Review of Captain Phillips (2013) by Shpostal — 17 Oct 2013

Finally, a truly great movie with perhaps "The Prisoner" the only other drama worth seeing in a year of stunning failures. "Captain Phillips" is brilliant, and based on a true story I remember from 2009. Of course, Tom Hanks is the catalyst here, and once again shows the movie world why he is the greatest living actor today, although Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be a major force to reckon with if he isn't already, and the great Jennifer Lawrence, probably the best actress out there, will be out in the "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" and a new movie with Bradley Cooper later.

The key to Hanks' greatness is his believability. Regardless of his role, he can assimilate anything, making us really think he is what his role says he is. Nobody could possibly have pulled off "Forrest Gump" or "Saving Private Ryan" except him. Now, as a captain of a cargo vessel bound from Oman to Somalia, his ship is taken over by a bunch of unbelievably scraggly pirates, who all deserve praise for their authentic portrayals as well.

I must ask is the lead pirate called "Mule" an authentic Somalian who Hollywood rescued for this role? If not, it's shocking how well they did making him especially gruesome and emaciated, almost making the viewer understand how starvation and the brutal regimes controlling that part of the world force people into desperate situations.

Without giving up the plot, which is predictable because it was a well covered news story, we see the workings of a cargo ship, the Navy SEALS and the plight of Phillips with alarming accuracy and not a shred of doubt.

It is my favorite movie of the year, and perhaps the most moving part is at the end of the film, with Phillips safely in sick bay, and suffering the hysteria of the ordeal as a Navy Corpswoman looks him over. No silly ass tough guy theatrics here his reaction is just what normal people would do, not make lame jokes like a Mark Wahlberg film. In that briefest of times, Hanks puts himself in the top running for an Oscar, and makes you almost cry. All hail Tom Hanks and the crew who put this masterpiece together.