Extremely well-crafted.

Rating: 8/10 (8 August 2018)

Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips, commander of the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship that got raided by pirates in 2009. The pirates in this case are Somalis led by the intense Muse (newcomer Barkhad Abdi), who are looking for a payday substantial enough to justify their efforts. Despite all attempts made by the ship to throw off the pirates, they do get on board, and they manage to get off again holding the Captain as a hostage. Soon, the military has intervened and the situation actually gets even more stressful for our hero / victim.
Director Paul Greengrass does appear to be something of a stickler for realism. Although we are assured that this true story did receive some dramatic embellishment for entertainment purposes, it does feel fairly true to life. We get to see cool heads prevail as the ships' crew turn the tables on the pirates at times, but not every event will swing in their favour. Commendably, the pirates are not rendered as one-dimensional bogeymen, but very determined individuals who don't seem to have a lot of options in life. (Their boss, a warlord, clearly isn't the kind who will take failure lightly.) As a result, we see a rich gallery of characters, several of them based on real people, acting as human beings and not infallible superheroes.
While there is enough subtext going on to make this more than a mere action-thriller, rest assured that Greengrass and company absolutely do NOT skimp on the thrills. "Captain Phillips" has plenty of genuinely riveting and exciting sequences, with first-rate editing (by Christopher Rouse) and pacing to make up for any flaws that viewers may perceive with the script or execution. The films' second half often takes place inside the cramped lifeboat, and kudos to the filmmakers for their excellent job at cranking up the tension within closed quarters.
Hanks is solid as usual, offering a level-headed and pragmatic lead performance. The three men playing Muses' compatriots have great energy, and the supporting cast includes such familiar American faces as Catherine Keener (in a brief cameo as Phillips' wife), David Warshofsky, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez, and Max Martini.
Based on a book that Phillips wrote with Stephan Talty; text at the end details the fate of the two main characters.
Well worth a viewing.
Eight out of 10.