DVD Review of Captain Phillips (2013)
Tom Hanks is at his best here, but the story outshines.Captain Philips gained its cinematic release in 2013 and the DVD has just been released. I was actually very keen to go and see this upon its initial release but never got around to it. I heard so many good things about it via word of mouth that I was looking forward to its subsequent rental release.
The story is based around the true events of 2009 when a bunch of Somalian pirates hijack a cargo ship. I would go into more, but I really feel I can’t without going into spoiler territory, and there is so much tension in this film that it is good to go into it without knowing too much about its history or plot.
That said, you can imagine how a story like this unfolds. It takes a little time exploring some of the characters from both sides, allowing the viewer to gain some insight into the vast character development we see during the course of the movie. This is where the film excels in my opinion; the journey the characters and the viewer are taken on. You almost get the sensation you normally do when reading a book, with every passing minute, you are learning something new about the characters and watching as they change as their story-world throws new challenges at them.
The actors who play the pirates do an amazing job at being both terrifying and extraordinarily vulnerable. You will despise some of them and actually empathise on some level, with others. The supporting cast around Phillips (Hanks), do their job suitably, although they aren’t as developed as say the pirates are. For me, Hanks absolutely blew my mind with his performance in this. His performance starts off subtle and as the tensions rise and the threats become larger we see a side of the character that is absolutely gripping to watch. You can’t take your eyes off him and the last three minutes of the film are some of the best film acting I’ve ever seen. A treasure of a film, that will keep you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails throughout.
Words by Peter Richards
Twitter: @PeterRich81