Out of all the films nominated for best picture this year I will admit I was least excited about Captain Phillips. Though based on a true story, I could not imagine it anything more than another “go America!” “Win!” “Kill” shoot-’em-up fest on the high seas.
I could not have been more wrong.
Besides winning me over and finding a place in my top three for this years’ Oscars, the film earned respect from the Academy and claimed fame for its storytelling, acting, and filming.
The movie follows the true story of the US-flagged cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama which, in 2009, was hijacked by Somali pirates. Captain Richard Phillips, played by Tom Hanks, finds himself facing an almost impossible situation as he tries to keep the peace, stay alive, and employ as much diplomacy as possible.
The plot is uncomplicated. The ship is at sea, the pirates are spotted, and they soon invade the vessel. Since the ship is a cargo ship they have little weaponry, thus soon the Somali pirates take control and hold the ship hostage.
What makes the film not only good but great, however, is the nuanced storytelling. Director Paul Greengrass chose to have the movie filmed fairly raw, and the footage runs along with the hurried crewmen and shakes when disaster strikes. The colors are dulled and tinted with cool tones that makes it seem metallic and lonely. There are often close-ups of faces and objects, drawing the viewer onto the ship which will soon turn prison. The viewer knows that what is on this ship is all that there is, no greater world surrounds them. The viewer then understands that every emotion from fear to hope is encapsulated in this small space. By the time the hostage situation is underway the feeling of claustrophobia is so strong that the viewer cannot help but hang on tight to each moment. As a result, the second half of the film is both thrilling and terrifying.
Much of the success of the pure terror one eventually feels can be attributed to the stellar acting of the cast. From each Somali pirate to each American crewman, the acting is spot-on and extremely interesting. Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) plays his character with a stark authenticity that encompasses all of the insecurities that even such a strong leader would feel. The viewer sees a smart, seasoned, and well-prepared captain, yet it is clear that what he feels is genuine fear. He is not a superhero; humanity has failings and there is no telling whether this will end well. Tom Hanks brilliantly balances the line between unwavering control and lingering fear, all with a Boston accent. In a year full of amazing performances, Hanks’ is surely the almost overlooked 6th candidate for best actor.
The only person who could match Tom Hanks (and even surpass him in this case) was found in the most unlikely of places. Plucked from his job as a chauffeur, Barkhad Abdirahman plays Muse, the acting leader of the Somali pirates. Abdirahman’s stunning first and only acting performance carries all of the desperation and confusion of a man caught in his situation. Muse (Abdirahman) creates the crux of the film’s strongest aspect–the leveling of humanity. We see a man bent to depravity, trapped in a world where he must choose between absolute poverty or rise to the promise of wealth and satisfaction. He is not merely an enemy or a villain, rather he is a fellow human, striving for the same things we all desire. The most powerful testimony to this is when he is told he will see the elders of his village and the viewer sees a softness wash over him, but just for a moment. After all, those elders hold his respect, his admiration and his love. And we are reminded constantly that he and his fellow pirate embodies all of those things.
This film is not so much about war as it is about humanity- the evils, the hopes, the good, and the bad found in so many parts of it. It is scary, tense, heartbreaking and beautifully filmed. And the story it tells is an important reality.