Plot: What’s it about?
Paul Ross (Randy Couture) is a CIA operative who is relentless in his work, so he is often given the most difficult cases. He and his partner Ballard (Vinnie Jones) have been tasked to take down The Tribe, an international crime syndicate. The Tribe works within the financial sector and if their fraudulent and corrupt actions aren’t stopped soon, the entire world’s financial markets could be brought down. The latest target of The Tribe is Bruce Lieb (Craig Fairbrass), one of the world’s richest men and the target of a recent SEC crackdown. When he boards his personal jumbo jet, he has no idea The Tribe will be waiting. Soon after takeoff, The Tribe seize control of the plane and demand over two billion dollars in ransom. The plane is also home to another unexpected visitor, as Paul Ross has managed to sneak aboard. As the terrorists begin to use violence to enforce their demands, Ross begins a one man mission to shut them down. But can one man somehow overcome a plane of terrorists, or will this prove to be the one case even Ross couldn’t crack?
Hijacked could have been a brisk, fun action movie. The cast includes solid talent like Vinnie Jones, Holt McCallany, and Dominic Purcell, each of whom could provide a competent lead in this kind of picture. Instead, the filmmakers chose to make former MMA star Randy Couture the emphasis of Hijacked. Couture is an awful actor, to say the least. He looks so out of his element here, struggling with basic lines and simple fight scenes. If any of the actors I listed earlier were in the lead, Hijacked would have been improved ten fold. Aside from Couture, the cast is passable and Dominic Purcell’s mustache is simply epic. The writing is decent in most scenes, but silly when it comes to the action driven scenes. If Couture is an experienced CIA agent, why would he repeatedly allow terrorists to escape from under his control? He simply turns his back and hopes for the best at times, which combines with Couture’s abysmal performance to make the character look downright stupid. There is some solid potential within Hijacked, but sadly Randy Couture drains that potential with his lack of skill. But if you’re a big fan of bad acting and love to laugh at it, then Couture’s turn in Hijacked warrants a rental.
Video: How does it look?
Hijacked is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a more than solid visual effort, but it isn’t going to give the best transfers any competition. The level of detail is good and an improvement over the DVD, but the depth doesn’t have the eye popping visual impact we’d like to see. Even so, the image shows a lot of detail, so by no means is this a bad treatment. I found colors to be natural in scope and contrast is consistent, while errors are nonexistent. Perhaps not an elite level presentation, but the movie looks great and fans should be pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
A DTS HD 5.1 soundtrack is provided and the film’s action scenes sound terrific. The surrounds light up and really enhance the action, which is important in a film of this kind. But outside of the action and the music, this soundtrack is rather reserved. The calmer sequences don’t have much depth or atmosphere, which is a let down. I did find dialogue to be clear and at a proper volume, so that is a plus. The mix kicks in when the film really needs it, but a more active and consistent sound design would have been welcome.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Aside from a DVD version of the movie, this release includes no bonus materials.
