Tense and Powerful Thriller

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2014)

"Captain Phillips" follows the story of the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somalian pirates and the kidnapping of its captain. Its a very simple story but its one of the best movies that Paul Greengrass has ever made along with his great two "Bourne" movies. The action and suspense is incredibly tense and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final climax of the movie.
Tom Hanks gives one of his best performances as the everyman Richard Phillips. Hanks gives the character such emotional intensity that by the time the movie is over you might just be as in tears as he is. But the standout performance is newcomer Barkhad Abdi as the lead pirate Muse. Abdi portrays Muse not as a stereotypical villain but as a naive man who's very desperate to get what he wants so that he can leave his life of destitution far behind him. You cant help but feel some sympathy for him since you get the idea of what his situation and life is like early on in the movie. Hanks and Abdi play off each other very well and share some poignant scenes together especially towards the end of the movie.
Greengrass's trademark shaky cam is used to very great effect without disorienting or confusing the viewer during the action scenes. He keeps things incredibly tense and when the movie slows down, the camera focuses on some powerful acting.
I highly recommend this movie because it is just that good and I would definitely rate it as one of the best movies of 2013.