Film: Captain Phillips

Director: Paul Greengrass 
Genre: Action
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinema
Grade: A-

Paul Greengrass--more than many directors--seems to excel at showing the drama of real life in what feels like a pseudo-documentary style. His handheld camera and the film's stark cinematography make us feel like we're there, for better or for worse. He knows how to film action with believable impact and a pace that moves as fast as real life, and so already Captain Phillips has a lot going for it to make it rise above the average action film. Add to that the "real life" story being told here of Somali pirates capturing an American shipping vessel, and you've got a pretty good recipe for tension. Now mix in a willingness to suspend some judgment of the pirates (not sympathizing with them exactly, but showing the conflict and pressures that drive them to this behavior with a soft enough touch to create some empathy--at least for leader Muse) and you've really got something worth sinking your teeth into.

All those qualities are solid, but it's the acting that helps Captain Phillips really rise above. Newcomer Barkhad Abdi as Muse is convincing, demanding, and times sympathetic, at times terrifying, at times pathetic. He plays Muse with confidence, and I hope he has more opportunities to show up in mainstream films, because I think he has real potential and a unique look. We don't have enough young black character actors (or black actors in general), and I think he brings a lot to the table, if this role is any indication.

But still, this is Tom Hanks's movie through and through. Hanks is one of those actors that, despite his fame and the often over-the-top roles he appears in, I cannot help but like. Here he plays Phillips almost casually. There does not initially seem to be much showboating in the role, as Phillips simply does his job and does it well. But as the pressure ratchets up, so does his intensity, and the final ten minutes of the film can only be described as harrowing--one of the most intense experiences in the theater I've had in some time, and one that genuinely brought tears to my eyes. When I teach my students catharsis next year, I will be talking about these final scenes. Greengrass's trick here is to keep us so involved in the story that we don't even realize how much tension we're holding in. And then he forces us to face it. It's pretty incredible.

Captain Phillips is not the best film of the year for me, and as I said, for most of the film it's just a really good action movie based in real life. Excellent work all around, though, kicks those final moments up to another level. Fiery, emotional, and fierce. I won't soon forget it, even if I don't think I could bring myself to watch it again.