Captain Phillips had everything against it when I went to the screening last night. A serious case of travel sickness en route to the cinema (which is weird as in my day-to-day life I get 2 buses, 2 trains & 4 tubes a day so no idea why travel sickness decided to rear it's ugly head last night), made for unpleasant viewing at the best of times but combined with the only available seats being far too close to the huge cinema screen for a film that is mostly close ups and shaky camerawork meant that I spent 95% of the film staring at the floor, sipping water and trying not to be sick. Why didn't I just leave the screening you ask? Well, the answer is simple: because Captain Phillips is bloody brilliant.
Captain Phillips tells the true life story of... Captain Phillips, as played by Tom Hanks, who was on the US-flagged cargo ship along the coasts of Africa when it was hijacked by Somali pirates. Phillips saved his crew in an incredible display of bravery before being kidnapped and held for ransom.
Captain Phillips tells the true life story of... Captain Phillips, as played by Tom Hanks, who was on the US-flagged cargo ship along the coasts of Africa when it was hijacked by Somali pirates. Phillips saved his crew in an incredible display of bravery before being kidnapped and held for ransom.
The story alone is an intense and action-packed roller-coaster ride; from the moment the Somali's are spotted on the ship's radar there is a pulse-pounding threat of doom and although you know that they will board the ship you can't help but hope that the ship and all of the crew will get away safely. Hanks embodies Phillips flawlessly in an incredible performance that makes it impossible for the audience not to immediately feel compassion and empathy for his character. Phillips' desperate and quick-thinking acts are ultimately what saves the crew's lives and you can't help but be in awe as the character puts on a brave and almost friendly/buddy-like facade to the pirates in an attempt to negotiate his way to safety whilst clearly masking the fear and panic that is consuming him. It is fascinating to watch Phillips attempt calmness as he guides the pirates around the ship whilst simultaneously taking the measures necessary to help the hiding crew.
The drama really begins to unfold when the pirates kidnap Phillips, an unexpected change of scenery refreshes the look of the film and keeps the tension high. As proven with director Paul Greengrass' other films (most notably United 93), he is incredibly good at showcasing the claustrophobic and trapped feeling of his protagonists and although the amount of extreme close ups combined with the shaky 'at sea' camera shots did nothing for my sickness, it aided the film's storytelling as you really felt that you were trapped in there with Phillips and that your life was also at risk which only served to heighten the overall effect of the film.
As mentioned, Tom Hanks gave a stand-out performance; he encompassed the fear, confusion, anxiety and panic that you would feel in that situation and the way he was constantly concerned for his family was heartbreaking. However, Barkhad Abi gave an equally strong performance as leader of the Somali pirates Muse. It would have been easy for Greengrass to keep the enemies as bland and impersonal, just faceless tyrants with no story or background. Instead, and thankfully, each of the pirates are given their own personality, their relationships with eachother are clear and only add to the horror on board the ship as it becomes more and more blatant that they aren't entirely sure of what they are supposed to be doing.. And their individual personalities makes them seem more human which consequently makes the concept all the more scary. They are just normal humans with families and worries of their own; not rare or special violent super villains - they are real. Barkhad Abi really shone, even when sharing a scene with acting legend Tom Hanks, and that is an impressive feat and it was his performance that made the panic and sense of unwinding chaos all the more prominent.
Captain Phillips is a great portrayal of an absolutely terrifying real life ordeal, the strong performances and clever direction do the story justice and consequently blend together to make one of the biggest must-see films of 2013.
All in all I give Captain Phillips ★★★★☆
Captain Phillips is in cinemas nationwide from Friday the 18th October!
Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you like!The drama really begins to unfold when the pirates kidnap Phillips, an unexpected change of scenery refreshes the look of the film and keeps the tension high. As proven with director Paul Greengrass' other films (most notably United 93), he is incredibly good at showcasing the claustrophobic and trapped feeling of his protagonists and although the amount of extreme close ups combined with the shaky 'at sea' camera shots did nothing for my sickness, it aided the film's storytelling as you really felt that you were trapped in there with Phillips and that your life was also at risk which only served to heighten the overall effect of the film.
As mentioned, Tom Hanks gave a stand-out performance; he encompassed the fear, confusion, anxiety and panic that you would feel in that situation and the way he was constantly concerned for his family was heartbreaking. However, Barkhad Abi gave an equally strong performance as leader of the Somali pirates Muse. It would have been easy for Greengrass to keep the enemies as bland and impersonal, just faceless tyrants with no story or background. Instead, and thankfully, each of the pirates are given their own personality, their relationships with eachother are clear and only add to the horror on board the ship as it becomes more and more blatant that they aren't entirely sure of what they are supposed to be doing.. And their individual personalities makes them seem more human which consequently makes the concept all the more scary. They are just normal humans with families and worries of their own; not rare or special violent super villains - they are real. Barkhad Abi really shone, even when sharing a scene with acting legend Tom Hanks, and that is an impressive feat and it was his performance that made the panic and sense of unwinding chaos all the more prominent.
Captain Phillips is a great portrayal of an absolutely terrifying real life ordeal, the strong performances and clever direction do the story justice and consequently blend together to make one of the biggest must-see films of 2013.
All in all I give Captain Phillips ★★★★☆
Captain Phillips is in cinemas nationwide from Friday the 18th October!
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