Captain Phillips review

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS:

AN INTENSE, GRITTY, AND ENTERTAINING DRAMA WITH CHILLS AND THRILLS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips in Captain Phillips

            Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away) and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Green Zone) have teamed up to bring the true story of the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk, Alabama container ship by Somali pirates to the screen in their latest drama/thriller, Captain Phillips. The film as a whole is a Hollywood biopic done correctly; it’s filled with intense action and powerful drama, with enough accuracy to the original events.

            Captain Rich Phillips (Tom Hanks) is a commanding officer of a US container ship Maersk, Alabama, whose ship is hijacked by a group of Somali pirates; led by Somali captain, Muse (Barkhad Abodi). The film focuses on the relationship between Captain Phillips and Muse, when they take him hostage in a lifeboat.

            Shortly after Muse’s crew captures Phillips, they are set on a collision course when Muse and his crew set a target on Captain Phillips’ unarmed ship, in the ensuring standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast. Both of them will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

            Overall, Captain Phillips is a great thriller and a well-told tale of the 2009 ship hijacking, it’s intense, entertaining, the directing is very good, the acting is powerful, and the film is just as informative as it is entertaining. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Captain Phillips is enjoyable, Barkhad Abodi is great as the Somali captain, give him an Oscar, you can tell just by looking at him, Barkhad means business and he’ll kill anyone in his way.

            I’m not sure whether or not the film is better than Greengrass’ Bourne Supremacy or Bourne Ultimatum, two of my favorite action movies of all time. Well, better or not, Captain Phillips has plenty of nail-biting thrills, chilling drama, a well-written screenplay, and powerhouse performances by Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast.

            Another one of the best films of the year, alongside Gravity and Rush, thanks to the epic filmmaking of Paul Greengrass, the amazing performances by Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abodi, and the rest of the cast members, the over the top action and drama, and it’s very accurate to what actually happened during the 2009 ship hijacking. Captain Phillips is definitely a film that’s worth checking out and hopefully it’ll be worth an Oscar or two.