Are you a good negotiator?  Many people would likely rank their bargaining skills somewhere between "fair" and "excellent" if asked to make an honest assessment. After all, everyone has at least one harrowing tale of unequalled wheeling and dealing in their past. Maybe you channeled your inner Fonzie and, with a well-placed thump, got two sodas for the price of one out of a vending machine. Perhaps you were at a yard sale and found yourself the proud owner of both a Betamax AND a Nintendo Virtual Boy for mere pennies on the dollar. Then there was that time Subway was out of honey oat bread and you settled for wheat, but only after negotiating a 30 percent discount with the eloquence of a hungry Atticus Finch. Most of us would be reluctant to put our haggling skills to the test, however, when someone's life was at stake. Thankfully, it's not a situation in which you're likely to find yourself.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.

A Hijacking, the latest from Danish writer and director Tobias Lindholm, finds practically every member of the cast acting as a negotiator, in both minor disputes and one VERY major dispute, between the opening and closing credits. This theme of negotiating is so prevalent throughout the film that it opens, appropriately enough, in the middle of a negotiation.

Mikkel Hartmann, (Pilou Asbæk, known to American audiences for his role as Paolo Orsini on Showtime's The Borgias), is the cook and one of seven crewmen aboard the MV Rozen, a Danish cargo ship bound for Mumbai. The Rozen is nearing the end of its voyage, and Mikkel is looking forward to getting home to his wife and young daughter.  Unfortunately, he finds out he'll be getting home two days later than expected, and is in the middle of smoothing things over with his wife at the start of the film.  Having ensured he'll be coming home to his house rather than the doghouse, Mikkel barely has time to resume his duties when the Rozen is set upon by Somali pirates. Not the sort known for being diplomats, the pirates demand $15 million for the safe return of both the vessel and its crew. With tensions rising and supplies dwindling, it's up to Mikkel to keep the pirates mollified and the crew alive while his employers in Copenhagen struggle to meet the pirates' demands.

Headlining this effort is executive Peter Ludvigsen, (Søren Malling). Peter is by no means a stranger to high-stakes corporate dealings, but when the stakes are seven men's lives, it may prove to be too much even for an experienced businessman like him. It only complicates matters further when his superiors start questioning whether seven crewmen and one boat are really worth a $15 million loss and if the company can even afford it.

Stellar performances and a riveting story make A Hijacking a terrific, suspenseful thriller full of people forced to make decisions that you'll pray you never have to make yourself.

A HIJACKING, 2:15 and 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, $4.50-$9, 253.593.4474