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Thursday, October 17, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN PHILLIPS



Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks teams with Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass and screenwriter Billy Ray to tell the true story of Richard Phillips, a U.S. cargo-ship captain who surrendered himself to Somali pirates so that his crew would be freed. The MV Maersk Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was surrounded and boarded by a gang of hardened bandits led by the determined Muse (Barkhad Abdi). As the crew of the Maersk Alabama rushed into a fortified "secure room" created for just such an incident, Phillips and Muse found themselves in a tense standoff that threatened to erupt into violence at any moment. Catherine Keener and Michael Chernus co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi

Release Date: Oct 11, 2013

Rated PG-13 for sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance use

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min

Genres: Action/Adventure, Documentary Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Captain Phillips is an intense experience from start to finish. Paul Greengrass, using visual restraint on his patented handheld style, delivers a crisp and thoroughly engaging run through the harrowing true story of Captain Phillips. Greengrass’s film can be broken down into a traditional 3 story act with each feeling distinctive enough in their own right. The opening act establishes the players and locations. Greengrass smartly gives us a glimpse into both sides, allowing the audience to have a human face to the antagonist not just the titular Phillips. The second act moves us onto the hijacking at sea, delivering some tension filled scenes as the crew, pirates and Phillips move through massive ship. The film hits its stride during this portion while keeping the tension palpable throughout the cat and mouse game. The final act, which is the longest, on the lifeboat loses some of the energy of the middle act. It’s not deflated but repurposed as the film’s setting and events change. The final act does allow Greengrass to further humanize the Somali pirates further, allowing Barkhad Abdi to shine in his shockingly realistic performance as the lead pirate. Greengrass’s direction is excellent throughout while Hanks delivers a believable performance as the stoic captain stuck in a terrible situation. The plot plays out exactly like it did in real life but knowing how it ends doesn’t matter when both director and cast bringing their A game. Hank’s, stoic throughout most of the film, is given an impressive scene near the end which really showcases his acting chops and Greengrass’s ability to bring a sense of reality to his films.

A

14 comments:

  1. Awesome review, Dan!

    Tom Hanks definitely shows off his acting chops off here, and that final sequence was so powerful to me -- that I cried. Captain Phillips was nerve-racking and intense, but I knew the ending before the film ended. It was very predictable, repetitive, and overlong.

    Captain Phillips is one of the best thriller films I have seen, but I was not wowing over it.

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    1. Thank you, it's an excellent film all around.

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  2. Fantastic review, Daniel. Glad to see you liked it as much as I did.

    Unfortunate to hear about some of the supposed lies from the real-life Captain, but taken at face-value, the movie is one of the year's best.

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    1. Yeah I've read some of those as well, really hard to figure out what true since only the people who where there would know for sure. Still, the film is top notch.

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  3. The movie moves at a nice pace and continued to have me involved. Especially with Hanks in the front, giving one of his best performances in a long while. Good review Daniel.

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    1. Thanks Dan! It's definitely a quick 2 hours and there's nothing better than Hanks when he's in the zone.

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  4. wow, this sounds a whole lot better than the trailer. i'm gonna check this out.

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    1. Trailer really didn't do much for me either Candice. Honestly, only take away from the trailer was Hanks accent but the film was very taught and well done throughout.

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  5. I have only heard great things about Captain Philips and your review makes me even more excited to see the film.

    -James

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    1. It's a very strong truth based film, very well done.

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  6. I agree with your review 100%. It's a great movie!

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    1. It really is, I can't wait to give it another watch.

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  7. Absolutely fantastic movie, one of THE highlights in 2013. Hanks' performance is flawless and the impressive scene at the end... it almost brought me to tears. Excellent review, Daniel!

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    1. Same here man, that breakdown at the end was just so powerful, really made an impression.

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