Captain Phillips is a true story of a 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship by a crew of Somali pirates. Captain Richard Phillips, the commanding officer for an enormous vessel ship, is played by two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks.
Having watched the preview yesterday thanks to our friends at Sony Pictures Malaysia, we believe the entire performance is one of the greatest in Hanks’ career – a role that gives him a massive arc and the opportunity to show great range. He did us proud.
Early in the movie, Captain Phillips and his wife (played by Catherine Keener) are seen driving towards the airport, where he prepares to fly to Oman, on the Maersk Alabama, loaded with tons of cargo including rations from the United Nations World Food Program, from the Gulf of Aden to Mombasa.
Having done a security check throughout the ship, after he discovers that the route the ship has to take, will pass through the most dangerous route, the Somalian coast. This is when he starts to panic.
Meanwhile, back in Somalia, the pirates are led by Musa (Barkhad Abdi), are desperate to hijack a ship as ‘the boss’ isn’t too happy. Musa then rounds-up his crew and set for the waters. It won’t be long before they discover a rouge vessel (Maersk Alabama) just about around the corner. We must admit, Abdi’s performance was excellent!
Back in the ship, as Captain Phillips prepares a series of security drills, he suddenly realises the fast approaching Somalians. Several ‘mayday’ calls made by the ship towards the United States International Coast Guards goes to vain, they finally make contact with an emergency body that assists ships and their crew on international waters.
Phillips then orders his crew to go into hiding while he and 3 others handle the Somalian pirates. Musa successfully takes over the ship, declaring his status as the current “Captain of the Ship.”
Tom Hanks makes name in his screen-sharing and maintains restrained, in the role of a common man whose heroics involve courage under fire, particularly because Musa is adamant about not releasing the ship unless millions are paid up (the ship’s locker has about thirty thousand dollars cash, barely enough to hold interest to Abdi).
The movie takes a huge turn after this and we don’t want to spoil it.
The film is directed by Oscar nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray and based upon the book, “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea,” by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.
We give this flick a 4/5!