All Slights Deserved

Commercial shipping is for most people an unknown behemoth, out of sight and out of mind, despite its intrinsic role in global trade. It’s due in no small part to the maritime industry’s exceptionally high safety standards; as with aviation major incidents are relatively few and far between.  For another industry, one geared towards more vicarious pleasures, such benign subject matter usually doesn’t hold much appeal.   That was until 2009 when an American ship, the Maersk Alabama , was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, bringing the issue of modern-day piracy into public consciousness. The story of that incident is due to be recounted in Paul Greengrass’s forthcoming Captain Phillips later this year, with Tom Hanks in the eponymous role.  Before that there's Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking , a modest yet thoughtful Danish production  which largely eschews action for a claustrophobic psychological drama. If you’re drawn into imagining scenes of trapped, ...