Excellent movie and a strong performance from Tom Hanks

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2015)

Captain Phillips tells the emotionally charged true story of the titular Captain Richard Phillips who is caught up in a hijacking when a small crew of Somali pirates take over his cargo ship the MV Maersk Alabama in April 2009 while at sea in the Somali Coast.
The story also tells both sides of Captain Phillips and his fight to survive and to keep his crew alive, as well as the Somali pirates led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) who are desperate to capture the cargo ship and its crew in order to hold it to ransom. In order to stay alive and keep his crew alive, Phillips must match wits with Muse and his gang of pirates, as well as count on the US Navy and later the Navy Seals to rescue him when the pirates later take him hostage on a lifeboat.
This movie is certainly not aiming to be a version of Die Hard or Under Siege and make out anyone to be the hero of the movie. Tom Hanks (well known to frequently play ordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances) gives a strong, compelling and certainly a very memorable performance as Captain Richard Phillips. It was a shame that Tom Hanks did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as this is certainly one of his best performances right up there with Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away.
Barkhad Abdi gives an excellent performance as Muse, the intelligent Somali pirate who leads his small crew to hijack the cargo ship. Considering the fact Barkhad Abdi had no prior acting experience, he is excellent and he received a well deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I do hope to see him in another movie or TV show.
Captain Phillips is very tense and suspenseful (in particular the last 30 minutes is very intense). The movie captures the audiences attention and does not let anyone go for one moment. There is not a dull or wasted moment in the entire movie nor does it seem overlong at any stage. This is certainly an excellent example of no-nonsense filmmaking at its best. Paul Greengrass (well known for The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum) does a brilliant job as a director. I knew some of the background of the story previously but not the entire story. Captain Phillips tells the story very well and won't be forgotten any time soon.
9/10