A U.S cargo ship is hijacked by ruthless Somali pirates, taking the captain hostage

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2014)

Tom Hanks embarks on a tense hostage-captor battle with Somali pirates. Enough said. That sentence summarizes the epic proportions this 'based off a true story' movie has. However, due to the intricate substance of this movie, it requires some more elaboration. Tom Hanks stars in his most thrilling role yet as Captain Richard Phillips. He is a captain for the cargo ship the Maersk Alabama heading to Mombasa. The film's realism is what really captures the essence of this amazing true story. The ship used in the film is identical to the real Maersk Alabama, which gives it an authentic and genuine feel.To top that off, this film was actually shot on the open water, no studio set was used. You can't get more authentic then that. Bravo to director Paul Greengrass and the cast for taking on such an arduous task. This film relies on several close up shots of the actors, which intensifies key moments in the plot that again contribute to the realism of the film. Hank's accent in the film wavers a little bit, which is usually common for actors. The Somali pirates pulled off a wicked performance as merciless pirates who stop at nothing to get what they want. The Somali pirate captain, who was played by Barkhad Abdi,gave an 'edge of your seat' performance. He gave a lot of depth to his character. It is a 100% guarantee your heart will be racing during this film. Fast paced, high intensity and overall insanely epic.The bonus features on the DVD version of this film offers you an inside-look into the story of Captain Phillips by none other than the real Captain Richard Phillips! If you are a fan of dramatic true stories and love Tom Hanks, this is definitely a film for you!