A Hijacking – go sea :)

‘Time is a Western concept’ an expert in pirates advises us when describing the mentality of the Somali hijackers of a Danish cargo ship. Two days or two years does not concern them as they don’t know what stable living is. When we first see the ‘bad guys’ they are less concerned with material goods, instead forcing their hostages at gunpoint to feed them. A Hijacking may be about a cook longing to get home to his wife and child, but it is also about the collision of Western corporations with the Third World.

A Danish cargo ship en route to Mumbai is hijacked by a group of Somali pirates. The ships cook and English speaker Mikkel (Johan Philip Asbæk) is used by the pirates to assist in negotiations with CEO of the shipping company Peter (Søren Malling). Under pressure from his board Peter tries to resolve the issue quickly, but as the weeks pass by the negotiations take their toll on all involved.

Less thriller more documentary, A Hijacking never goes down the expected Hollywood road of plots to rebel against the pirates, and quite rightly never lets us decide for definite who the films definitive bad guy is. The Somalis appear at one stage singing and drinking with their captives, the next their teasing them with empty gun chambers; it’s a treacherous ordeal for the hostages as the differences in both worlds leave nothing a reliable. The film expertly jumps from the action on the ocean to the board room in Denmark, where Peter assembles a small team in a conference room to deal with the issue. The performance of Søren Malling as Peter is excellent, as he tries to negotiate with the pirates calmly without letting emotion take over. He’s a cold business man, and struggles to deal with the situation in a purely business manner. However the film never lets the audience forget that despite his emotions he is offering silly amounts of money to the pirates in the hope of bargaining them down, something that our concern for those involved frowns upon.

This is an excellent film, with a lot to recommend it. It’s typical Scandinavian filmmaking with realistic lighting and settings. When the board meet with Peter it’s not in a skyscraper boarding room, it’s slouched over chairs in an unused presentation room. The lighting is never glamorous but always real, giving a real world involvement to proceedings. There are a few minor problems, Peters love interest adds nothing to proceedings, and the Directors choice not to show us the actual initial hijacking is a bit confusing. It doesn’t take away from proceedings but surely is an interesting part in the story for the audience to witness.

A fantastic film with great performances. The same story gets the Hollywood treatment later in the year with Tom Hanks in ‘Captain Phillips’, but don’t expect the level of realism that ‘A Hijacking’ achieves while still being entertaining.

4 out of 5

Star Trek Into Darkness – head crushing fun

J.J. Abrams is the man, apparently. Ever since Lost took to our TV screens almost a decade ago there’s been a constant buzz around him. Talented and a good ideas man, but despite having yet to make a truly great film he’s been given the iron throne of Hollywood. He is geeky cool and makes a lot of money, combining internet and business in an appealing way for any studio, but his films are far from classics. He’s a safe bet, and continues this trend with Star Trek Into Darkness, making an enjoyable enough two hours but failing to further his cinematic skills.

The film opens promisingly enough, with a botched mission to a planet inhabited by primitive beings. Kirk (Chris Pine) goes against protocol in order to save Spock (Zachary Quinto) from a violent volcano and finds himself stripped of command of his beloved USS Enterprise. His demotion doesn’t last for long though, when the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs London and kills several high ranking Starfleet officers. Reunited with his crew, Kirk must travel to the hostile planet Qo’noS and find Harrison, at the risk of war with the ever threatening local Klingons.

This is Star Trek, with the entire cosmos at the disposal of the writers, yet the story feels very standard. Unlike last summers The Dark Knight Rises, the film prevents itself from being great by never leaving its safe spot. No risks are taken, leaving it feeling a bit like a TV special with its standard story and short scenes. This was the same with J.J.’s first Star Trek outing, but all was forgiven with the great dynamic between Kirk and Spock. This still exists in Into Darkness, with Kirk constantly at odds with Spock’s Vulcan logic and coldness, but it is not developed further leaving the characters predictable and less interesting.

Cumberbatch looks great as the super soldier Harrison and proves himself in the physical scenes as an action star, but when he talks he hams it up, often the camera lingers too long on his monologues to the point of unintended hilarity. His presence is great though, and when he crushes a man’s head you believe it. The acting is fine across the board but the supporting cast who done so well with minor parts in their first outing get even less screen time here, less Kirk and Spock more Sulu and Chekov would have been fun.

Despite failing to feel cinematic, J.J. does succeed in injecting fun into the film, with some set pieces impossible not to be amused by, particularly the human torpedoing between ships. Here J.J.’s geeky indulgence pays off as he amuses himself with a fun action scene. Had as much amusement been put into the story this could have been great. All eyes are watching you and your career J.J., but take a risk on story sometimes.

3 out of 5