Captain Phillips (2013)

Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips, commander of the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship that got raided by pirates in 2009. The pirates in this case are Somalis led by the intense Muse (newcomer Barkhad Abdi), who are looking for a payday substantial enough to justify their efforts. Despite all attempts made by the ship to throw off the pirates, they do get on board, and they manage to get off again holding the Captain as a hostage. Soon, the military has intervened and the situation actually gets even more stressful for our hero / victim.Director Paul Greengrass does appear to be something of a stickler for realism. Although we are assured that this true story did receive some dramatic embellishment for entertainment purposes, it does feel fairly true to life. We get to see cool heads prevail as the ships' crew turn the tables on the pirates at times, but not every event will swing in their favour. Commendably, the pirates are not rendered as one-dimensional bogeymen, but very determined individuals who don't seem to have a lot of options in life. (Their boss, a warlord, clearly isn't the kind who will take failure lightly.) As a result, we see a rich gallery of characters, several of them based on real people, acting as human beings and not infallible superheroes.While there is enough subtext going on to make this more than a mere action-thriller, rest assured that Greengrass and company absolutely do NOT skimp on the thrills. "Captain Phillips" has plenty of genuinely riveting and exciting sequences, with first-rate editing (by Christopher Rouse) and pacing to make up for any flaws that viewers may perceive with the script or execution. The films' second half often takes place inside the cramped lifeboat, and kudos to the filmmakers for their excellent job at cranking up the tension within closed quarters.Hanks is solid as usual, offering a level-headed and pragmatic lead performance. The three men playing Muses' compatriots have great energy, and the supporting cast includes such familiar American faces as Catherine Keener (in a brief cameo as Phillips' wife), David Warshofsky, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez, and Max Martini.Based on a book that Phillips wrote with Stephan Talty; text at the end details the fate of the two main characters.Well worth a viewing.Eight out of 10.

It is difficult to get into a film when Wolf Blitzer gives away the ending. Had it not been for the world media, the Internet, and Blitzer this would have indeed been a film worth watching. Even if you have been living under a rock, Tom Hanks projects enough impending doom into the film, that I was wondering why they were missing the ominous horror music.Don't get me wrong, the acting was top notch and deserves recognition. However, I do not enjoy every well acted film. The film itself brings no new revelation to what happened in the incident. Indeed, if anything the film towed the administration's line and ignored controversial details that have since emerged, like "what happened to the money?" and the alleged multiple shots that were fired into each pirate, including those done after boarding the boat.This is a nice white bread action flick you can take your family to go see.

A zodiac of Somali pirates charges after a cargo freighter, while the captain attempts to keep them at bay with his water cannons, but they manage to get close enough to jump on board. As the movie progresses it becomes increasingly obvious that the scrawny high jackers are in a pickle. Once the US forces engage them, their only bargaining chip is the captain's life. The pirates have their AK-47's but they never seem managing enough to even consider pulling the trigger. The fact that the pirates speak English is a problem for the movie. A hostage taker is far less intimidating when you can communicate with him. Captain Phillips manages to seem very casual as he gives his captors a tour, and even offers them food from his kitchen. You can't go wrong with Tom Hanks as the virtuous 'good soldier' who represents American model citizenship wherever he goes. Captain Phillips gets by on his performance, but it's not nearly as thrilling a story as most would have you believe.

When I started watching this movie, I was of the opinion that, another tom Hanks movie with some decent story-line and same old brilliance in acting. While on my way of watching this movie, I found the screenplay to be too gripping. The story was based on a true event which has been adapted from a novel based on the same incident. The dramatization of the event in such a way that it becomes more conveying and believable. Tom Hanks as always is a masterpiece..you just can't expect anything less than that from him. The way the screenplay has been executed is really good and makes it more watchable.