The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Movie+Review%3A+Captain+Phillips

“Report two fishing boats at 6 o’clock”

“They’re not here for fish”

Captain Phillips is an amazing film for a number of reasons. Going in, I was expecting nothing more than a popcorn-action film. And while the film had some of those moments, it was always with great amounts of suspense and anticipation. Here’s the rundown; Somalian pirates board Captain Phillips ship. Phillips (Tom Hanks) hides his crew in the engine room and deals with the pirates, led by a man named Muse (Barkhad Abdi). The use of the ship’s dark corridors, tight spaces, and often-eerie silence adds suspense and fear to the pirates every move as they search the ship. And even after one fear is lifted off your shoulders, another one is quick to come. The first quarter is the build-up to the invasion, and the film does a great job of showing the other side to the story, seeing the struggle of these Somalians. They take ships for money, but also to survive, due to the fact their boss takes most of their profits and controls them. The next quarter is the pirates invading the ship, looking for the crew, and eventually leading to the last half and best part; taking Captain Phillips hostage.

The second half is much slower than the first, as the pirates and Phillips are confined to a small lifeboat, eventually being pursued by the navy, and forced to stew in their fear. While Phillips attempts to gain his captors trust, many of them end up fighting each other. The amount of stress put on everyone involved in this, from the captive to the captors, and those attempting to save him, it all adds to the suspense.

What I expected walking into the movie theater was a popcorn-action film. I assumed three stars. But then I saw how the film used suspense to keep us on our toes, guessing and fearing what would happen next. Another thing I noticed is the fact that most of this movie was shot on the sea, using real cargo ships, and more impressively, real Navy battleships. Then I saw the final invasion tactics by the navy, the daring escape, the re-capture, and the final negotiation. With all that excitement, I wanted to give it four stars. But what I really thought was amazing was Tom Hanks performance, especially at the end. You can see the pain in his eyes; you can hear the fear in his voice. I heard him crying for his family, and I saw not an actor, but a man who seriously thought he was going to die before he could see his wife and kids again. And after it was all done, Tom Hanks did what I can personally say is the best performance of a man in complete shock. The mumbling words, the realization, the crying. You could feel that Captain Phillips had been through so much; you could see him struggling to comprehend what just happened. I almost cried for him, for his pain, because it felt so real. If Hanks gets nominated this year for that performance, you’ll know why. His performance was some of the best acting I have ever seen.

This movie felt so real and so epic. If you’re looking a bit of change from the standard fair of most action films, this movie is definitely something I would suggest watching. Based on the great performances by Tom Hanks and all the pirates, great effects, and great use of suspense, I would recommend spending the money for this experience. Therefore, I would give the all around great film, 5 stars.