Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Tom Hanks can do no wrong! He can dance, as seen in Big, he can run as shown in Forrest Gump, he can save lives and decode symbols as well as survive living on an island with no one but Wilson… not to mention he’s Andy’s favourite cowboy!
I think it’s safe to say Hank is one of the most beloved movie stars out there. He manages to make every movie he is involved in phenomenal, and that’s probably the reason why he is the highest-grossing actor of all time.
However, just when you think it’s impossible, Hanks hits a new peak in his career as Captain Phillips.
In the second half of this movie Hanks really shines, showing true fear and trauma … simply put, if anyone else were playing Captain Phillips, this movie would be a mediocre film based on a true story.
My heart was beating and I was on the edge of my seat throughout, even though I already knew the ending. Director Paul Greengrass may be famous for his nauseating filmmaking techniques as demonstrated in the Bourne series, but this time around he uses the camera to grip the audience and his technical executions are spot on.
The film tells the story of US Captain, Richard Phillips, who appears to be a family man. When Captain Phillips is sent on a task to carry cargo on the MV Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship, to Mombasa, Kenya via the Arabian Sea in 2009, he knows passing through the Somali coastline in international waters may not be safest option.
However, taking all precautions into account, he guides his crew through the waters and not long in, he notices two small speedboats quickly approaching. The crew immediately know that the people on these boats are pirates.
In order to stop them coming on board, Phillips makes a fake call for help on the radio that the pirates can hear them on. One of the boats turns around in fear of being captured, yet the other one continues to speed towards them. Luckily, after the pirates’ boat breaks down, they disappear.
But pirates don’t give up that easy! The boat eventually gets within kilometres of the US cargo ship and four pirates make it on board, shooting everything and everyone in sight whilst demanding money.
The $30,000 on board isn’t enough to satisfy them and while the rest of the crew are hiding in the ship’s engine room, Phillips tries to outsmart the pirates.
Things take a turn for the worse after the leader of the group, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), is kidnaped. A deal is made and Phillips is taken hostage aboard the Somali’s boat and forced into a series of life-threatening decisions as he awaits rescue.
Although I praised Hanks’ abilities, the pirates are also worth a mention. Each of them has a distinct and interesting personality that is not based on the typical terrorist archetype. Barkhad Abdirahman, Mahat Ali and Faysal Ahmed who play Bilal, Elmi and Najee definitely made every member of the audience fear meeting them in real life, with the latter being the one you feel for the most.
Yet, it was Abdi that gave a terrifying yet truly amazing performance. He gets a lot of screen time and really delivers in every scene. He is both haunting and mesmerising at the same time – a truly unforgettable role.Other than the fact that the movie ran for over two hours, I can’t find many other flaws. The directing was spot on, the acting was phenomenal and the story was superb.
This is one of the best movies of the year and I recommend readers to watch it!
* Showing in Showing in Cineco, Saar, Seef I
