Review of Captain Phillips (2013) by Stuart K — 27 Apr 2014

Directed by Paul Greengrass, (The Bourne Supremacy (2004), United 93 (2006), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and Green Zone (2010)), this true life action thriller was based on the 2010 book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty.

It's a suspenseful and moody film which is focused and to the point with a good cast. When Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) is assigned to command the MV Maersk Alabama from Oman to Mombasa, Kenya.

It seems just like another job, but it will mean navigating dangerous waters where Somali Pirates are rife, and it happens here. 4 pirates, led by Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), are able to catch up with the ship and board it, and they take Phillips hostage.

They're unimpressed that the ship only holds $30,000. But after the crew fight back against the pirates in the engine room, they makes off in a lifeboat with Phillips as hostage, but the U.S. Navy Seals find them, and are determined to save Phillips.

It's a very taut and tight thriller with some good moments of suspense. Hanks is brilliant as the brave captain just trying to stay alive, but the real life Somalians as the pirates, all non-actors, are brilliant, and it was a real coup getting them involved in the film, but their plight shown in the film is tragic and cruel as well.