No Need for Popcorn! Captain Phillips = Nail Biting Thriller!

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2013)

One word, INTENSE! If ever there were a lesson on keeping an audience captivated by taking them through a roller-coaster of emotions look no further than Paul Greengrass's latest thriller, "Captain Philips". Inspired by true events of March 2009, when Richard Philips, the Captain of a cargo ship was taken hostage by Somali pirates, this film has everything: drama, suspense, heroics In truly nail-biting fashion, Tom Hanks plays Captain Richard Philips and executes these emotions flawlessly.
So convincing is his performance that you would be forgiven for almost believing that you were on the journey with him, sharing his pain, courage and at times total anguish. Barkhad Abdi's performance as Muse - the leader of the pirates - is riveting, going toe-to-toe with Hank in terms of wit, and carrying out the role of 'the villain' to perfection but not in your stereotypical way as he evokes an element of empathy amongst viewers.
As the story unfolds, it keeps you wondering and guessing right until the very end. Underlying questions keep you on the edge of your seat: what will happen to Captain Philips? Will Muse's unpredictable nature take a turn for the worse? How much longer can they survive?
Nowadays, it's all too easy to leverage special effects with an A-list cast, throwing in some loud bangs and call it a thriller. I'm a firm believer that the point of Cinema is to communicate the story whilst keeping the audience captivated. 'Captain Philips' not only achieves this with ease but delivers a story rich in dialog and accurately reflecting the events of March 2009 through the lives of relate-able characters. Somali pirates' exploits are well documented in our news, however this story is palpable to such an extent that it brings you as close to the real life event as possible whilst avoiding all the associated dangers.
The feeling of fear setting in as pirates approach the ship, the anguish felt as Captain Philips is taken hostage, the unpredictable violence of Muse, may all be cinematic: however, as you watch the story unravel these feelings will be anything but cinematic. The words "must watch" are overused in our industry but if you are after an intense ride, with a wave of emotions and character depth in abundance, 'Captain Philips' is definitely a must watch.