Captain Phillips (2013) Movie Review

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

When I heard this event was being turned into a movie, I was sceptical. Then I had heard that the director of The Bourne movies was directing, then I was excited. Thankfully, my excitement was more than justified in the case of Captain Phillips.

As the name suggests, Captain Phillips is based on the horrifyingly true story about Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) as his ship becomes hijacked by Somalian pirates. One of the reasons this significant event became such a travesty was because of the events that transpired and the fact that this ship was the first cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. In terms of it's reliability to the source material, Captain  Phillips does an impeccable job at representing the tragic events that occurred and accurately represents these terrifyingly true events. Another aspect I really liked about the execution in the story is that it shows both sides of the story, though never makes you feel like you should feel for these pirates, well, most of them anyway. I won't lie, towards the end, you feel a tiny bit sorry for one of them in particular, but I won't spoil it for you. Anyhow, Captain Phillips managed to perfectly represent this terrifying story and managed to tell the events accurately and fluently. 

Still of Tom Hanks being held hostage by pirates

One of the best aspects of this film I felt was how real the film was and just the fact that EVERYTHING in this movie actually happened. Every single moment in this film you knew was either incredibly intense, or a scene leading up to an incredibly intense scene, causing you to be more engaged in the events occurring. While many have said that the film is a little slow at parts, and while I cannot disagree with them, I felt it was necessary as with a film like this, it is very hard to keep the viewer engaged and interested for the entire two hours. Another aspect of this film that I did not expect was that in the final ten minutes of the film, I was actually crying just because of the performance that Tom Hanks brought (which will be discussed soon). About halfway through the movie however, the film did something that I did not expect, and that is that the film turns into a more secluded hostage situation film, which I really enjoyed as it gave the film more freedom with it's setting, considering the movie takes place on a giant cargo ship. Speaking of the cargo ship, one of the major reasons I feel that this particular premise worked so well on the big screen was that it was a very secluded area, much like the critically acclaimed film Gravity. The biggest reason that film was so good was because it took place in the most empty place you could imagine, the depths of space. Before I divert off topic, all these elements came together to work off of each other in such a spectacular way. 

Still of Tom Hanks and Michael Chernus

Now we come to easily the best aspect of the movie, the performances from the many actors in the film. Many different critics have stated that leading man Tom Hanks brings his best performance yet in this film. While I cannot agree with this, I must say it is defiantly one of his best as throughout the movie, you can really feel the pain that Phillips is going through. You can see that all he wants is to go home to his wife and never return. Before I digress, his performance is just phenomenal and while I feel it won't go down as a classic like Forest Gump or The Green Mile, I will be beyond disappointed if he doesn't at least get nominated for an Oscar or Academy Award. As for other actors/actresses in the film, I felt although the pirates in the film are completely new to acting, they were still really good to hold up against Tom Hanks as throughout the movie, most of the scenes are actually between him and these four beginners. Judging by their performances in this film alone, it is inevitable that their careers will continue to blossom (hopefully for the better). Overall, the acting was some of the best I have seen all year and Tom Hanks just nails the persona and emotions, according to the actual Richard Phillips who saw this film. 

Still of Barkhad Abdirahman, Barkhad Abdi,
Faysel Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali

In the end, Captain Phillips is easily one of the best films I have seen in a long time. With Tom Hanks bringing one of his best performances in history, fantastic debut performances from brand new actors and a solid and accurate representation of the event, I will be surprised if the film does not get nominated for something at the Oscars this year. 

OVERALL: 8.9/10