Sunday, January 19, 2014

Captain Phillips (2013)

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers:  Billy Ray, Richard Phillips
Cast:       Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman 

The real life story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali Pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. 

Like you would expect from a Greengrass film, it gives both the captains (ship captain and the pirates captain) almost equal importance. He is really one of the few directors who can make action films that don't dump down the story. What elevates the film from good to great is the performance by Tom Hanks in the last 10 minutes where he depicts a man who is shell shocked. There are no brave speeches and the rescue scene is done in a cold calculated way. It is not his best film but still a great one from a very dependable director.

Rating: 4/5

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