Captain Phillips: Review

I can't remember the last time a movie has kept me on-edge for such a prolonged period of time. Captain Phillips tells the true story of a ship captain by the same name, and his attempt to ensure the safety of his crew when the boat under his control is boarded by ruthless Pirates. These aren't the merry, lovable Pirates from a Disney film; they are intimidating, violent killers. 

Tom Hanks plays the main role of Phillips, and he is definitely the best thing about the movie. That isn't any sort of criticism of the film as a whole however, far from it, it just must be known that this is quite possibly Hanks' best acting role to date. He makes the tension scarily believable, and raises it to a level which becomes difficult to cope with... then keeps it there for a solid two hours. Captain Phillips isn't as dark as the recent tension-driven movie Prisoners, but it is certainly just as nail-biting. 

Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks)

As far as I am aware, the men portraying the Pirates have not been in any other movies before this, and if anything that is a huge positive. They look exactly how you would imagine malnourished, desperate criminals would, and play their parts almost as well as the leading man himself. Any scene featuring the Pirate captain 'Muse' (Barkhad Abdi) is tense and suspenseful, and the same can be said for all of his accomplices. They make the movie seem far more raw: something which becomes incredibly unsettling. 

I honestly can't think of many complaints I had with Captain Phillips. Every actor played their role to a believable and entertaining standard, the plot was consistently exciting, and it exceeded every expectation I held prior to entering the cinema. The only minor gripe I could think of is that clocking in at just over two hours it is quite a long movie. That being said, I cannot pick out a scene or segment that I would remove without damaging the flow of the film. 

Verdict
Captain Phillips is a very enjoyable movie which was frequently heart-pumpingly intense. There were times when the 12a certificate given seemed slightly low, but it never became too violent and didn't rely on gore to shock the audience. The Pirates' were given a cause for going out and attempting the hijack, and it was done in a successful way in which it didn't glorify their actions or justify them, but managed to provide enough reasons so that the audience could vaguely empathize with the fact that this was truly their only option. It's definitely a must-see.   8.75/10

"Look at me."

"Sure.

"I'm the Captain now."