Tom Hanks has almost never failed to deliver good performance on film. So does director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93, The Green Zone). Now, both this auteurs are collaborating on a project which was brought to the world's attention in 2009. I think this is the first time I am reviewing a film based on true events.
Captain Phillips is directed by Paul Greengrass. It stars Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdirahman, Mahat M. Ali, Yul Vasquez, and many others. The script was written by Billy Ray, who adapted in from the book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates. Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Day at Sea, which book in turn was based on true events of Captain Richard Phillips. For more on the incident involving Captain Richard Phillips and Somali pirates, you can read in here. This film was released in October in America but only reached Malaysian shores December 5th, 2013.
Can Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks do justice to a story based on true events? Do read on...
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| Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips going about his normal duties on Maersk Alabama |
In April 2009, the shipping vessel Maersk Alabama was hijacked by four Somali pirates. After some tactical struggle between the ship's crew and the pirates, the Somalians fled in a lifeboat but brought the ships leader Captain Richard Phillips as hostage. This is the story of that ordeal.
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| Captain Phillips notices approaching Somali pirates |
Solid, simple, and straightforward. It does enough to sustain interest by not complicating it with maritime jargon. Good character development. At times we cheer for the heroism of those on the ship and at times we symphatize for the cause of the Somali pirates. Great rollercoaster of a drama.
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| The four actors playing Somali pirates. Barkhad Abdi as leader Muse is second from left. |
Powerful performances from the actors. Despite many raving about the performance of Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, I am more impressed by the performances of the four unknown Somali-Americans who made their debut in the film. After doing some research, I found out that the four of them live in the same building in Minneapolis, Minnesota and they attended the film's audition casting call together. Look out for the performance of Barkhad Abdi as the lead terrorist Muse (pronounced Musa).
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| Barkhad Abdi as Muse threatens Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips |
Paul Greengrass is famous for his 'quesy-cam' shots (also know as shaky cam). In his earlier films, they were a bit excessive but for this film, he has toned it down a little bit, which is good. I liked the editing, in particular switching the story back and forth between the heroes and the villains. I liked how it got more intense towards the end. I noticed the audience started rooting for the hero. Good job Paul Greengrass.
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| Captain Phillips tries to negotiate with the terrorists. |
For a movie that has a running time of slightly above two hours, this movie was not boring at all. It had a nice pace to it and can garner intense interest from the audience
TONE (MOOD):
A hostage rescue operation where the odds are seemingly against the heroes.
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| Drama and tension aboard the shipping vessel Maersk Alabama |
A cast of unknown supporting cast might be unfamiliar territory to some. Also, the heavy subject matter which some might find non-relatable.
UPSIDE:
Great acting performances and a good script.
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| The U.S. Navy in one of their many attempts to rescue Captain Phillips |
A must watch. This film 'smells' awards all over it.
RATING:
8.5 out of 10
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