A Hijacking

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A Hijacking

R

Released Jun 14, 2013

1h 39m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

110 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After Somali pirates hijack a Danish cargo ship and take the crew hostage, authorities in Copenhagen begin negotiations with the pirates to free the crew.

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Critics Consensus

A tense, gripping thriller, A Hijacking avoids action movie cliches and instead creates a palpable sense of dread by mixing gritty realism with atmospheric beauty.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

This is authentic, nail-digging life and death drama that, like Borgen, is all about maturing character development and power politics.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 5, 2017

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

A Hijacking achieves considerable power by avoiding the obvious, and staying close to its characters.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 16, 2013

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David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

It's an unshowy, quietly intense drama with grace notes in every scene -- and a hellish punch.

Dec 16, 2013

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Ryan Syrek

The Reader (Omaha, NE)

A Hijacking is one of those movies that must be recommended even if it's in a way that doesn't suggest that watching it will be much fun at all.

Rated: A-

Aug 27, 2019

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Chris Hunneysett

The Sunday People

holds your attention like a loaded gun to the forehead.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 22, 2019

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Jo-Ann Titmarsh

CineVue

The characters, settings and storyline are always immensely believable, providing a fascinating glimpse into the terrifying world of modern day piracy.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 2, 2019

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Audience Member

Slow burn. Great characters

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/21

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Audience Member

A Hijacking is so quietly intense and sharp it will slice through before you know it's happened. Every performance is crisp and true. Swinging back and forth between the negotiations with executives in Denmark and the Somali pirates and their anguished captives in the middle of the Indian Ocean keeps the viewer on edge. A Hijacking is anguish, frustration, impotence, desperation, and hopes raised and dashed in a moment. It may seem like the stripped down, Scandinavian version of a Hollywood blockbuster, but like all minimalist things it proves less is more.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

What crap, Who in the CIA lets a girl shoot him in the back On the air craft, let the killer live tied up with weapons on him Derrrrr

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

This would be a great companion piece to watch alongside Greengrass' 'Captain Phillips', whereas that film focused on events on the ship this film is more interested in the back and forth of the negotiations. We spend more time in Danish shiny offices, focused mainly on the CEO perfectly portrayed by Malling. It doesn't always engage you, but when it does it makes for riveting and realistic viewing. Worth seeking out.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

A tense thriller which keeps one gripped. I liked the way the story flipped between the ship and the headquarters with no overlap of the story. The psychological impact of being a hostage was well described.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

Though plot wise it is similar to Captain Phillips this is way more believable in terms of script and its narrative. Yes it doesn't have any big name actors but the cast are solid, it doesn't succumb to the usual action movie cliches (you don't even see the hijacking take place) and is far more of a character study but it still has its thrills, plenty of tension and it looks great.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Tobias Lindholm

Director

Søren Malling

Peter C. Ludvigsen

Dar Salim

Lars Vestergaard

Gary Skjoldmose Porter

Connor Julian

Abdihakin Asgar

Omar

Amalie Alstrup

Maria Hartmann

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Synopsis

After Somali pirates hijack a Danish cargo ship and take the crew hostage, authorities in Copenhagen begin negotiations with the pirates to free the crew.

Director: Tobias Lindholm
Producer: Rene Ezra, Tomas Radoor
Screenwriter: Tobias Lindholm
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Nordisk Film
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 14, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $413.3K
Runtime: 1h 39m

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