Tom Hanks... you did it once again!

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2013)

I will admit that I haven't heard anything about this real story until I heard about the movie. But, with me saying that, I'm really happy I was able to watch this film because emotionally I was fully into this movie and really liked this film.
If you have previously watched Paul Greengrass's previous films, he shoots his films in a shaky cam style that for me, at least, delivers on the realism of the situation. This is the case with this film because there was never a moment where I was taken out of the film as every single moment in the film felt real. The interactions between the characters, the hostage situation and the raw performances given by the entire cast really worked and were well delivered. Once things start to kick off, the film never stops on delivering the intensity and I found myself really invested with the film. There was never a moment where my eyes were taken off the screen.
I really can't say anything much about the performance except that everyone does a great job. Tom Hanks really gives a good performance and does deserve an Oscar nod for his role. He was able to give a raw performance to where I totally forgot that I was watching Tom Hanks acting, as he became the character. Also, there is a moment in the climax where I was completely shedding tears nonstop based on his performance alone. This man has a resume of great performances and for me; this is in the list of good performances delivered by this great actor. Now, this movie wouldn't have worked if the actors portraying, as the pirates weren't intimidating and they were able to give performances better than my expectations. These actors were able to appear frightening, very demanding and you will find yourself being scared of these guys. These characters aren't your typical villain and actually do have characteristics to them that you can see as they kidnap Hanks's character in the lifeboat. Throughout this lifeboat scene, the 4 actors and Hanks were able to deliver on the tension and will have you wondering what will happen to the captain; even wondering if he will survive.
This film was extremely well made to where I have little to nothing negative to say about the film. The only negative that I might have to bring up is that there is a moment where it did slow down, just for a little while, when the characters are on the lifeboat. The movie is a little over 2hrs. long and was well told. However, if they cut out only a gist of the scenes on the lifeboat, then it would have added more positive reaction to people who thought it was a little long.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and this is definitely one of the best films of 2013 for me.