The Performance Of Tom's Career

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2018)

This is the best movie I have seen in my life! A must watch...an absolutely riveting performance by Tom Hanks. In fact, this is the performance of his entire career. It is by far his most raw performance ever. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and my heart never stopped racing at 100 beats a minute. The tension was non-stop, and I was engrossed from the very opening. The ending was so raw, human, gritty and emotionally charged, the impact it had on me was equivalent to having the wind knocked out of you. I was torn between overwhelming relief, tears, chills, awe, heartbreak, with a massive knot in my stomach, and so stunned I couldn't even move in my chair...I sat literally frozen in it, with emotions running the gamut, but I was too immobilized by what I had witnessed to do anything but sit there and relive the final stellar moments I had just witnessed. I was ripped to the core. Tom's roles in Philadelphia and Cast Away were absolutely outstanding, but he surpassed them by massive leaps and bound with this role. This is a movie I will NEVER forget, and it likely won't be forgotten by others for a very long time...if ever. From director Paul Greengrass, I would expect no less than this masterpiece. The supporting cast, while being people I've never heard of, were outstanding as well, especially Barkhad Abdi...while being the lead pirate and a hostage taker, he showed moments of compassion, concern and a liking for Tom, but despite that, I felt no empathy for him. His performance was top-notch. He seamlessly shifted between human compassion and being downright callous. It was an honor to watch his performance. I will be sure to keep an eye out for him in future films as he nailed this and was brilliant. Out of the 3 hostage takers, Abdi stole the show hands down. My only regret? Seeing it 5 years after it was released. Ignore the bad reviews...this film is nothing shy of spectacular. Anyone who gives this a bad review doesn't recognize this for the magnificent work it is.