A Hijacking (2012) on Netflix
Somali pirates seize the Danish cargo ship Rozen in the Indian Ocean, taking cook Mikkel Hartmann and the crew hostage. In Denmark, shipping CEO Peter Ludvigsen negotiates the ransom himself.
- Netflix4.2/5
- IMDb7.1/1018,078 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes96%
Trailer
Plot summary
Aboard the Danish merchant ship Rozen, cook Mikkel Hartmann is anxious to get back to his wife and child, and the engineer Jan Sørensen asks him to carry a letter home for him. In Denmark, Lars Vestergaard cannot close a difficult deal and calls in CEO Peter Ludvigsen, who finishes it with Japanese businessmen. Then Ludvigsen learns that the Rozen has been seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean. The crew is split into two groups, and Hartmann is made to cook a meal at gunpoint. Ludvigsen hires Connor Julian, an Australian negotiator with experience of pirates. Julian suggests a neutral third party, but Ludvigsen intends to run the talks himself. Omar, a Somali who says he is a translator held by the pirates, asks Hartmann to call Ludvigsen.
Cast
- Gary Skjoldmose Porteras Connor Julian
- Abdihakin Asgaras Omar
- Amalie Vulff Andersenas Kamilla Hartmann
- Keith Pearsonas Kaptajn
- Allan Arnbyas Niels Giversen
- Bettina Schjerlundas Jytte
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Hijacking (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- A Hijacking was shot on a real ship whose crew, working as extras, had themselves been hijacked by pirates and fed details into the script, such as separating the crew. Armed guards were hired to protect the production from a real hijacking.
- Tobias Lindholm wanted to write a film about a ship in trouble at sea but had no plot until he read about commercial Danish ships hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean, and realised he could use that situation.
- Tobias Lindholm asked Kenyan clan elders for permission to cast the pirates in Mombasa, and was surprised when they told him to write the pirates negatively: they said the pirates were recruiting many young men and it was hard to dissuade youths from joining.
- Gary Skjoldmose Porter, a professional hostage negotiator, was hired as the film's technical adviser and then offered the part; Lindholm wrote him no lines, wanting to make use of his real-life skills instead.
- On set, Tobias Lindholm deliberately kept Søren Malling, an experienced comedian, off-balance by refusing to let him fall back on comedy.
- Abdihakin, the only ethnic Somali in the cast, was chosen for his distinctive appearance; a first-time actor, he taught himself by watching behind-the-scenes documentaries on famous films, which he often referenced during shooting.
