Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Review: Captain Phillips

I remember the first time I heard about this being filmed, it never appealed to me. Even with Tom Hanks leading the way. But as soon as I heard Paul Greengrass was going to direct it, it got me doing a second-take. With the recent success of United 93, this dramatic true story of an American cargo ship being hijacked by Somali pirates just had me psyched.

After seeing all of his other previous material such as Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy, United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum, I know this would be another intense thrill-ride full of action. The only other Greengrass film I have seen is Green Zone. I thought it was o.k. but nothing extraordinary. So I was hoping this would not be a Green Zone.

Thankfully, it wasn't. Hours after seeing it, my heart was still pumping so much you could probably see it trying to burst out of my chest.

Everything about it was full-on Greengrass tension. It felt like United 93 has landed and is now gone out to sea. As the film goes on, it has you understanding the peril Captain Phillips and his crew are in, and by the end of it you will have had a series of close heart-attacks and be in tears during the incredible final scene. I will not ruin the final scene for anyone, but it struck my very core as it reminded me of an unfortunate situation that happened to me a few years ago, as the emotions I had at the time mirrored the ones I was seeing on screen.

As for the performances, Hanks is stellar as usual. He managed to find the right amount of rawness of Captain Phillips, and with him being known for his dedication to his characters, you could see how much Hanks wanted this to be a success. Even with an on-screen presence such as Hanks, the ones that stole the show, were the Somali's. With no acting experience, everything you see on screen just amazed me and if there is not one single award nomination for either Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdihrahman, Faysal Ahmed or Mahat M. Ali for their performances, then it will be another snub by the major awards committees.

In terms of other awards, I can see it being nominated for Best Film, Best Director and possibly Best Adapted Screenplay. I am also unsure about Hanks getting a nomination for Best Actor, but let us wait and see what else we have in store before the awards season.

With all the recent stories saying half of the crew are suing the film-makers, I do not think that really matters if that effects your views on this film or not. Despite all that, it is a fantastic film directed by a man who knows how to suck in his audience. Greengrass in my opinion is the greatest director of the moment, and I cannot wait for more creations. It is currently my film of 2013, so you can see we are definitely in awards season mode, so watch out for amazing viewing experiences such as this.

Rating: 8/10

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