Captain Phillips- Film Review

Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Tom Hanks. Barkhad Abdi
Running time: 2 hours, 14 minutes

A very enjoyable, edge of your seat thriller. Wonderfully led by Tom Hanks

There are very few actors with the diversity, consistency and longevity of Tom Hanks's career. And Captain Phillips is yet another stellar performance and movie to put to his resume. Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum) tells the true story of a group of pirates who hijack a cargo ship in the waters close to Somalia.

Tom Hanks plays Captain Richard Phillips, who is in command of MV Maersk Alabama, as it leaves Oman and heads for Gulf of Aden, Mombassa. The build up to the hijacking is perfect, as it is neither too slow to get bored, but quick enough to understand the main character, and the interaction he has with the ship and the supporting crew.

When the action does set in and the hijacking begins, it is done with a subtlety that doesn't make it overblown with quick edits, the tone fits in with the unfortunate circumstances in which the cast of characters find themselves in. The moments of action are full of suspense, and unpredictable consequences, with moments of deceiving comfort.
The director does a very good job of letting the audience feel how isolated the crew of the ship are., out in the middle of the ocean, and the subsequent events that unfold as the hijacking goes on.

Tom Hanks is superb as Captain Phillips, a calm man who is doing the best he can out of a position which is not under his control. Equally impressive is Barkhad Abdi as Muse, the pirate leader. Unlike other films which might have gone for the easy option of creating a one dimensional good versus bad narrative. This film treats both characters with a sense of neutrality, there is a real attempt to create a human story about a tragic set of events.

The last third of the film is perhaps a little overdrawn and claustrophobic, the film requires your attention non stop, and there were moments I hoped the story would move quicker than it did. The dialogue also becomes very shouty, and perhaps could have been toned down a little. But the closing moments of the film make it all worth it, with a fantastic ending and an unexpected direction in the story, the very few bad points do not stop the overall experience being very enjoyable and worth every penny of the ticket price.

Verdict-4/5