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Captain Phillips stars Tom Hanks as Richard Phillips, Captain of the US cargo ship Maersk Alabama. When the Maersk ventures a little too close to shore in Somali waters, the ship and its crew are taken hostage by pirates. Thus begins an intense showdown between Phillips, the crew and the pirates themselves as everyone fights for their own survival.
True-life event films are always a tricky endeavor, especially when those that endured them are still with us to contradict portions of the elements. Much has been made as of late regarding the validity to whether Captain Phillips was the hero the media portrayed, versus the unfortunate hostage the crew claimed. One thing is crystal clear: The film ‘Captain Phillips’ presents Richard Phillips as an Hitchcockian everyman caught in an extraordinary situation, not as a hero.
Rich Phillips is a veteran Captain, one who trusts his gut that his ship can respond to threats, should they arise. He sets course for a more efficient route, though one with far riskier possibilities. The film does show Phillips received emails warning him of pirate activity in these very waters, and that he continued on his trajectory. Does this make him reckless? That is definitely up for debate.
After an initial attack is thwarted by Phillips and his crew, the Captain takes the vessel further out to sea, only to be captured the next day. The events that follow are documented heavily if you wish to know more, but I will not reveal them in this review. I will say that the crew and the Navy SEALs are the true heroes the film presents, with Phillips instead becoming the point-of-view from which the story is told.
Tom Hanks is back in his comfort zone as an everyman, trying to keep everything together and lead, even as he ceases control of his ship. His North Eastern accent dances in and out of Kevin Costner territory, yet Hanks manages to hold the screen with every shot as the film lives or dies with his performance. There is one scene alone, where Phillips has a momentary moment of severe weakness, that showcases exactly why Hanks is a two-time Oscar winner.
The rest of the cast is full of unknowns (Catherine Keener is listed, but barely present, as Phillips’ wife); yet one real standout is lead pirate Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Abdi is an untested actor from Somalia who manages to present Muse as a character that is not some simple thug, but a man who performs these heinous acts because it is the only option he feels available to him. It was refreshing to see a foe on screen in this scenario who felt like a fully realized character, as opposed to the general viciousness or one-sidedness Hollywood often leaves us with.
Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) has been in this position before. With United 93 and The Green Zone, Greengrass knows how to tackle a real-life story and represent it fairly from both viewpoints, and this is no different. He also matures as a filmmaker, utilizing a more stable version of his patented ‘shaky-cam’ shots and finally having a sense for shooting action without causing an audience seizure. This is easily the least jarring of his particular style of filmmaking.
The film does go on about 20 minutes too long, and there are a few moments that seem as if they were designed specifically for Oscar season, yet it does recover from these moments to deliver a thrilling conclusion that should satisfy even the harshest of critics. Overall, Captain Phillips is a tense and taut thriller with exceptional acting from its leading men.
If $10 is the full price of admission, Captain Phillips is worth $7.
Captain Phillips
Starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Sony Pictures – Released Oct 11, 2013
Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider
www.TheHollywoodOutsider.com