Movie Review
Captain Phillips, A Must "Sea" Movie
Captain Phillips, directed by Paul Greengrass, is a thrilling, emotional account of the true story in which Somali pirates attacked a U.S. cargo ship and held Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) as a hostage. A perfect movie for action-loving teenagers and adults of all ages, the suspense and unpredictability kept me interested throughout the entire movie.
With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Captain Phillips is a phenomenal movie that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, even if they already have background knowledge on the story of Captain Richard Phillips. The movie has received the Writers Guide of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and several individual actors were nominated or rewarded the BAFTA award.
Richard Phillips is captain of the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship assigned to deliver food and resources to people in Kenya. Because he knows the area is known for pirate activity, he prepares for the threat by undergoing several emergency drills with his crew. Ironically, during a drill, Phillips spots two skiffs of Somali pirates trailing the ship. He is able to scare them away but fears them coming back. The next day, the same crew of pirates, led by Muse (Barkhad Adbi), return with new and improved ship. The pirates soon persevere their way on to the ship, and Phillips orders his crew to hide in the engine room before sacrificing himself to be kidnapped. Trying to take the easy way out, he offers the pirates the $30,000 in the ship's safe, but Muse will not settle for such a small amount. Muse brings a fellow pirate, Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), with him and Phillips in search of the crew.
With clever thinking, Phillips is able to separate Muse from Bilal, so Muse is forced to search the ship alone. The crew captures Muse, telling the other pirates they will trade Muse for Phillips and a lifeboat. However, the plan backfires, and the pirates escape with Phillips. As the pirates take him back to Somalia, Phillips learns more about the pirates, is almost killed countless times by Najee (Faysal Ahmed), the most violent pirate, and attempts to escape. Now a national issue, the U.S. Navy gets involved, trying to find a way to retrieve Phillips. Being such a tricky situation, the SEAL Commander (Max Martini) must have caution in every move and find a way to get Captain Phillips away from the pirates safely.
It was an excellent choice by the directors to cast Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, for he conveyed the emotions of the plot to the audience brilliantly. Immersing himself in the role, Hanks shows how seriously Captain Phillips took his job as captain. Being a normal man before leaving for the trip, Phillips returns as a hero with a new perspective. Tom Hanks made this transition look easy when the pirates got aboard and he offered himself to the pirates, risking it all to protect his crew. Phillips' caring, protective side is brought out in difficult times throughout the movie. Overall, the ensemble effort of the cast was outstanding. Tom Hanks nailed his role, the Somali pirates gave us a glance into their lifestyle, and the US Navy builds tension and suspense.
Themes of humanity and economic hardship are emphasized in Captain Phillips. The Somali pirates exhibit economic hardship in a majority of ways. Muse, or "Skinny," shows how malnourished people in the poorer parts of the world can be, as well as how difficult it is to get the resources they need. The pirates explain that their job is strictly business, that they don't want to hurt anyone. All they want is money and resources to bring back to their home country. Muse even touches on how he hopes to one day move to America and buy a car, rather than be stuck suffering as a pirate forever, proving that the pirates do hope to one day achieve their dreams.
Captain Phillips recreated the real-life situation Richard Phillips suffered through and made the viewer feel as if they were experiencing it themselves. With surprising events at every turn, it is impossible to be bored. The majority of critics appreciate this movie, often rating it well above mediocre, and I have to agree with them, for I was a fan of the movie myself. Out of five stars, I'd rate it four and a half.
Captain Phillips, directed by Paul Greengrass, is a thrilling, emotional account of the true story in which Somali pirates attacked a U.S. cargo ship and held Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) as a hostage. A perfect movie for action-loving teenagers and adults of all ages, the suspense and unpredictability kept me interested throughout the entire movie.
With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Captain Phillips is a phenomenal movie that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, even if they already have background knowledge on the story of Captain Richard Phillips. The movie has received the Writers Guide of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and several individual actors were nominated or rewarded the BAFTA award.
Richard Phillips is captain of the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship assigned to deliver food and resources to people in Kenya. Because he knows the area is known for pirate activity, he prepares for the threat by undergoing several emergency drills with his crew. Ironically, during a drill, Phillips spots two skiffs of Somali pirates trailing the ship. He is able to scare them away but fears them coming back. The next day, the same crew of pirates, led by Muse (Barkhad Adbi), return with new and improved ship. The pirates soon persevere their way on to the ship, and Phillips orders his crew to hide in the engine room before sacrificing himself to be kidnapped. Trying to take the easy way out, he offers the pirates the $30,000 in the ship's safe, but Muse will not settle for such a small amount. Muse brings a fellow pirate, Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), with him and Phillips in search of the crew.
With clever thinking, Phillips is able to separate Muse from Bilal, so Muse is forced to search the ship alone. The crew captures Muse, telling the other pirates they will trade Muse for Phillips and a lifeboat. However, the plan backfires, and the pirates escape with Phillips. As the pirates take him back to Somalia, Phillips learns more about the pirates, is almost killed countless times by Najee (Faysal Ahmed), the most violent pirate, and attempts to escape. Now a national issue, the U.S. Navy gets involved, trying to find a way to retrieve Phillips. Being such a tricky situation, the SEAL Commander (Max Martini) must have caution in every move and find a way to get Captain Phillips away from the pirates safely.
It was an excellent choice by the directors to cast Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, for he conveyed the emotions of the plot to the audience brilliantly. Immersing himself in the role, Hanks shows how seriously Captain Phillips took his job as captain. Being a normal man before leaving for the trip, Phillips returns as a hero with a new perspective. Tom Hanks made this transition look easy when the pirates got aboard and he offered himself to the pirates, risking it all to protect his crew. Phillips' caring, protective side is brought out in difficult times throughout the movie. Overall, the ensemble effort of the cast was outstanding. Tom Hanks nailed his role, the Somali pirates gave us a glance into their lifestyle, and the US Navy builds tension and suspense.
Themes of humanity and economic hardship are emphasized in Captain Phillips. The Somali pirates exhibit economic hardship in a majority of ways. Muse, or "Skinny," shows how malnourished people in the poorer parts of the world can be, as well as how difficult it is to get the resources they need. The pirates explain that their job is strictly business, that they don't want to hurt anyone. All they want is money and resources to bring back to their home country. Muse even touches on how he hopes to one day move to America and buy a car, rather than be stuck suffering as a pirate forever, proving that the pirates do hope to one day achieve their dreams.
Captain Phillips recreated the real-life situation Richard Phillips suffered through and made the viewer feel as if they were experiencing it themselves. With surprising events at every turn, it is impossible to be bored. The majority of critics appreciate this movie, often rating it well above mediocre, and I have to agree with them, for I was a fan of the movie myself. Out of five stars, I'd rate it four and a half.
Comments
Post a Comment