Director: Paul Greengrass.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus.
Running Time: 134 minutes.
Certificate: 12A.
Synopsis: The true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
In the hands of Paul Greengrass, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS was never going to be a patriotic tale of America overcoming the threat of an evil foreign menace. As demonstrated in UNITED 93, Greengrass is more than capable of handling morally complex true stories enshrouded in the murky world of 21st Century politics. Crucially, he is also an undisputed master of suspense, a trait that defined the two BOURNE sequels.
To begin with, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS feels a tad sluggish. We’re introduced to Richard Phillips and his wife (Catherine Keener) making their way to the docks, where Phillips meets his crew and prepares a ship that we already know will be hijacked by Somali pirates. However, the forty minutes we endure before the Somalis come anywhere near the cargo liner are absolutely crucial. Before the ship has even left the port, the rousing score (which sits unnervingly underneath the slams of thick metal doors and mundane security checks) will have you on edge. It is here that we also learn of Captain Phillips, the man. Where his crew seem relaxed and complacent, Phillips is professional, pensive and considered about the prospect of carrying cargo through the notoriously perilous Somali basin. As the film gathers pace and the tension is amplified, Greengrass’ camera is rarely steady, with the tangible suspense enough to make you seasick.
The casting of Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips was a popular choice, and rightly so. He’s in his element as the everyman at the film’s core, turning in the kind of emotive performance that saw him awarded back-to-back Oscars for PHILADELPHIA and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Perfectly cast as the Captain, Hanks is able to convey the subtlety of a man in control on the outside, yet petrified of all he stands to lose on the inside. As the pirates board his ship, you can see he is losing control of a situation that he knows will quickly become volatile, but Phillips is a wily man who’s full of ideas, even in the face of danger.
Muse (Barkhad Abdi) is frighteningly authentic as the leader of the young, desperate pirates who are more prisoners of their own world than Phillips will ever be. The more they reassure in broken English, the more you feel the opposite is true. But strangely, as they become increasingly desperate and unpredictable, you’ll be more inclined to sympathise with their situation.
Phillips is a good man, tending to a wounded pirate’s injuries even in the wake of his cruel treatment, but he represents an America that has had the wool pulled over its eyes. He tells Muse that the MV Maersk Alabama was carrying aid – some of it for Somalia – and asks why he didn’t choose to be a fisherman. Muse’s reply (“rich countries like to come to Somalia, take all our fish, then give us aid”) resonates throughout the rest of the film, particularly with the appearance of the Navy SEALS. One begins to realise that there’s no good way for this to end, just the relief that after having been tossed around on a stormy sea of suspense for 134 minutes, you can finally breathe again.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is an incredible piece of cinema laced with extraordinary performances, and the fact it’s based on a true story makes it all the more appealing. It feels simple, yet complex, authentic yet cinematic, and sees Greengrass and Hanks at the pinnacle of their powers. If you do see a better film this year, it won’t be this gripping, it won’t be this tense, and it won’t linger on your mind for nearly as long.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is released in UK cinemas on Friday 18th October. Check out the rest of our LFF coverage here.
Pingback: Barkhad Abdi has joined the cast of ‘Blade Runner 2’