A very competent thriller with a great lead

Rating: 6/10 (25 October 2013)

Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips is an effective commercial thriller with a great lead by Tom Hanks. The movie tells the "true" story of a US ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009, and its captain who gives the movie its name. Being this story true or not, manipulated for Hollywood or not, Captain Phillips works as a movie, even if it is nowhere near the Bourne series. The way Greengrass works his limited set is very good, and he proves once again that he is one of the few masters of the shaky camera technique. If you are looking for a well directed, entertaining and legitimately suspenseful thrill, this is definitely the movie for you, but certainly nothing more than that. Don't try to see meanings where they don't exist. Globalization, poor/rich culture dichotomies? Maybe, but is it relevant? Haven't we seen all that hundreds of times before, and better? Check out thefadingcam blo on blogspo for more reviews!