Edgy and Energetic Thriller

Rating: 7/10 (13 October 2013)

Captain Philips, based on a true incident, narrates the story of the eponymous captain of the US merchant vessel Maersk Alabama that was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. On a voyage from Salalah in Oman to Mombasa in Kenya, the ship finds itself inexplicably isolated off the Somali coast and thus becomes an easy picking for some amateurish pirates looking to make big ransom bucks. In a heart stopping sequence the four teenage pirates come in a flimsy skiff and board the gigantic cargo ship. But when US government responds by dispatching two warships, the youthful enthusiasm of the pirates turns to desperation as they realize that they are being out-gunned and outwitted. The demeanour of Captain Richard Philips (Tom Hanks) also morphs from bravado to fear as he is taken hostage in a claustrophobic lifeboat, that becomes the centre of much of the action in the latter half of the film. Our sympathies also tend to waver, which may not be the intention of the director though.
Director Paul Greengrass extracts outstanding performances from Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips and débutant Barkhad Abdi as Muse, the leader of the pirates. The camera bobbing up and down on the ocean might induce seasickness in the weak of heart, but is primarily responsible for holding you on the edge of the seat for most of 134 minutes. In the final analysis, it is the very human and humane performances of both Hanks and Abdi that prevents the film from degenerating into the tired and familiar heroic American formula. Captain Phillips shies away from delving into the uncomfortable questions that could have transformed it into a greater film.