Captain Phillips

Well, it has been a few days since I have intended to review this film, so today will be the day that I let loose my thoughts and opinions of this docudrama based on the real life incident of the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama in 2009.  The majority of the film takes place at sea, so slap on your life vests, take your sea-sick pills and come along for this high seas adventure of modern day piracy.

Tom Hanks plays the lead role of Captain Richard Phillips, the seasoned veteran of the open waters who looks to protect the safety of his crew when his ship is taken over by a small group of Somali pirates.  While it is titled, Captain Phillips, it really is a movie that looks at two captains as it views the story of pirate leader Abduwali Muse, played by Barkhad Abdi.  With the main focus of the film on Captain Phillips, we also become aware of the motivations and the plight of Muse and this brings a great contrast of leadership styles.  Thrown into the mix is also Captain Frank Castellano (Yul Vazquez) who is captain of the USS Bainbridge and charged with bringing resolution to the situation.

This is the perfect role for Tom Hanks at this point in his career, as he has suffered from his last few movies underperforming at the box office.  His portrayal of Richard Phillips is a good reminder to audiences that he is a true legend and that he still can bring dominant performances.  The last few minutes of the film was an absolute showcase of his skills, as the situation has been resolved and he is finally able to go into shock.  It is such a powerful scene that leaves an emotional fingerprint on the viewer.

Starring opposite Hanks was Barkhad Abdi, a first time actor who had, up until this moment, been a taxi driver.  Abdi plays a very nuanced role in Muse, a man whose physical stature and his desire to slip into the background at times leads to a lack of respect from those around him.  What he does so masterfully is present such a power and presence that demands the attention of those around him.  One of the best scenes of the film is when the ship is boarded and Muse crosses paths with Phillips for the first time.  In this scene, the first time actor is able to completely overshadow Tom Hanks (a man who he was a fan of and who he had never met until this scene was shot) and create an aura around Muse.

With this film clocking in at over two hours and with half of the movie happening within the confines of a life boat, it flies by with a great pace that never had me bored.  On top of not being bored, director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) is able to create a feeling of tension that exists for the majority of the film.  We are never really taken out of the shoes of the captains, so we never have a moment to breath and have a personal debrief from the situation.  The script is very engaging as well, which helps when we are stuck in the hot, claustrophobic life boat.

While I went into it with some excitement, I had no idea that I was going to enjoy the film as much as I did, and that is because it is a movie with next to no flaws.  The only thing that kept me from giving it a four star rating is that the Muse character seemed to change a bit by the end of the movie.  At the beginning, he was the definition of 'street smarts' as he was able to detect any kind of possible trap.  By the end of the film he was not picking up on the most blatant things.  Perhaps that is because they wanted to show that he was slipping under the stress of the situation, but it just didn't feel altogether organic.  They did, however, do a great job of giving us a reason for wanting his character survive as we develop sympathy for the life that he was unfairly born into.

If you enjoy well written stories that focus on excitement, tension, drama, and thrills, Captain Phillips is a must see.  There are no explosions or car chases, but it is a movie that never stops for a moment.  In the film, the Somali crew is determined to make it to the coast, the stubby little life boat chugging through the waves, and that is what this film is really about.  It is about determination to not quit, to make it through, fight through the stress and reach stability.  That is a message that can hit home for many people.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars