By Brett Blake In the hands of lesser storytellers, a movie like CAPTAIN PHILLIPS could have easily become sensationalized or even exploitative. In the hands of director Paul Greengrass, however, it is an expertly-staged procedural thriller, documenting an intense situation with precision filmmaking and terrific acting. That the story is - more or less - a true one adds a certain layer of inherent verisimilitude, but it’s Greengrass’ steady hand (in conjunction with the script by Billy Ray) that makes the events of this film all-too-easy to believe and buy into. The premise (for those who don’t recall how this all went down back in 2009) involves the hijacking of a United States commercial freighter by Somali pirates. Tom Hanks is the titular Captain of the ship, and we watch as he and his crew try to extricate themselves from the dangerous situation. When they prove unable to do so without outside the help, the U.S. Navy soon arrives on the scene, and then things begin to escalate. I would expect many people to know the outcome of this story, but for those who don’t, I’ll not detail it here. For the most part, the movie adheres to a basic thriller structure, with a slow ramping-up of tension as the script moves towards its third act. And what a third act it is. Some might find it to be unbearably tense; heck, I’ll even toss out the old “nail-biting” cliche, because I think that’s a pretty apt way to describe the proceedings leading up to the climax. What’s so truly exceptional about this is, again, the fact that many people (including myself) know how this is going to end, but the filmmaking is so strong (including the brilliant editing) that you still find yourself in knots watching it unfold. In that sense, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS feels like something of a kindred spirit to other “Based on a true story” thrillers, like 1995’s APOLLO 13 and 2012’s ARGO. The movie is executed on such a high level that you forget you know the outcome and allow yourself to be pulled in by the incredibly suspenseful execution. A big reason for this, as I’ve already alluded to, is director Greengrass and his unfailing ability to generate intensity and suspense with seeming ease. Going back to his two entries in the BOURNE franchise, and perhaps especially his 2006 film UNITED 93, you can see a consistently high level of quality, and he brings that to the table here. He also brings what one could call his directorial trademark: the so-called “shaky cam,” which he made part of the cinematic lexicon with his first BOURNE outing, 2004’s THE BOURNE SUPREMACY. In CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, the camera is frequently hand-held, and yes, it does jostle around quite a bit, but rather than being a distraction, it heightens the intensity, giving the movie an immediacy - a “You are there!” feeling - that fits perfectly. The whole film has a visceral, even thrilling quality to it. The other tech specs are top flight; the sound design matches the escalating intensity in a great way, and just as was the case with GRAVITY earlier this month, the use of silence (or, more accurately, strategic and delicate sound effects placement) is enormously effective. The production design has a very authentic vibe, as well. At the center of the film, we have Tom Hanks, giving one of my favorite performances of his career. It’s a very demanding role, and Hanks gets to call upon all of his abilities as we watch his character attempt to delicately maneuver his way out of a life-or-death situation. He plays Phillips as a classic everyman, a decent, competent, and ordinary man who’s thrust into a scenario beyond his control; watching Hanks dealing with his captors makes for some high drama. Hanks has such an inherent likability factor that it’s incredibly easy for the audience to side with him, root for him, etc., and the movie uses this to full effect. It’s kind of a shame that I can’t really dig into spoilers, because I think that’s what’s required to fully do justice to Hanks’ performance; all I will say is that he has a little string of scenes as the film draws to its close that are as emotionally bare and moving as I’ve seen from him (maybe ever), and they guarantee he’ll have a shot at another Academy Award early next year. He’s that good. Perhaps one of the most surprising elements of the film is the way it treats the pirates themselves, who are, let’s be honest, the ostensible “villains” of this story. The easy (read: lazy) way to handle them on a script level would be to make them mustache-twirlers, heartless thugs without any hint of complexity or empathy. Luckily, screenwriter Ray goes the far more interesting (and, I gather, true-to-life) route of having the pirates be full-fledged “real” people. We get to know them, we get to see where they come from and what motivates them to get into piracy, and - most importantly - we get to see moments of doubt, moments where they question their mission and each other; all of this makes them very compelling, and although the movie never once attempts to excuse their actions, it does force the audience to view them as real human beings, not caricatures. As Muse, the pirate leader, actor Barkhad Abdi is terrific, conveying a sense of intellectual cunning as well as a feeling of desperation that is entirely convincing, and his interplay with Hanks is superb. I would not be at all surprised if he were also up for some recognition come awards time; he certainly deserves to be in the conversation. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is filmmaking at the highest level, as strong a thriller as you’re likely to see all year, and it has Tom Hanks at the top of his game. That should be enough to get you to check it out, but if you want me to really spell it out, I’ll go even further: it’s one of my favorite films of the year.
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