Solid thriller that is more powerful being based on a true story

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2013)

In the last week I have seen both films that seem to be the frontrunners for some Oscar nods and both times I must admit I was a little underwhelmed although I should be used to that from Oscar contenders. Gravity was a colossal disappointment in a number of ways (see my review) and Captain Phillips let me down just a little as well. Now please don't get me wrong, both were entertaining and I did enjoy Captain Phillips. It had some riveting, edge of your seat thrills, a solid story and some truly great performances. That being said I thought it was a good movie, but not a great one. It didn't really evoke any huge emotions from me and as glad as I was to see Tom Hanks back on the big screen and he was good, he didn't truly shine until the last five minutes of the film but more on that in a moment. Certainly knowing this was based on a true story that wasn't so long ago it made the film even better. I cringed at the intense scenes and the actors who portrayed the pirates were good, though again I felt like they fell short of being truly great. The film was good all around but I supposed with all the hype about it I wanted GREAT! I wanted mind blowing and it didn't meet those expectations.
I remember when I was completely convinced that Tom Hanks was thee greatest living actor in Hollywood. He can be funny, serious, intense, dramatic and romantic all at once. Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Terminal...I could go on but those are some of my favourites...the man is a master of his craft. But it has been awhile since he's had a great role and this was a good role for him. He commanded the screen and was as good as he always is. The moment when he is rocketed into true Tom Hanks stardom is the last five minutes of the film. That sounds ludicrous but the scene of him being finally recovered and saved and his break down was moving and powerful and honestly if they gave him an Oscar based on that...then so be it. Its remarkable that the men playing the pirates are complete newcomers. I had heard what a remarkable job Barkhad Abdi as the leader of the group and he was good. I wouldn't say he was amazing but considering this is his first role, he isn't an actor by trade and he absolutely made the role authentic. The rest of the pirates played by Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali did a good job as well. All three are completely new to the big screen and they were perfect for their perspective roles. The only other notable role was that of Shane Murphy played by Michael Chernus. I actually thought his performance was very weak and felt forced and over-acted. Next to Hanks he seemed like an amateur and didn't fit the tone of the film very well unfortunately.
Director Paul Greengrass absolutely liked gritty realism and uses his infamous chaotic shaking camera style which apparently a lot of people hate. It didn't bother me in Captain Phillips and I didn't find it overly obvious. 99% of the film is on the freighter or in the smaller life-raft and the pacing of the film is fine. I thought the scenes in the life-raft dragged just a little bit but a lot of time was spent in there so he was making sure the entire story was told. There is some controversy over whether or not Phillips was as heroic as the movie portrays him but this review is not about that, this is about the film and whether or not it entertains and it did. It is captivating, easy to watch and if you want a great survival thriller then this will fulfil that. Is it Oscar worthy? Not in my opinion. Its a solid movie that is being way over-rated in my humble opinion. Still worth checking out because it doesn't disappoint. Don't for a minute take this as a negative review, I simply want to address the accolades the film is receiving. All around good, falls short of greatness. 8/10