Topic: Captain Phillips review (no spoilers)
Captain Richard Phillips won't be mistaken by anyone for an action hero. With his large-framed glasses and pudgy figure, he's the last person you'd expect to do battle with dangerous pirates. And perhaps the greatest miracle of Paul Greengrass's Captain Phillips is that he doesn't. How easy would it have been to turn this mild-mannered man and have him use his wits to turn the tables on his captors? It's a story that's been filmed a thousand times before. But not here. Captain Phillips is a resourceful man, and he manages to trick the pirates who board his ship on more than one occasion. But he's just a man. He's not a superhero, and the movie has no interest in presenting him as such. Tom Hanks, in one of his best recent performances, never plays him as anything more or less than what he is. He's smart, yes, but he's just as much a victim of his emotions as the pirates who take him prisoner. And as tensions get high, there's no telling who will be the first to snap.
As much praise as Hanks is getting for his performance, the real stars of the show are the pirates, all non-actors pulled from the same suburb. Barkhad Abdi as Muse, the pirate's captain, is the perfect picture of desperation. His confident facade never openly shatters, but you can see the cracks start to show as the film goes on. It's a remarkably understated performance. Also of note is Faysal Ahmed as Najee, a violent loose-cannon who is the source of much of the final act's tension.
Between this and Gravity, going to the movies is quite an ordeal this weekend. Anyone got any Xanax?
(also posted on letterboxd.)
Last edited by Doctor Submarine (2013-10-13 03:07:54)
