True Story or Not, it's a Hollywood Movie.

Rating: 6/10 (29 January 2016)

While it would be difficult to give a movie based on the incredible bravery of a real life individual a completely bad review, it is only fair to consider this on its own merits as a movie. In which respect, it's perhaps only slightly above average.
I don't know how accurate a portrayal of the events is given here. Of course, the fear and tension of being in such a situation can never be fully conveyed through a medium in which peril and danger are commonplace. We all know that the titular character returned home, the prolific news coverage has ensured that we are fully aware of this event and rightfully so. From a filmatic perspective this leads to a movie where we the audience know the ending and this in itself takes even further away the sense of uncertainty and fear that must surely have been overwhelming in the real events.
Now most film-goers should be fully aware of the Hollywood-isation of these kinds of movies. It's easy to spot in places, perhaps less so in others. Tom Hanks role as lead seems more like a blend of high profile star and, given his status as an actor, mark of respect. This leads to a case where the Captain Phillips in this movie seems more like a Tom Hanks character than a representation of a real person. Very little is shown of him prior to the main event giving only minimal indication of the person he is, while this may be a case of respecting privacy, it further leads to the feeling that this is a Tom Hanks drama rather than a portrayal of a real event.
Having seen the trailer several times prior to release, I was under the impression that we may be given at least a reasonable amount of depth to the Pirates themselves. The sympathetic villains who themselves were victims of a bad circumstance driven to acts of atrocity by the trappings of a criminal empire of which they were little more than pawns. While this may have been hinted at, it was given little more than a minor recognition.
So what we have is a story (true, fictional or somewhere in between) of a good, upstanding, hard-working American as he survives the ordeal of capture by a group of greedy, immoral, ruthless Somalians, ultimately saved by the decisive actions of the defenders of the free world. However much truth there is to this story, it is also the perfect plot for any Hollywood movie, especially the sort with Tom Hanks as the lead.
In no way do I wish to devalue the undoubtedly horrific experience of the real-life Captain Phillips, nor do I wish to encourage forgiveness for those that imposed such suffering upon him. But we all know Hollywood takes liberties and we all know that this is a movie expressly made to entertain and earn money. My criticisms lie fully with that in mind. It's certainly not a bad film, Tom Hanks is, as always, on top form. Forgetting the previously known resolution, it is still tense and exciting. Even at over two hours long, it is a well- paced movie, never drawn out and never feeling over long. By all criteria I can think to offer fair judgment, it's an above average movie. Nevertheless while the real story is compelling enough to warrant viewing, this offers little more than another opportunity for America to demonstrate its greatness to the viewing masses.