Captain Phillips!!!!

Captain Phillips.

Whenever a film about true life events comes to the big screen I often wonder if it will work, will the true story be told, will it be engaging and most importantly will they choose the right actors for the film. Luckily director Paul Greengrass has pulled it off perfectly and produced a film that sticks to the main story narrative, is thrilling to watch and has a perfect cast. 

Telling the story of the Somali pirates highjack of the freight ship the Maersk Alabama in 2009 it shows how Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) handled the situation on board his ship and the actions he took to save his crew and the ship. The film starts showing the backstory and family life in which Phillips has with his wife and how he is on edge seeing news reports of Somali pirates in the area which he is about to sail through. 

Fast forward to on the ship and you see the hijacking as an almost coincidence moment in which Phillips gets the crew of the ship to do a possible hijacking security run through as to if it was to happen. During this test this is when Phillips sees two small boats heading towards his ship and decides to take evasive action. As the first capture attempt fails with the pirates boats engine cutting out the whole crew is on edge and they know they'll come back eventually somehow. 

As the single Somali boat heads towards the ship Phillips takes decisive action and puts the water hoses on hopefully to sink their vessel and ward of the pirates but to no avail. Their ladder is fixed onto the side of the ship and their heading for Phillips and his fellow officers, Muse (Barkhad Abdi) threatens Phillips and announces "look at me, look at me, I'm the Captain now".

As the film progresses you see the relationship between the Somali's and the relationship between Phillips and the pirate leader Muse who has conflicting thoughts of his own. Showing how Phillips was to be taken hostage by the pirates and kept on board of the escape pod boat the film is kind of split into two. Again the relationships between the pirates and Phillips is shown and how at times they compromise, work together and also sympathise with each other at times, it's a nice little dynamic on screen. 

For a film with the storyline that you would think is quite simple and boring Greengrass has made is look and sound intense and thrilling and have you hooked all the way through. The conflicting personalities all thrown together in a life boat allows each character that time to come through even if it is in a confined space. Like I said the film feels like it was split in two and almost juxtapose each other. The first half being quite fast paced, wide open spaces and an almost cat and mouse game and then the second half being a slowed down tight intense, confined space edge of your seat thriller. 

Setting the film on a real freighter was a perfect decision to make, making the film with green screen just wouldn't have given that size scope to the film and would have hindered the film. Working on real waters gives that almost your really there feeling and transports you to the heart of the film.

Hanks is perfect in the role and the scene which hit me hardest was right near the end with Phillips having a bandanna over his eyes he just screams out and writhes like he has been shot. The sheer emotion and talent of acting from Hanks is just incredible, to when Phillips is checked over for injuries Hanks stays in character and shows the startling effects a traumatising ordeal can be mentally on someone. Credit has to go to the Somali pirates which I understand this was their first film and were normal people picked for the roles, Abdi is impressive portraying the drug addicted and emotionally conflicted Muse. 

A seriously impressive film that I think has topped any of Greengrasses Bourne films as this has everything. No doubt come awards season and I can see Captain Phillips being nominated for quite a few awards. Best film, best director, best lead actor, best cinematography and best supporting actor all accolades I could easily place this film into. 

10/10.