Captain Phillips (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Over the past 20 yrs., close to 100 hijackings have taken place in the waters off Somalia. Pirates have stolen over 1 billion in ransom $$ & a plethora of crew members of cargo ships have died -- horrifying stuff. Most of these pirates are poor fishermen who resort to desperate measures; recruited by war lords who send them out to sea to hunt for new cargo vessels. 'Captain Phillips' (directed by Paul Greengrass, United 93, The Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum) is based on the true story of American sea captain & his crew who were taken hostage by 4 armed Somali pirates. In March 2009, Capt. Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) leaves his home in Vermont for Oman in Africa where he is to commandeer the 'Maersk Alabama' - a vessel which is loaded with thousands of tons of commercial cargo.
The ride to the airport with his wife (Catherine Keener) is tense given the dangers of the region of the world where he is going. While Phillips prepares for departure, over in Somalia, a fisherman-turned-pirate, Muse (a stellar Barkhad Abdi), makes way to the beach where he is dispatched by his war lords to choose 3 able men to accompany him on the hijacking of a cargo vessel. Meanwhile, aboard his ship, Capt. Phillips + crew are barreling towards the Somali basin. Then ... disaster strikes. Muse & Co. approach the ship in their pirating skiff. Heroically, the seasoned Capt. Phillips is able to out-maneuver them. But they return the next day, & even though the ship's emergency hoses are pummeling the pirate's skiff with water ... they are able to board the ship via ladders.
Capt. Phillips orders his terrified crew to hide. Muse enters the bridge & cooly delivers, "Relax, no Al Qaeda here. Just business" {creepsville}. The rest of this suspenseful film revolves around the battle of wills btwn. tough-as-nails (but inwardly scared) Captain & the gun toting Muse. The movie is riveting during all scenes aboard the ship. Once action shifts to a lifeboat (for nearly an hour), I was less riveted - more waterlogged, actually. But overall, this is a solid motion picture. The captain is resourceful & intelligent as he quietly tries to thwart Muse from completing his nefarious task and/or killing him & his crew. And Muse not only has to deal with Phillips' schemes to trick him, but also the rebellion of one of his own men who undermines his decisions along the way.
On speaking about his film, director Paul Greengrass remarked, "We've had a lot of very good films that have looked at issues of national security & terrorism, but I wanted this film to look at the broader conflict in our world ... the conflict between the haves & the have-nots. The stand-off between Phillips & Muse is a thrilling high seas siege, but one that speaks to the larger forces shaping the world today". Greengrass maintains tension throughout this drama about the 4-day siege; especially when most people alread know the outcome of this true story. He also gets a SUPERB performance out of Tom Hanks. Hanks gives Phillips a deep urge for survival. Every step of the way, Phillips tries to subdue himself; keep himself calm in the face of absolute terror.
The cat-&-mouse games btwn. Phillips, his crew, & the pirates comprise my favorite scenes. Then, trapped as a captive in a lifeboat, Phillips must observe everything going on btwn. the 4 quarreling pirates who realize that their master plans are crumbling; there's an element of desperation in their actions. Phillips must decide when or if he should act out against them or just quietly let things unravel ... all the while ... hoping beyond hope that the U.S. Navy Seals can somehow save him before it's all too late. Hanks nails every nuance. And what he must do in the film's final 15 minutes is nothing short of brilliant. The climactic outbursts, post-traumatic shock, & emotional fall-out that Hanks must convey in those last minutes made tears well-up in my eyes.
Now, I didn't outright love this film. I thought an early scene btwn. Hanks & Catherine Keener felt awkward. Another issue: Greengrass employs a shaky cam technique which is meant to give-off an "I'm there" reality to the proceedings, yet it also make my head spin; particularly in the claustrophobic lifeboat scenes. Also, parts of the last 45 minutes felt monotonous. I mean, how many times can we experience failed attempts by the Navy Seals, the undulant bobbing of waves, or repetitive scenes shot inside a confined space? You know, there's something inherently dry & austere about Greengrass' films that actually serves the true story here. And yet I feel like 'Captain Phillips' needed a better visual storyteller to get through the monotony of the lifeboat segment.
I admire the craft that went into making this film as involving & exciting as it IS. Greengrass conveys the fear that anyone (not just a seasoned captain) would have when dealing with pirates on the high seas. But yeah, most of the lifeboat scenes nearly did me in. And finally, I feel like Greengrass' intention of delivering a message about the "collateral damage that occurs btwn. America & those who are not as fortunate" ... could have been more profound. The film does a decent job of showing why the Somalis act the way they do/their suffering ... but he could have touched upon it even more. These various quibbles knock my rating down from an A into B+ territory. But it's still a very good film with an excellent central performance & riveting scenes of based-on-a-true-story action.
The ride to the airport with his wife (Catherine Keener) is tense given the dangers of the region of the world where he is going. While Phillips prepares for departure, over in Somalia, a fisherman-turned-pirate, Muse (a stellar Barkhad Abdi), makes way to the beach where he is dispatched by his war lords to choose 3 able men to accompany him on the hijacking of a cargo vessel. Meanwhile, aboard his ship, Capt. Phillips + crew are barreling towards the Somali basin. Then ... disaster strikes. Muse & Co. approach the ship in their pirating skiff. Heroically, the seasoned Capt. Phillips is able to out-maneuver them. But they return the next day, & even though the ship's emergency hoses are pummeling the pirate's skiff with water ... they are able to board the ship via ladders.
Capt. Phillips orders his terrified crew to hide. Muse enters the bridge & cooly delivers, "Relax, no Al Qaeda here. Just business" {creepsville}. The rest of this suspenseful film revolves around the battle of wills btwn. tough-as-nails (but inwardly scared) Captain & the gun toting Muse. The movie is riveting during all scenes aboard the ship. Once action shifts to a lifeboat (for nearly an hour), I was less riveted - more waterlogged, actually. But overall, this is a solid motion picture. The captain is resourceful & intelligent as he quietly tries to thwart Muse from completing his nefarious task and/or killing him & his crew. And Muse not only has to deal with Phillips' schemes to trick him, but also the rebellion of one of his own men who undermines his decisions along the way.
On speaking about his film, director Paul Greengrass remarked, "We've had a lot of very good films that have looked at issues of national security & terrorism, but I wanted this film to look at the broader conflict in our world ... the conflict between the haves & the have-nots. The stand-off between Phillips & Muse is a thrilling high seas siege, but one that speaks to the larger forces shaping the world today". Greengrass maintains tension throughout this drama about the 4-day siege; especially when most people alread know the outcome of this true story. He also gets a SUPERB performance out of Tom Hanks. Hanks gives Phillips a deep urge for survival. Every step of the way, Phillips tries to subdue himself; keep himself calm in the face of absolute terror.
The cat-&-mouse games btwn. Phillips, his crew, & the pirates comprise my favorite scenes. Then, trapped as a captive in a lifeboat, Phillips must observe everything going on btwn. the 4 quarreling pirates who realize that their master plans are crumbling; there's an element of desperation in their actions. Phillips must decide when or if he should act out against them or just quietly let things unravel ... all the while ... hoping beyond hope that the U.S. Navy Seals can somehow save him before it's all too late. Hanks nails every nuance. And what he must do in the film's final 15 minutes is nothing short of brilliant. The climactic outbursts, post-traumatic shock, & emotional fall-out that Hanks must convey in those last minutes made tears well-up in my eyes.
Now, I didn't outright love this film. I thought an early scene btwn. Hanks & Catherine Keener felt awkward. Another issue: Greengrass employs a shaky cam technique which is meant to give-off an "I'm there" reality to the proceedings, yet it also make my head spin; particularly in the claustrophobic lifeboat scenes. Also, parts of the last 45 minutes felt monotonous. I mean, how many times can we experience failed attempts by the Navy Seals, the undulant bobbing of waves, or repetitive scenes shot inside a confined space? You know, there's something inherently dry & austere about Greengrass' films that actually serves the true story here. And yet I feel like 'Captain Phillips' needed a better visual storyteller to get through the monotony of the lifeboat segment.
I admire the craft that went into making this film as involving & exciting as it IS. Greengrass conveys the fear that anyone (not just a seasoned captain) would have when dealing with pirates on the high seas. But yeah, most of the lifeboat scenes nearly did me in. And finally, I feel like Greengrass' intention of delivering a message about the "collateral damage that occurs btwn. America & those who are not as fortunate" ... could have been more profound. The film does a decent job of showing why the Somalis act the way they do/their suffering ... but he could have touched upon it even more. These various quibbles knock my rating down from an A into B+ territory. But it's still a very good film with an excellent central performance & riveting scenes of based-on-a-true-story action.