A bit too much focused on one man and lopsided place of action

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2014)

Tom Hanks apparently likes to star in movies where he saves the world/other/himself - apart or en suite - and he does it always well, irrespective of the script's quality. The movie in question has a solid basis in the form of biographical book, but the narrow venue and 2 hours 10 minutes combined make several scenes slow and dull to follow. And if you know the story behind, including how the hostage situation ended, there are now twists and you have to follow the events mostly taking place in small and half-dark premises - not so interesting if the scenes are long or recurring. However, dramatics in still in place, events seem realistic, and the conglomerate Maersk obtained free publicity (or was in the list of funders?).
As for performances, Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Muse, pirate leader is also worth mentioning (well, in the beginning, I had difficulties to discern the Somali actors, but soon Abdi stack out). But the other characters-performances were uninviting to me, partially due to brief appearance on screen.
The movie is definitely worth watching if you like action taking places in a limited space of vehicle. Otherwise, you may experience decline in attention or would like to use fast forward function.