It is often said that the jailer becomes a prisoner too. For as he watches the prisoner, he also becomes a prisoner since he cannot leave his post.
In this movie, we find that that all the parties are prisoners. The obvious prisoners are the crew, but then we have the Somalis who are guarding them. The negotiator, Omar, who declares himself a non-pirate and a middleman representing communications with the Somali pirates said that he cannot leave until the ransom is paid. On the other side, we have the family of the crew who is helpless in the ordeal. Then we have Peter, the self-assured CEO of the Danish shipping company who has chosen to negotiate with the Somalis. He may seem less of a prisoner at first, but as time progresses, we see that he is also in a cell of a different kind. He cannot afford to lose focus, he cannot afford to lose his cool, he cannot afford to offer too much money lest it backfire, and he has to keep his shipping board members satisfied and give comfort to the families of the crew. The real surprise is in who gives Peter the key to free him from his cell. Perhaps the final symbolism is at the conclusion in seeing him get into his car and drive it out into the streets. We see the garage door slowly open as Peter's car leaves and then it slowly settles back down afterwards. A prisoner has just been set free and the movie watchers never doubted this would happen, but we wondered when and how.
The movie is a masterful game of chess played over a period of weeks and months, but with the stake of human life if an error is made. The stress is overbearing on all parties and the movie watcher waits to see if anyone cracks first. All of this is heightened by poor communication with language, distance, and technology failures and as the conditions deteriorate with the progression of time. Additionally the relationships shift. The Somalis are the feared enemy in one scene, like comrades in another, and then feared again in yet another. The shipping company is slow to come to terms and you wonder who is friend and who is foe with lives hanging in the balance.
If you want to see a gritty movie from a dual vantage point, then consider "A Hijacking" a treat. It is not Hollywood predictable. Highly recommended!
In this movie, we find that that all the parties are prisoners. The obvious prisoners are the crew, but then we have the Somalis who are guarding them. The negotiator, Omar, who declares himself a non-pirate and a middleman representing communications with the Somali pirates said that he cannot leave until the ransom is paid. On the other side, we have the family of the crew who is helpless in the ordeal. Then we have Peter, the self-assured CEO of the Danish shipping company who has chosen to negotiate with the Somalis. He may seem less of a prisoner at first, but as time progresses, we see that he is also in a cell of a different kind. He cannot afford to lose focus, he cannot afford to lose his cool, he cannot afford to offer too much money lest it backfire, and he has to keep his shipping board members satisfied and give comfort to the families of the crew. The real surprise is in who gives Peter the key to free him from his cell. Perhaps the final symbolism is at the conclusion in seeing him get into his car and drive it out into the streets. We see the garage door slowly open as Peter's car leaves and then it slowly settles back down afterwards. A prisoner has just been set free and the movie watchers never doubted this would happen, but we wondered when and how.
The movie is a masterful game of chess played over a period of weeks and months, but with the stake of human life if an error is made. The stress is overbearing on all parties and the movie watcher waits to see if anyone cracks first. All of this is heightened by poor communication with language, distance, and technology failures and as the conditions deteriorate with the progression of time. Additionally the relationships shift. The Somalis are the feared enemy in one scene, like comrades in another, and then feared again in yet another. The shipping company is slow to come to terms and you wonder who is friend and who is foe with lives hanging in the balance.
If you want to see a gritty movie from a dual vantage point, then consider "A Hijacking" a treat. It is not Hollywood predictable. Highly recommended!