Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, and Barkhad Abdirahman
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Screenplay by: Billy Ray
Based upon the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea" by Richard Phillips
Yay!!! Another pirate movie!! Oh wait...it's not that kind of pirate movie. My bad...
So this might not be your average pirates with the eye patches and the wooden legs, but this is the true story of Somali pirates who, in 2009, went out to sea and took over the cargo ship Maersk Alabama. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the story, the captain, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), was abducted for a ransom by the Somali pirates and ultimately (spoiler alert) it took SEAL team six to rescue him from the hijackers.
For many of us who remember watching this story play out on the news, it's in pretty recent memory because it only happened four years ago. So how did this story play out on the big screen? I'd say pretty damn well.
The story is simple and easy to follow, yet suspenseful enough to keep you on the edge of your seat for nearly all of the film. Some intense scenes are a little more drawn out than they need to be. Unlike a film I reviewed last week, Gravity, there are scenes that allow the viewer to take in all that is happening. We are given a "resting" period sometimes between intense scenes.
Part of what creates the intensity is the cinematography. Every once in a while I comment on a movie that a tripod or some other form of camera stability would be good, and this happens to be another film like that. The shots can be pretty unstable, but depending on where you sit, you won't get terribly dizzy (I'd recommend the middle or the back of the theater). You probably won't even be focusing on the lack of scene stability due to the intensity of the film, but I should warn you that the film does have this potential.
The best part of this film and the main reason I recommend this film is for the acting. All four of the actors playing the Somali pirates, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, and Mahat M. Ali, all deliver excellent performances. They are truly people to be afraid of in this movie. But the best performance in this film is that of Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors in Hollywood and he is truly one of the greatest actors of our time. Of all of the movies I've seen of his (and I have seen many of them), Captain Phillips is without a doubt in my mind, one of his best performances! He is awesome right from the beginning and his performance as Richard Phillips only gets better as the movie progresses. The best part of his performance comes right in the last few minutes of the film, and I believe that part of the movie is what is going to get him (certainly nominated for and hopefully) the Oscar.
Overall, this is a truly awesome movie. It's not your average pirate movie, but it's a whole lot better. At this point in the year, I'd say that the only movie I've seen that's better is Gravity. This is another film that should not be missed!
I give Captain Phillips an A+.
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Screenplay by: Billy Ray
Based upon the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea" by Richard Phillips
Yay!!! Another pirate movie!! Oh wait...it's not that kind of pirate movie. My bad...
So this might not be your average pirates with the eye patches and the wooden legs, but this is the true story of Somali pirates who, in 2009, went out to sea and took over the cargo ship Maersk Alabama. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the story, the captain, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), was abducted for a ransom by the Somali pirates and ultimately (spoiler alert) it took SEAL team six to rescue him from the hijackers.
For many of us who remember watching this story play out on the news, it's in pretty recent memory because it only happened four years ago. So how did this story play out on the big screen? I'd say pretty damn well.
The story is simple and easy to follow, yet suspenseful enough to keep you on the edge of your seat for nearly all of the film. Some intense scenes are a little more drawn out than they need to be. Unlike a film I reviewed last week, Gravity, there are scenes that allow the viewer to take in all that is happening. We are given a "resting" period sometimes between intense scenes.
Part of what creates the intensity is the cinematography. Every once in a while I comment on a movie that a tripod or some other form of camera stability would be good, and this happens to be another film like that. The shots can be pretty unstable, but depending on where you sit, you won't get terribly dizzy (I'd recommend the middle or the back of the theater). You probably won't even be focusing on the lack of scene stability due to the intensity of the film, but I should warn you that the film does have this potential.
The best part of this film and the main reason I recommend this film is for the acting. All four of the actors playing the Somali pirates, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, and Mahat M. Ali, all deliver excellent performances. They are truly people to be afraid of in this movie. But the best performance in this film is that of Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors in Hollywood and he is truly one of the greatest actors of our time. Of all of the movies I've seen of his (and I have seen many of them), Captain Phillips is without a doubt in my mind, one of his best performances! He is awesome right from the beginning and his performance as Richard Phillips only gets better as the movie progresses. The best part of his performance comes right in the last few minutes of the film, and I believe that part of the movie is what is going to get him (certainly nominated for and hopefully) the Oscar.
Overall, this is a truly awesome movie. It's not your average pirate movie, but it's a whole lot better. At this point in the year, I'd say that the only movie I've seen that's better is Gravity. This is another film that should not be missed!
I give Captain Phillips an A+.
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