A Story So Compelling, it is More Than Worth Telling

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2013)

A story so compelling and worth telling, Captain Phillips is the biographical account of one Captain Richard Phillips' actions in response to a hijacking by Somali pirates on his cargo ship in 2009. Despite accusations of the film's depiction of real events as misleading, as a standalone piece, Paul Greengrass' thrilling direction and Tom Hanks' phenomenal performance combine for one of 2013's most surprising, intense and breathtaking cinematic offerings.
The less you know about the factual events going into Captain Phillips, the more enhanced the experience of seeing a recreation of others' experiences will be, due to the surprising turns and uncertainty of the film's climactic moments.
The severe intensity and feeling of insecurity shroud your senses throughout the 134 minute duration of Captain Phillips. Like watching Breaking Bad, the sensations that the film evokes in you are indescribable, plentiful and so miscellaneous, causing you to become a servant to Greengrass' masterful filmmaking. This is how a biographical drama should feel: real, regardless of the fact that most watching will never experience the actions represented on screen.
An area in which the film arguably lacks is in its treatment of the sensitivity of piracy as less of a one-dimensional issue as it can often be perceived. While the themes around the social issues of Somali piracy are present, they are not entrenched into the narrative as the most memorable aspect of the film. More so, the film emphasises and brings attention to piracy more broadly as a global issue to be taken seriously. Prior to the intense hijacking sequences, Hanks, as Phillips, is consistently undermined in his concerns about the threat of piracy upon the MV Maersk Alabama, until of course the ship is successfully boarded by the four pirates. Captain Phillips favours thriller over drama, intensity over the propensity of piracy for many, but this by no means is a downfall for the film, just an observation I've spent too long writing about so let's move on.
Hanks' portrayal as the seemingly heroic Captain is not only one of his most memorable, but one of the most unforgettable performances in recent history. It is literal insanity how tremendously the actor clutches us all in to his character's palm, in order to give us an almost POV seat into the tribulations of his character. In addition to the film's perfect pacing, Tom Hanks' portrayal completely makes you lose track of time as your awareness is at one with the film's pace; you go wherever the Captain or Captor Abduwali Muse (brilliantly played by Barkhad Abdi) go. The film's concluding scene alone is a triumph in cinema, in acting and in emotional expression as Hanks delivers a heart-wrenching, throat- lumping and tear-inducing performance, so powerful it almost makes his acting throughout the rest of the film seem like a school play, but not quite...or at all.
Though not executed perfectly, Captain Phillips brings to light the darkness and seriousness of piracy. With a heavier concentration on Richard Phillips and its thriller genre, the biography based on the book by the Captain is a heart-pounding survival film that leaves you sweating, in awe and only able to reclaim your breath once the credits begin to scroll. In spite of the numerous bodily functions the film's wonderful score, masterful direction, talented actors and overall experience have you performing, they are functions worth having. Exhaustingly intense, Captain Phillips is an undoubted contender for the year's most outstanding feature.