Review: Captain Phillips

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Billy Ray & Richard Phillips, Stephan Talty
Main Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman 
Certificate: 12a (UK)
(Source: IMDB)


Richard Phillips (Hanks) makes the trip to Oman to captain a cargo ship to Kenya.  However, whilst voyaging through hazardous Somali waters, the MV Maersk Alabama becomes the first American ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Phillips risks his own life and is taken as hostage by the pirates.

What I respect the most about this film is its refusal to demonize the Somalians, yes they are the bad guys, but we understand the reasons behind what they do.   We sympathize with Bilal, the youngest, he doesn't want to be there, but has ended up there out of desperation, and you find yourself simultaneously hoping both he and Phillips survive.  Then there's Muse, played by Barkhad Abdi, a native-Somalian with no previous experience in acting.  He captures both the desperation and intelligence of the person who is perhaps just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As this is based on a true story, it is surprising how tense this film is, despite knowing how it'll end.  Greengrass previously directed United 93, and so had already proven how adept he is at taking a well-known situation, but still keeping the audience gripped to the very end.  Hanks is also responsible for this, there is something very comforting about knowing you will be spending the next 90+ minutes in his company, and is such a decent man that we are immediately concerned for him. Indeed, the last scene, whilst having probably the least amount of action of the whole film, is definitely the most raw and powerful, and is Hank's acting at its peak - you could have heard a pin drop.

Cannot recommend this film enough.