If I could give you one warning before you watch Captain Philips, it would be prepare to hold your breath. This gripping film directed by Paul Greengrass tells the true story of when Somali pirates took control of an American commercial ship, the Maersk Alabama, in 2009.
The film began as Richard Philips, played by Tom Hanks, a simple man looking for work, and his crew boarded to complete a route from Oman to Kenya on their cargo ship. Soon into their journey, however, tensions rise quickly when a small band of pirates is spotted in the distance.
We are introduced to the pirates, the key ones are Abduwali Muse played by Barkhed Abdi, Najee played by Faysal Ahmed, and Elmi played by Mahat Ali. by seeing them in their home community. They live in poverty, and are sent out by their elders to rob large ships.
We are introduced to the pirates, the key ones are Abduwali Muse played by Barkhed Abdi, Najee played by Faysal Ahmed, and Elmi played by Mahat Ali. by seeing them in their home community. They live in poverty, and are sent out by their elders to rob large ships.
Tom Hanks remains calm through his first encounter with the pirates because the wake of their ship forces the pirates to turn back. But soon after the pirates return and are relentless until they successfully board the Alabama.
You may be familiar with the line, "I am the captain now," because it spread quickly across the internet and was used as a joke when taken out of context. But those five words, spoken by Muse, gain an intense meaning when you watch the suspenseful hijacking scene.
I am not going to give away much more of the plot because the film is truly something else and can be overwhelmingly and almost unbearably stressful at times, which I see as an accomplishment. This movie requires focus, and I suggest you think about the characters motivations for their actions because, for me at least, a lot of things came as a shock to me.
The film is sprinkled with moments of silence, which add a layer of anxiety almost, as the viewer is impatient to see what will happen.
And in a way the film is claustrophobic, not only because a large portion of it is filmed in small boats, but because of how intimate it is and how tight the tensions between every single character are.
Which leads me to the cinematography... beautiful. It's shot almost as a documentary I want to say, with somewhat shaky hands and constant shifting. Not to mention how captivating the helicopter scenes are with Max Martini as the head SEAL Captain.
I would rate this movie a 9 out of 10 stars, counting off for flaws in the historical accuracy. I am a large fan of this move, but after reading up on it a little I discovered that some people, including former crew of the actual boat, were a little bothered that the film omitted some facts and made Philips out to be a bigger hero than he is seen as in real life. I, personally, do not mind this because I understand that you can't capture all the details of such a large event in one movie when you are making it as admiringly as Greengrass. The movie did, though, capture a multitude of emotions and transferred them to the viewer, and it taught a lesson in leadership. One of the many things that sets this movie apart is how it never quite loses its grasp on the audience, up to the closing scene. This movie was all but mediocre, and I do recommend it to people as long as you allow yourself to get fully immersed in it and give yourself some time to recuperate once you finish that final heart wrenching scene.
You may be familiar with the line, "I am the captain now," because it spread quickly across the internet and was used as a joke when taken out of context. But those five words, spoken by Muse, gain an intense meaning when you watch the suspenseful hijacking scene.
I am not going to give away much more of the plot because the film is truly something else and can be overwhelmingly and almost unbearably stressful at times, which I see as an accomplishment. This movie requires focus, and I suggest you think about the characters motivations for their actions because, for me at least, a lot of things came as a shock to me.
The film is sprinkled with moments of silence, which add a layer of anxiety almost, as the viewer is impatient to see what will happen.
And in a way the film is claustrophobic, not only because a large portion of it is filmed in small boats, but because of how intimate it is and how tight the tensions between every single character are.
Which leads me to the cinematography... beautiful. It's shot almost as a documentary I want to say, with somewhat shaky hands and constant shifting. Not to mention how captivating the helicopter scenes are with Max Martini as the head SEAL Captain.
I would rate this movie a 9 out of 10 stars, counting off for flaws in the historical accuracy. I am a large fan of this move, but after reading up on it a little I discovered that some people, including former crew of the actual boat, were a little bothered that the film omitted some facts and made Philips out to be a bigger hero than he is seen as in real life. I, personally, do not mind this because I understand that you can't capture all the details of such a large event in one movie when you are making it as admiringly as Greengrass. The movie did, though, capture a multitude of emotions and transferred them to the viewer, and it taught a lesson in leadership. One of the many things that sets this movie apart is how it never quite loses its grasp on the audience, up to the closing scene. This movie was all but mediocre, and I do recommend it to people as long as you allow yourself to get fully immersed in it and give yourself some time to recuperate once you finish that final heart wrenching scene.
