One of the most gripping movies to date!

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2016)

"Captain Phillips" had high expectations to live up to for me being one of the movies that I had actually read the book. Though the movie was released back in 2013, it still maintains its position as one of my favorite movies 3 years later. The movie was brought to life by the creator of the Bourne Series, Paul Greengrass, so I expected nothing less than to be on the edge of my seat the whole film.
In "Captain Phillips", Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks) is captain of a container-ship labeled the Maersk Alabama. As he travels the most despised shipping route around Somalia, he is caught in a predicament when his boat is attack by armed Somali Pirates. The pirates, just like the sailors, also have specific roles and ranks. The crew of thieves is led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) who says one of the most quoted lines of the movie, "Look at me! I am the captain now!". Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) and his entire crew are taken hostage by the pirates who demand millions upon millions of dollars. Captain Richard Phillips is forced to think of a plan that gets the pirates off the ship and frees his crew, however he himself wasn't so lucky. While watching this film I was in constant anticipation of what would happen next. It almost was like every time the captain and his crew took a step forward, the pirates pushed them two step backs. The true climax occurs during the last 20 minutes of the movie which allowed me to leave feeling satisfied with the ending, which is not the case for most current movies.
Just like the Bourne Films and many other of Paul Greengrass's works' the cinematography is extremely well thought out with the help of Christopher Rouse and Barry Ackroyd. Both Christopher and Barry have both been nominated for Oscars.
What makes the "Captain Phillips" so gripping is the fact that what you're watching is based on true story! There is a certain degree in irony in that such a beautiful piece of cinematography grew out of such dramatic events.