Ugh! Great Film but Two Hour Rule!

Rating: 6/10 (12 February 2014)

I don't really care what kind of justification a director gives to clock a singular subject of a movie such as this over two hours. In fact, this is the first film Greengrass has released over that magic threshold. Why do I make such a big stink about this? Because we the audience have a natural clock, there is a limit to our patience when telling a story. Here Capt. Phillips goes 10 minutes over, and it is very easy to see where those trims could be made. Especially in the third act. Again, I don't care if it accurately, minute by minute, recounts what happened. Time condensation is still being done, and although I never read the source material, I would seriously believe some events and time were condensed for the sake of pacing. On the positive side, I would give serious consideration for an Academy Award for Editing. The tension feels real throughout. You have to give credit, between the shaky cam documentary feel to the sharp cutting, that the pacing never lets up. It is just there are obvious points of repetition, especially when the cast is confined to the claustrophobic lifeboat capsule. The many hours actually spent in the craft is more than abundantly portrayed with the redundant arguments and monotonous shots of Tom Hanks just sitting there.
The story up to that point is well presented with little chaff. Hanks has the problem of selling his character to an audience that may remember him as Captain Miller from "Saving Private Ryan". In other words, how well can we buy that this guy doesn't have any military experience, no combat time? There is not much Hanks can do other than to wear those more frightened emotions in situations of confrontation and not let his legacy strain credibility.
Minor Spoiler ahead.
In fact, it takes other members of the crew to grab one of the bad guys and show the toughness that one might expect out of our lead.
Minor Spoiler finished.
By the time he is the lone hostage away from the crew in the lifeboat capsule, the screenplay has done a good job at showing the true heroism of the captain, who is trying to keep the crew out of harm's way by sacrificing his own safety. With so much riding on Hanks and how much he can disappear into the character, the movie's success and award nominations speak for themselves. Some controversy has arisen over whether Hanks should have been nominated for an Academy Award. The problem comes from the fact that the filmmakers chose to portray the actions of Captain Phillips with a great deal of accuracy, meaning it doesn't include any breakout performance.
Minor spoiler ahead
However, the end scene after Hanks is rescued is a very human moment that connects very well as he tries to overcome the shock.
Minor Spoiler finished.
Greengrass as a filmmaker continues to impress with the energy and realism he injects. It is with reluctancy that I no longer will see one of his films in the theatre because of my problems watching his shaky camera style. But I will still watch them eagerly on DVD. I actually think this style of cinematography is appropriate for this recreation of real events. But I challenge Greengrass to take on a subject where maybe just once he sees what happens when he puts the camera on a tripod.