Review: Captain Phillips

Columbia Pictures

I was hesitant about Captain Phillips at first for a number of reasons. For one, I find many, recent "based on a true story" films unnecessary. Part of the reason being a clear attempt by Hollywood at jumping on the bandwagon of any recent, big news story. They rightly estimate that enough people will be curious enough to pay to see a cinematic rendition of something they saw plastered all over CNN and Fox News for weeks. And they do so out of sheer curiosity or the idea that they'll somehow learn something new from an often largely fictitious reenactment. Or, what I'll never understand, is that so many people actually go to see many movies solely based off of the "based on a true story" tagline because that makes a movie somehow "better" or more "worthwhile." I don't believe a movie, or story for that matter, loses any of its meaning or impact just because it happened once upon a time or it didn't. I don't know about you, but the movies and stories that have impacted me the most have been fiction. After all, most "true" stories aren't that at all. So, obviously, I had my reservations about Captain Phillips' largest claim to fame besides the presence of one of every American's favorite actor, Tom Hanks.

Secondly, I am not the biggest fan of Paul Greengrass' directing style. The Bourne Supremacy was Greengrass' first big hit as a director followed closely by United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum. Greengrass' shaky-cam, quicking cutting (the average shot in The Bourne Supremacy is something like 1.5 seconds or 2 seconds long, I don't remember exactly but it's crazy short) style thrilled Bourne fans and is an effective, albeit easy, way of creating high tension and forcing the audience to focus as hard as they can on what the hell is going on. In the case of the Bourne films it was usually a matter of keeping track of who was still holding the knife in a very intense, hand-to-hand fight in a dirty hotel room in Berlin or something like that. Suffice to say, Greengrass' style, while definitely effective, is generally uncomfortable to watch. I much prefer smoother, more graceful styles of cinematography and editing. So, Captain Phillips also sounded like a rather unpleasant viewing experience that I'd rather not inflict upon myself.

Columbia Pictures

But I finally decided to see it after I couldn't ignore all the positive reviews I kept hearing from many different sources. Thankfully, Greengrass is at his most focused and controlled here as he depicts the attack of Somali pirates on a freighter ship off the coast of Africa and the capture of the ships' captain, Richard Phillips (Hanks). The directing and editing is top-notch in depicting the action and intense situations, and Greengrass also does a superb job of drawing most of the attention to the interaction between the pirates, Phillips, and the rest of the crew. Hanks is at the top of his game as well in how he captures the every-day-guy side of Phillips, but also his great responsibility as the leader of his crew and a husband and father. You really can see all of these play out in his portrayal and he is terrific. On top of Hanks' acting, there is Barkhad Abdi who plays the pirates' leader, Muse. Abdi had no previous acting experience or aspirations and used to work as a chauffeur before being cast in the film, and he more than holds his own next to Hanks as the Somali villager determined to prove himself and provide money for his village and to appease the region's warlord. 

Columbia Pictures

The entirety of the movie is evenly paced and effective up until the last quarter or so of the film where things slow down a bit too much. Everything begins to noticeably drag out and you can't help but think "we know it's all going to end all right," because, after all, it's a true story. Greengrass and the writers keep trying to raise the suspense further and further until it can't go any higher but it feels like they still try to go further when you're just ready to be done with it. Still, some of Hanks best acting is at the very end which is worth seeing. Thus, my major criticism of Captain Phillips is that it is too drawn out and could've used some more editing towards the end.

Overall though, Greengrass does a fine job of creating an entertaining, focused depiction of this true story. What's more, he adds the extra element of a wider perspective on globalization that is most valuable. The beginning of the film depicts Hanks as he goes through the routine of being dropped off at the airport by his wife to fly to the shipping tanker and make all the necessary checks and inspections in the shipyard before setting out to sea. At the same time, Greengrass cuts to Muse as he and his crew ready themselves, prompted by the warlod's men, to venture out to the sea in vastly inferior motor boats to hunt down ships. They fight among themselves, each eager to be the one who brings back the biggest catch and thus winning the most money and respect for their community. Both Muse and Phillips end up being men simply trying to provide for themselves and their families. Of course, we see Phillips as the one working the legitimate job and rightly earning his keep and way in life, but Greengrass rightly draws attention to Muse's plight as a 3rd world citizen with next to no other options to make enough money to live other than crime. 

Columbia Pictures

In so doing, Captain Phillips provides not only an interesting contrast of two individuals forced into dire circumstances by necessity, but it offers a critique of our global perspective; especially when it comes to the effect the media has on such specific events. Even though the act of piracy itself is indeed wrong, we should not senselessly dismiss their actions as if they are vicious terrorists or savages. Their sheer level of desperation, especially at the end when the full force of the U.S. Navy, the greatest Navy in the world, descends upon their tiny lifeboat provokes a certain level of sympathy. The position many of us hold, as middle class Americans with all our commodities and circumstances, is still far above and beyond what the majority of the world experiences. In Phillips' face and experience in the film, we see his terror at being in such a situation, but we also see him beginning to realize that the pirates are just as terrified, and he (and the audience) gets a glimpse into what different lives they lead. It's a simple idea, but it's an important one, and it's what makes Captain Phillips a success as cinema and not just an intense thriller.