Captain Phillips is the harrowing tale based on true events that transpired in 2009. Tom Hanks plays Captain Richard Phillips aboard the cargo ship Maersk Alabama that is taken over by Somali pirates lead by Muse (Barkhad Abdi).
According to Director Paul Greengrass, the film is "simultaneously a
pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of
globalization".
Captain Phillips is nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Barkhad Abdi
who was apparently a limousine driver with no acting experience or
aspirations of becoming an actor before landing this role. Talk about
being in the right place at the right time. Tom Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor in Philadelphia and in Forrest Gump. Hanks is not nominated for an award in Captain Phillips, nor is he nominated for his leading role in Saving Mr. Banks, omissions that are raising eyebrows amongst movie-goers.
The first twenty minutes of the movie is spent introducing us to our principle characters. First, we meet Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) as he prepares for his flight to Oman where he will captain the cargo ship Maersk Alabama to Kenya. He is meticulously making sure he has his passport and itinerary and everything he will need for the trip. Once on board the ship, he continues with his attention-to-detail routine and inspects the Alabama. Meanwhile, in Somalia, we see vans with armed mercenaries driving to a coastal village where the local Somali pirates are awakened and commanded to go out to sea to get more money for their "boss" Garaad who is displeased with their lack of production. Immediately a group of villagers gather at the shore begging to be selected to assist in the work, not unlike the lines that formed in America in the 1920's depression era. After the crew is picked, they head out in speed boats to find their victim. It was interesting to be able to see these pirates humanized. I went into the movie already hating them for what they did before even watching the film, but the film does a good job of forcing you to identify with their desperate situation. I didn't like them, I didn't root for them, but I found myself understanding them more and not hating them as much as I had anticipated.
The rest of the film, I was holding my breath. From the first attempt the pirates made to approach the ship, to their second and successful attempt to board the ship, to the search for the hiding crew members, to Captain Phillips being taken hostage, to the negotiations with the military, to the attempts by US Navy SEAL Team 6 to rescue Phillips, I found myself finally taking a breath about the same time Phillips finally broke down after his eventual rescue. Hanks gave another Oscar-worthy performance though his name is missing from this years' list of best actors. I can only assume this was due to the fact that they can only nominate so many people and the reasoning behind it must have been that he has won before and will probably win again, so give someone else a chance this year. Regardless, Hanks was spectacular. And though I enjoyed the film, I don't see Captain Phillips winning the Best Film Oscar for which it was nominated.
There are really no surprises in the film. Reading comparisons between the first-hand accounts of what transpired from the crew and what eventually made it's way into the movie, Captain Phillips is pretty close to accurate in many regards. The preview tells you exactly what will happen: a Somali pirate band take a cargo ship hostage. But I still found myself completely engulfed in the story and emotionally exhausted by the end. I raised my star rating from 3.5 to 4 full stars mostly due to Hanks' performance. This movie was definitely worth it's money. Though it may or may not ultimately find a home in my personal collection, I could easily see paying to see it again. So, what movie will be on my mind next? We shall see.
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