Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips

From director Paul Greengrass comes the harrowing depiction of the real-life events of Captain Richard Phillips, dubbed simply Captain Phillips. But aside from the title there is very little that is simple about this movie. Creating a completely original film with a story and characters that engage an audience is one matter, but recreating true events in a way that makes an audience care and empathize is something different, and more difficult.

And that is the first question to ask: why should we care about Captain Richard Phillips? why is his story worth two hours of our time? Throughout the movie Greengrass includes the standard, mundane reasons: domestic media reaction, international law, Washington, etc. However, they aren’t the reasons why his movie is important and worthwhile; they are simply truths and facts about the situation. Instead of telling a tale about Captain Phillips’ ordeal from an external focus, Greengrass gives us the ordeal of Captain Phillips from Captain Phillips himself.

Who better to play the Captain than Tom Hanks, an artist who has brought to life countless iconic characters over his career, and Hanks does not disappoint in his most recent endeavor. From the opening scenes Phillips is brought to life on the silver screen as a seasoned husband, parent, and captain; a man struggling to define himself and those he loves in a rapidly changing world; and one who in spite of all this is not without care and empathy. In fact, it was Hanks’ opening monologue about his world being a different world from his children’s that made me care about the man because it was a conversation I’ve heard my parents have. Throughout the movie it’s the little moments like that monologue and all the little personal emotions that give the movie its life and purpose.

Captain Phillips isn’t just about the titular character. The movie also gives a glimpse into the life of the antagonist, Somali pirate Captain Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse and his crew. Essentially, what Greengrass establishes is a face-off between the two captains. In some aspects the two find themselves at a common ground, but is the subtle differences between them that make the difference. Greengrass was even able to coax out a little sympathy here and there for Muse and some of his men, a sentiment which was perhaps heightened by knowing the outcome of the movie from the events four years ago.

Yet even that is comment on the overall success of Captain Phillips. Greengrass is not only able to create a riveting film without explosions and superheroes but is also able to recreate actual events and get us to care about them in spite of the fact that we all know how the story ends. Is the movie an adrenaline-infused thriller? No. Does it define our culture and shape the way cinema will be viewed by future generations? Most likely not. Will it engage you emotionally and get you to care about its story and characters? Yes. Captain Phillips is definitely a must-see this fall.

Overall Rating: 8.8 out of 10