Tuesday Night is Film Night goes all nautical this week, as we take to the high seas for a thrilling drama, but will we be splicing the main brace or walking the plank after;
Captain Phillips
Tom Hanks takes the lead role as Rich Phillips, the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, tasked with moving cargo from Oman to Mombassa. The route takes them past the coast of Somalia, renowned in recent history for it's pirates. Phillips is alert to these threats and orders some drills to ensure security, however a drill turns to reality as they are followed closely by a small band of pirates, intent on capturing the huge container ship. The Alabama being unarmed has to resort to standard procedures to fend off any attacks, which include the deployment of high pressure water hoses to keep any attackers from boarding. Needless to say this deterrent does not deter them for long.
There, in a nutshell, is the set up for this tale of piracy. Based on the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking of 2009. Captain Rich Phillips and lead pirate, for want of a better phrase; Abduwali Muse, fight out the remainder of the film in a dramatic, nail biting and gripping affair.
Hanks, as always gives 100% as the kidnapped captain and Barkhad Abdi provides a fitting adversary in the form of Muse. The film is more than a drama, we see a battle of wits and the strange juxtaposition between the two leaders, who have more in common than first meets the eye and it is this link that is revisited throughout the film. Although in real peril Phillips manages to form a tenuous bond to Muse, which invariably saves his life.
As was mentioned earlier it is a gripping story, but not just for the mere fact that it is true, the way the story unfolds keeps you hooked and draws you in closer and closer to the action, the developing story and ultimately to the dramatic ending. At two hours and fourteen minutes long, it is no mean feat to keep the audience captured for so long, so it is therefore to the credit of the director Paul Greengrass and to the writer of the screenplay Billy Ray, that they have taken a real life adventure and adapted it for the big screen, in such a way that as the story evolves, the action, drama and tension intensifies. They drip feed information and twists which has the effect of maintaining the viewers concentration and pulls them into the story.
Credit should also go to Richard Phillips as well, for his book that the film was based upon; "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea". Captain Phillips was nominated for six Oscars in 2014, but failed to secure a win in any of the categories, which is a real shame, as the film is a definite "must watch". It also continues our view here at TNiFN Towers, that Tom Hanks has never made a bad film and continues to be one of our all time favourite actors.
Credit should also go to all the actors who portrayed the Somali pirates, as they were spot on with their determination, aggression and demeanor. (Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali). Apparently the first day of shooting the hijack scenes, was the first time the actors playing the pirates, had met the actors playing the Alabama crew. This was done so that the tension between the two groups was more tangible. It certainly worked. The interplay between the two sides was perfect and the intervention of the Navy and ultimately the Navy Seals was not over played as is sometimes the case with American hero / action movies. Greengrass played down the action and heroics, more intent on capturing the tension of the piece, going not for an action movie, but a reaction movie.
As for the scores, well this one divided the room yet again.
TNiFN Rating 87%
Blogger's note: Watching films with two women can be quite tricky, as although I'm no stranger to the chick-flick, the female contingent don't seem to be able to reciprocate when it comes to a biographical thriller. So although I absolute loved Captain Phillips, one member of the audience classed it as boring after about an hour. Unfortunately their score was lower and therefore the rating suffers. You can't win them all.
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