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Captain Phillips (2013)

thereviewers
Jul 12, 2015
3 min read

Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the true story of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S container ship, Maersk Alabama by a group of Somalian pirates. The film focuses on the interactions between the Alabama’s Captain, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the Somali pirate Captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who targets and gains control of the unarmed ship. In the ensuing standoff, both men will find their future at the mercy of the U.S Navy.

Overall Review Score

9.5 out of 10

Review

Based on both the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali Pirates and Richard Phillips’s 2010 book 'A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea', Captain Phillips is a gritty, heart pounding, action filled survival thriller. While the real life hijacking story will be known to some viewers it is likely that they will suffer suffer temporary amnesia and be swept up in this smart, incredibly tense thriller that will leave them on the edge of their seats wondering if Captain Phillips, and the crew of the Maersk Alabama, will survive. Over the films 129-minute run time, the entire cast put on spellbinding performances. Although Tom Hanks’s portrayal of Captain Phillips is especially noteworthy, as he effortlessly displays raw emotion and captures the mood of the film by transforming from a smart, quick thinking Captain, who is trying to connect with the Pirates, to a vulnerable hostage just wanting to get home to see his family without any issues. Despite certain parts of the film being criticised by the real life crew of the Maersk Alabama’s crew for being inaccurate, Paul Greengrass has created a fresh, tense thriller that engulfs the audience from start to finish and displays the 2009 hijacking with raw emotion and a fast paced, entertaining script. Overall, Captain Phillip’s is a film that will stay with the audience long after the credits have rolled, whether this is because of the emotional performance offered by Tom Hanks or because of the thrilling, and equally clever, script. It is a thoroughly entertaining thriller that is easy to watch and will entertaining the audience time and time again. In its most basic form, Captain Phillips can be summed up as a must see film.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 10 out of 10

Comments:

Captain Phillips is one of those very rare thrillers that does not rely on distracting special effects or over the top character development to entice the audience. Instead, the film is driven by a fantastic performance by Tom Hanks, and the debut acting of Barkhad Abdi, who helps keep this tense atmosphere alive during the films 129 minute run time. Director Paul Greengrass manages to effortlessly split this film into two halves without it losing any momentum: the first halve is the time spent by the Somali pirates aboard the Alabama and the rest as they are in the lifeboat heading to Somalia. I find it very hard to decide which half I like more, as both the halves manage to build such rich tension and fully immerse the audience in the narrative.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

Captain Phillips is a film that surprised me greatly. I was familiar with the real life story and its ending before watching the film and thus was worried it would be boring but I was pleasantly surprised that the film managed to keep me entertained for its 129-minute run time. While the film is a series of dialogue scenes across two main locations, the main cast – especially Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi – feed off each other to create a gritty thriller that has its own neutral tension and momentum and will leave audiences on the edge of their seats hoping for Captain Phillips's safe return. Overall, director Paul Greengrass has created a subtle but none the less thoroughly entertaining thriller with Captain Phillips. The cinematography, soundtrack, and powerful acting worked well, while the idea of splitting the film into two halves, complete with different colour schemes and tones, made Captain Phillips a pleasure to watch.