STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
A Danish cargo vessel is hijacked in the Indian Ocean by a gang of Somali pirates, who make a ransom demand. In Copenhagen, the CEO of the haulage firm Peter C. Ludvigsen (Soren Malling) takes it upon himself to act as a go between, against the advice of a professional they have called in, with negotiator Omar (Abdihakin Asgar) who is on board with the pirates and the captives. Having not buckled at the original ransom figure, and trying to get it down to a more reasonable demand, this time in line with what the professional advised, they find themselves in a devastating battle of wits with the pirates that lasts an unbelievable four months and leaves ship's chef Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek) doubting his sanity and fearing the worst.
Once again world cinema strikes itself a blow with an outstanding effort that wouldn't have stood a chance of being bettered by Hollywood. Although a re-make, or something certainly loosely based on this work, is already due for release, directed by Paul Greengrass and with Tom Hanks in the lead role. It's another unbelievable true life story, torn from today's headlines and even more relevant as a result, that director Tobias Lindholm has injected with a sterile air of claustrophobia, atmosphere and unease that gives you a truly uncomfortable feeling of real life being played out in front of you.
It's the appropriately human reactions Lindholm gets from his characters that gives it all the sense of realism that we see and feel. We have Malling as the CEO facing his worst nightmare, something he is told he hasn't the experience to deal with, but seeing it as his responsibility nonetheless, left to barter with Asgar's Omar, who he doesn't entirely trust and fails to hold his suspicion for. In turn, the trained negotiator ends up cracking under the pressure himself sometimes, as does Mikkel, during an unlawful imprisonment that would test anyone's endurance. They don't quite succumb to Stockholm Syndrome, but after catching a fish with their captors, the detained crew celebrate wildly with them as if in some way they have become their best friends. And while it's the desperation of the crew you feel most for, you can't help but wonder, if not sympathize, with the pirates for how desperate they themselves must feel to drag the siege out so long.
A Danish production has tackled a true life story that is a modern phenomenon in the world at the moment, and crafted an unshowy, uncomfortably realistic and naturally human account that begs to be seen. ****
A Danish cargo vessel is hijacked in the Indian Ocean by a gang of Somali pirates, who make a ransom demand. In Copenhagen, the CEO of the haulage firm Peter C. Ludvigsen (Soren Malling) takes it upon himself to act as a go between, against the advice of a professional they have called in, with negotiator Omar (Abdihakin Asgar) who is on board with the pirates and the captives. Having not buckled at the original ransom figure, and trying to get it down to a more reasonable demand, this time in line with what the professional advised, they find themselves in a devastating battle of wits with the pirates that lasts an unbelievable four months and leaves ship's chef Mikkel (Pilou Asbaek) doubting his sanity and fearing the worst.
Once again world cinema strikes itself a blow with an outstanding effort that wouldn't have stood a chance of being bettered by Hollywood. Although a re-make, or something certainly loosely based on this work, is already due for release, directed by Paul Greengrass and with Tom Hanks in the lead role. It's another unbelievable true life story, torn from today's headlines and even more relevant as a result, that director Tobias Lindholm has injected with a sterile air of claustrophobia, atmosphere and unease that gives you a truly uncomfortable feeling of real life being played out in front of you.
It's the appropriately human reactions Lindholm gets from his characters that gives it all the sense of realism that we see and feel. We have Malling as the CEO facing his worst nightmare, something he is told he hasn't the experience to deal with, but seeing it as his responsibility nonetheless, left to barter with Asgar's Omar, who he doesn't entirely trust and fails to hold his suspicion for. In turn, the trained negotiator ends up cracking under the pressure himself sometimes, as does Mikkel, during an unlawful imprisonment that would test anyone's endurance. They don't quite succumb to Stockholm Syndrome, but after catching a fish with their captors, the detained crew celebrate wildly with them as if in some way they have become their best friends. And while it's the desperation of the crew you feel most for, you can't help but wonder, if not sympathize, with the pirates for how desperate they themselves must feel to drag the siege out so long.
A Danish production has tackled a true life story that is a modern phenomenon in the world at the moment, and crafted an unshowy, uncomfortably realistic and naturally human account that begs to be seen. ****