Overview
A tense psychological battle unfolds as hostages fight for their lives against ruthless captors.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- gritty
- methodical
- serious movie night
- international cinema evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping, methodical, and psychologically rich hostage thriller that replaces conventional action with gritty realism and sustained dread.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The ransom crisis unfolds through prolonged communication between the shipping executive and the pirates, with suspense centered on each negotiation step.
The cargo ship, hostage conditions, shipping office, and ransom process are presented with methodical, grounded detail instead of conventional action spectacle.
The film intercuts the hostages aboard the MV Rozen with the CEO and company negotiators on land, contrasting their pressures and limited knowledge.
The shipping company's CEO must weigh ransom demands, business consequences, and the lives of the crew during the hijacking.
Films like A Hijacking, and why
Captain Phillips
shared maritime hostage thriller, gritty realism, and psychological suspense
The Negotiator
shared methodical pacing, institutional pressure, and morally complex negotiation
United 93
shared austere realism, escalating dread, and character-focused crisis management
The Guilty
shared restrained thriller form, procedural tension, and institutional power struggles
Movie Details
- Director
- Tobias Lindholm
- Release Date
- 2012-02-29
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (306)
Cast
- Pilou Asbæk
- Søren Malling
- Dar Salim
- Roland Møller
- Gary Skjoldmose Porter
- Abdihakin Asgar
- Amalie Ihle Alstrup
- Amalie Vulff Andersen
- Linda Laursen
- Keith Pearson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Hijacking about?
- A Danish maritime thriller turns a Somali pirate hijacking into a nerve-wracking study of ransom negotiation, corporate responsibility, and hostage survival.
- What is A Hijacking like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Hijacking as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Hijacking violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Hijacking as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Hijacking?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping, methodical, and psychologically rich hostage thriller that replaces conventional action with gritty realism and sustained dread.
- Which films are like A Hijacking?
- Films with a similar feel include Captain Phillips, The Negotiator, United 93, and The Guilty.
- How long is A Hijacking?
- A Hijacking runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Hijacking?
- In United States, A Hijacking streams on Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel.
