'Captain Phillips' sails on turbulent waters
Paul Greengrass's 'Captain Phillips', based on real events that took in 2009 in Indian ocean, is an edge-of-seat thriller, however, emotionally distant, even though the film showcases some flawless acting by Tom Hanks near the last 10 minutes. This docudrama keeps the viewer restless and tense throughout its first half, but it does looses the steam later on. By the end of its super tense climax which reminded me of Argo (in a good way), I felt a little exhausted, a little lost and a little disappointed.
Captain Rich Phillips is a US mariner, whose most recent task is the shipment of support material like food and medicines to Mombasa, Kenya. On voyage, the ship is hijacked by four Somali pirates (their leader is Abduwali Muse, played by Barkhad Abdi). The first attempt for hijack fails, but on the second attempt, the pirates succeed. The captain and the crew, despite their best efforts, loose the control of the ship. Things turn ugly when the captain himself is kept hostage on the life-boat for 5 days. Muse demands 10 million dollars, Captain ain't got it. Mayday. Enter US navy seals and other American maritime forces to save Captain Phillips. And no, I won't spoil it further.
But what follows are some exciting, gripping moments, which showcases some immense talents of wide range - direction, editing, sound design, visual effects and acting. Tom Hanks' performance rises like a steep mountain - he is apt in the beginning, very good in the middle and exceptional in the last minutes. His transformation as a character from an emotionally strong, rigid man to a wounded, shocked soul is a marvelous. He has lost an Oscar nomination though, but its no denying, Hanks is at top of his game in this film.
Barkhad Abdi walks like a pirate, talks like a pirate and yes, looks like one too. It is a great casting choice, and Abdi complemented Hanks very well. 'No problem "Irish", everything gonna be OK. Nobody's gonna be hurt", Abdi says it with a great competence.
Greengrass, without any second thoughts, was perhaps the best suited director for this film. He has proved that he is the master of fast paced action thrillers (see Bourne series). In this one, however, he somehow gets lost in action and the emotions. Film's tone shifts from emotional one to an action one a lot, specially in the end. It may have worked, but for me it didn't. Also, Bill Ray (screenwriter) at the same time wants us to sympathize with the pirates but also wants us to feel proud and all happy when three of them are shot (one of them is adolescent). Its all thematic hotch potch. But yes, you can't portray your own country in a grey shade, can you?
'Captain Phillips', at the very end, is a very well made film with some great talents all around. You should give it a chance, definitely. You may love it, or maybe not so much, like in my case.
3.5/5
But what follows are some exciting, gripping moments, which showcases some immense talents of wide range - direction, editing, sound design, visual effects and acting. Tom Hanks' performance rises like a steep mountain - he is apt in the beginning, very good in the middle and exceptional in the last minutes. His transformation as a character from an emotionally strong, rigid man to a wounded, shocked soul is a marvelous. He has lost an Oscar nomination though, but its no denying, Hanks is at top of his game in this film.
Barkhad Abdi walks like a pirate, talks like a pirate and yes, looks like one too. It is a great casting choice, and Abdi complemented Hanks very well. 'No problem "Irish", everything gonna be OK. Nobody's gonna be hurt", Abdi says it with a great competence.
Greengrass, without any second thoughts, was perhaps the best suited director for this film. He has proved that he is the master of fast paced action thrillers (see Bourne series). In this one, however, he somehow gets lost in action and the emotions. Film's tone shifts from emotional one to an action one a lot, specially in the end. It may have worked, but for me it didn't. Also, Bill Ray (screenwriter) at the same time wants us to sympathize with the pirates but also wants us to feel proud and all happy when three of them are shot (one of them is adolescent). Its all thematic hotch potch. But yes, you can't portray your own country in a grey shade, can you?
'Captain Phillips', at the very end, is a very well made film with some great talents all around. You should give it a chance, definitely. You may love it, or maybe not so much, like in my case.
3.5/5
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