A day that starts like any other... ends with a story of a
lifetime.
Director Paul Greengrass (“Bourne”
trilogy) and writer Billy Ray retell a ripped-from-the headlines story of a
U.S. cargo ship getting hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009, the first in 200
years. Adapted from "A Captain's
Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea," "Captain
Phillips" is a dramatic docudrama, shot in a similar fashion as “United
93.”
If anything can be learned from last year's best picture, “Argo,”or
nominated “Zero
Dark Thirty," when expertly executed, the journey matters, even when
most are familiar with the destination.
The opening scenes offer a glimpse of the harsh life on the
shores of impoverished Somalia and a normal American life. Tom Hanks (“Cloud Atlas”) is
Richard Phillips, a family man from Vermont and commanding officer of Maerks Alabama. His job is to steer the ship, carrying food and commercial goods, from Oman
to Kenya, around the pirate-infested waters of the Horn of Africa.
The day aboard the ship begins with a safety drill, which
rapidly turns into a traumatic ordeal as soon as Phillips spots two small boats
carrying pirates on their tail. While
the ship has speed, height and hoses as means of protection, it's not enough to
fend off one determined skiff.
Phillips has established initial contacts with government
agencies and got most of his crew hidden in the belly of the ship. But soon he and his officers find themselves
surrounded by four armed Somali pirates.
There's one particularly tense scene where one of the pirates is ready
to pull the trigger on one of his officers, whilst Phillips tries to rationalize
and plead with the leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi).
The pirates demand room-by-room search to find the majority
of the crew. Secretly communicating
with one another, Phillips and his crew engineer a trick to injure one of the
pirates. This leads to unpredictable
chain of events where the pirates finally agree to take off in a lifeboat –
taking Phillips with them. Cash emptied
from the safe deposit box is meager; they want millions.
Now with a single life at stake, one might think that the
suspense may lessen. On the contrary,
the tension, underscored by a pulse-pounding soundtrack, skyrockets to an unbelievable
level in the last third of the film.
The nighttime standoff and sea rescue mission are grippingly
well-orchestrated, a testament to one of the finest filmmaking. The cool coordination, negotiation and
precise execution conducted by the rescuers contrast with the chaos and
confusion inside the compact confinement of the lifeboat with Phillips and the
pirates.
Hanks excels as Phillips with his everyman persona. His portrayal shows a deep range of
emotions. Beginning with a crestfallen
look when he realizes the magnitude of the situation, to bravery and composure
under pressure, shifting to guttural fear, desperation, agony, shell-shocked and relief. Hanks shows one of the most
outstanding acting during what could be the last stretch of Phillips' life. Your stomach will be tied in knots and
you'll eventually exhale along with him.
Abdi,
an amateur actor, holds his own. His
Muse's nickname may be “Skinny,” but he doesn't skimp on threats, even when he
realizes he's running out of time and options.
And his right-hand man, is one scary dude. All the shouting can be
a little excessive at times, but the foursome perform well. Even when you can't condone the pirates'
actions, it does give you an understanding where they're coming from.
A riveting, real-life thriller, "Captain Phillips"
is one of the best films of the year.