Based on a true-life incident, the gripping maritime thriller "Captain Phillips" has hit the theaters and highlights the real dangers posed by high sea pirates.
The gripping drama mesmerizes and raises the cinematic bar by leaps and bounds. The movie "Captain Phillips" is based on the memoirs of 57-year old Captain Richard Phillips of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was delivering commercial goods, water, food and fuel to Kenya.
Phillips was taken hostage in 2009 by Somali pirates and famously endured five harrowing days on a small life boat at gunpoint. The pirates demanded a $2 million ransom for the captain and the ship, who were finally freed after the U.S. Navy SEAL snipers shot the three gunmen to retake the ship.
"It is surreal to have a story made out of me. There are plenty of captains out here who could've and would've done just as well as me," says the real Captain Richard Phillips.
Directed by British director Paul Greengrass (famous for masterpieces like "Bloody Sunday" and "United 93"), "Captain Phillips" is a visual delight, which delves into the macrocosmic picture. The psyche of the pirates is probed into - the cynicism, poverty and desperation which have all contributed to the four Somali fishermen's situation. How they work for a warlord and attack container ships and make off with their cargo.
The role of Captain Phillips is essayed by Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks who lends an unassuming intelligence and sophistication to the character. Hanks conveys the subtle nuances more through body language rather than expansive speeches.
The practically wordless sequence, building up to the final scene, reaffirms why Hanks is so adept at playing real-life characters on screen, lending his special touch along the way.
Newcomer Barkhas Abdi gives a stellar performance as the charismatic young Khat-chewing pirate Muse. "I'm the captain now," he declares at one point.
Moreover, Greengrass' dispassionate approach to the maritime drama makes "Captain Phillips" a masterpiece with visual metaphors galore. How the movie subtly imbibes consumerism and globalization at the heart of the conflicts, the clash of the diametrically opposite supply chains, are all delivered deftly rather than resorting to melodrama.
"Captain Phillips" is definitely a highly recommended watch this Autumn.
