If United 93 wasn't enough to convince audiences that Paul Greengrass can deliver a smart, unusual, hauntingly realistic, thriller then Captain Phillips should squander those worries way before its credits roll.
Based upon the true story of middle-aged captain Richard Phillips, who, whilst delivering an American container ship to Mombasa, Africa in 2009, gets hijacked by a group of violent pirates desperate to make some serious money to please their ruthless bosses back in Somalia.
Knowing what's to come, Captain Phillips starts off slow but with this underlying feel that danger is coming. As Phillips anxiously searches the ship, checking doors and containers, his apprehension can't help but be felt by the audience too. It's clear that he, clearly an experienced mariner, is worried about travelling through the Somalian waters as he orders drills to be carried out and security measures to be at the forefront of every crew member's mind. And his unease permeates the screen.
The entire film is unbelievably tense and it's hard not to feel your stomach churn as the ship's crew identify the pirates speeding towards them on their skiffs, brandishing machine guns. Even though it's inevitable that they will manage to ambush the ship at some point in the film, the moment when the last pirate successfully jumps on to the ladder adorning the side of the ship, it's impossible not to feel like your jaw is on the floor. It's truly frightening which, whilst unusual for what is essentially an action film, works so well in this.
Due to the shaky cam and extremely up-close, intrusive cinematography that Greengrass employs, it is impossible to forget that you're watching something that actually happened.
As soon as the Somalians board the ship, the film instantly becomes a pressured power play between Phillips and Muse, the leader of the renegade pirates and this makes for an ever-changing dynamic throughout as each captain tries to get the upper-hand and protect their own crew.
Juxtaposed against legendary actor Hanks, all the pirates were actually played by unknowns who responded to an open casting call when the film was in production. It's interesting to think why the film used SUCH a high profile actor to play the lead whilst using completely unknown actors for the pirates. Was it to really cement the fact that audiences should be on Phillips' side? That he was the main focus of the whole film? But surely viewers would know that by its title. Regardless of this, each actor portrays their characters commendably, not as a group of pirates as a whole but as each individual Somalian with different personalities and alternate motives.
The film's treatment of the pirates is actually one of the most brilliant things about the film. Bad guys in movies so often don't get any kind of supporting story or characterisation but these ones did. There's elements of empathy embedded in the characters that make the audiences understand their actions, not agree with but understand.
There is never any doubt who you want to triumph but Greengrass does make viewers walk the line between feeling slightly sorry for the pirates and regarding them as ruthless thugs. They're not remotely caricature-like villains, it's not black and white as to whether they are completely evil, and in a way that makes them more frightening as their desperation makes them reckless and more unpredictable.
Towards the end of the film, it becomes a lot more operational and military unlike it's frantic first half. The introduction of the US Navy in the siege really shifts the film into a different kind of movie, showing more stylistic qualities similar to Greengrass' slick The Bourne Identity. This is by no means a bad thing, but does take away the humanity of the piece somewhat as it becomes less about singular characters and more about the whole of the Navy's actions.
At the end of Captain Phillips, you won't necessarily feel entertained but you'll undoubtedly feel angst, shocked and moved. It's hard-hitting and brutal, but also intelligent despite it's seemingly simple storyline. It's an incredible film worth seeing, but whether you'll actually enjoy it or not is questionable. Hanks breakdown in the final scene is enough to make the hardest man in the audience's bottom lip quiver on it's own and will surely get him a nod at next year's Oscars.
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