Claustrophobic and uncertain; a tense thriller that ultimately lacks depth.

Rating: 6/10 (13 August 2018)

Regardless of how closely it sticks to the real-life events upon which it is based, 'Captain Phillips (2013)' focuses on the claustrophobia and uncertainty that comes about when a ship's captain has his boat commandeered by modern-day pirates, placing most of its emphasis on the tension caused by the ever-shifting relationship between the boat's constantly scared crew and their unpredictably dangerous captors. While Greengrass' signature 'shaky' style fits the source-material and lends a realist feel, it does occasionally become quite over-bearing. The generally slow pace and lack of real character development - both of which ultimately prevent full audience engagement - also reduce the feature's overall impact. It generally knows what it is, however, right up until its explosive and, frankly, gut-wrenching finale. It focuses on doing its thing as well as it can throughout and, in the end, it's this that allows it to work as well as it does. 6/10