- the company's offices, in the ship's cabins or cargo deck with occasional glimpses of the outside sea and the sky. There are a couple of moments where pirates and hostages almost meet as equals- when the crew are allowed on deck and catch a fish which inspires a feast for all of them- but for most of the film the pirates are potentially murderous 'others' who inspire only fear and hatred. Even their own English-speaking negotiator, for all his claims not to be a pirate like the others, reveals his own duplicity.

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• Terror and Tension

  trivium1052013-06-11

  I have just returned from seeing this at the cinema and I thought it was a really good film. I've seen most of the recent clutch of excellent Danish films and I would say this film was as good as any, perhaps with the one exception of The Hunt. I've noticed one reviewer objects to the lack of voice given to the hijackers, demonstrated by their speech not being subtitled. I completely disagree with this being an issue, the film is not about the hijackers, it is about the crew of the ship, the situation they find themselves in, and their relationship with the corporation that owns the ship and is responsible for the ransom that is demanded for the safety of the crew. The film seeks to portray the sense of terror that the crew are going through and arguably the best tool used in the film is the non-translated speech of the hijackers ... we have no idea what they are saying, why they can be calm and friendly one minute and then become furious seconds later for no apparent reason, waving their guns around ... this is exactly the way the crew would have experienced it. What would be the point of letting the audience know what the hijackers were saying if the crew don't understand, bearing in mind the film is trying to put us in their shoes? The CEO of the corporation comes across as stiff and unrealistic to begin with but we are shown at the start of the film that this is how he conducts negotiations, and as the hostage negotiation goes on, his stiff demeanour slowly slips away. The film expertly rackets up the tension, and is one of those films that makes you feel like you're experiencing what the characters are, rather than watching as an audience from afar. It is not a 10/10 classic but it is a very good film and well worth watching.

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• Silence is a weapon

  aequus3142013-06-23

  Unbearably tense and anti-aesthetic. For his second directorial feature, Tobias Lindholm (co-writer of Jagten) delivers the kind of indifferent, matter-of-fact realism not experienced since the early days of Dogme 95. And because it cuts through all the fluff and artifice that has invaded commercial films without compromising momentum as a situationist thriller, one must concede that Kapringen has upped the ante on Danish rebellion against the Hollywood system. The refusal to include actual scenes of the hijacking in a film specifically titled "A Hijacking" is no accident. A cargo ship MV Rozen is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Among the eight men crew taken hostage is Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk), the ship's cook. A translator for the pirates issues demand for $15M in exchange for release. But back in Copenhagen, CEO of the shipping company Peter (Søren Malling) learns that gaining the upper hand demands patience. And so negotiations play out in silence like a sociopathic Fischer-Spassky game: cold, calculated, unyielding. I can't think of any movie in which I have wanted so much to resist and cease watching, yet fail to do so because it has a quality so raw, unsympathetic and intuitive. In keeping with Lindholm's debut feature (a prison drama "R"); Kapringen is filmed on location, in chronological sequence and on board a sea freighter that was hijacked in the Indian ocean. Casting also features a real life hostage negotiator as the central figure and naturally, Somali pirates. Arguably, mechanical reproduction of genuine conditions doesn't guarantee a convincing film but in this case, it does — Kapringen looks so suitably stained with normality that one instantly recognizes the absence of gimmicky aesthetics. Unmanipulated (or to be PC about words, "seemingly so"), you resonate with the film's fabric of reality while searching for something more, and in the process, gain access into psychological domains that underpin both Peter and Mikkel. It's not for nothing that Lindholm went through great lengths to replicate an uncomfortable, pressing scenario because the film offers reflection on an overlooked form of terrorism. Corporations may be showing it to employees as a resource on how to respond during such crises, but Kapringen's master stroke — is the revelation of an impasse between the moral versus the practical. There is no payoff at the end of this film, it is one the most sophisticated vérités I have seen, the meta-argument leaves you deliberating, and the film takes off like a thinker on paradox. cinemainterruptus.wordpress.com

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• Quality.

  peacecreep2013-02-25

  A Hijacking is a richly layered examination of the corporate mindset via Somali pirates from Tobias Lindholm. Shot on a real once-hijacked boat off the coast of Somalia, this is realistic, understated, nuanced and gripping filmmaking. It says as much about humanities will to survive as it does big business's disregard for it. Johan Philip Asbeck is incredible as the cook on the boat struggling to deal with the desperate and dumb Somalis, no doubt driven to piracy by the disease and starvation in their country. The reviewer that said this is "amateurishly written" is a child or a moron. Also check out Lindholm's previous film R- the bleakest of all bleak prison films. It's hard to find but worth the hunt (The Hunt- another good movie Lindholm helped write). Both are highly recommended.

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