Movie Review: “Captain Phillips”
It is a
hard chore to make an exciting and suspenseful thriller out of a real life
event in which the outcome has already been decided. Director Paul Greengrass’
“Captain Phillips” is a case in point. It is a high seas adventure about the
cargo ship
Maersk
Alabama, which was hijacked
by Somali pirates. The captain of the ship, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), is
taken hostage in a lifeboat and the US Navy comes to negotiate his release,
which ultimately leads to the Navy SEALS eliminating the threat and rescuing
Captain Phillips. What Mr. Greengrass has done is make a movie that is more
complex than just a high seas rescue operation. He tells the story of what
happens when two contrasting civilizations run into each other.
Mr. Greengrass starts the movie
by introducing Captain Phillips. He paints a picture of an ordinary blue collar
New Englander who has children in college and a professional wife. He is
serious about his work and takes the necessary precautions to insure that his
trip will be without incident both at home, before he departs for Oman where
his ship will launch, and as he boards. He is not a naval hero or a blustery
captain. The crew of the Maersk Alabama numbers about a dozen and they are all
union men hired to transport cargo. Captain Phillips is not dictatorial toward
his men but he does nudge them along to keep them on the right track when the
doldrums of the voyage dampen their desire to work. He is a man of structure
who works by the book and runs the necessary drills to make sure that his crew stays
sharp.
Intercutting with Captain
Phillips preparations, Mr. Greengrass introduces his other protagonist – the
one whose name doesn’t share the title of the movie. Muse (Barkhad Abdi) is shown at the beginning of his day. Unlike Captain Phillips, he isn’t
preparing for his upcoming ordeal. He is awakened from a drug infested slumber
at the warning that the local warlords have arrived at camp. The warlords
aren’t happy because this particular sect aren’t bringing in their worth of
loot. The elders of the tribe pick out a crew who will go out on the open sea
and bring back a catch big enough to satisfy the bosses. Muse is picked and we
learn why. He is smart, brave, motivated and it turns out a formidable opponent
for Captain Phillips. Mr. Greengrass creates compelling parallel stories of two
men who have jobs to do and do their best to get them done. He is also
cognizant of the societies from which both men hail. Both are hired hands but
one is threatened with death if his task isn’t accomplished.
Mr. Greengrass benefits from an
unfamiliar world of cargo shipping as the setting of his story. Logic says that
massive tankers are difficult ships to hijack. The size should be a deterrent
alone. But exactly the opposite is true. These cargo ships are not equipped with
any defenses to ward off hijackers except water hoses. The crew is unarmed. The
cat-and-mouse game between the hijackers and the Maersk Alabama makes for
interesting entertainment as Captain Phillips uses procedure and cunning to
fend off Muse’s determination. The same dexterity must be used when the pirates
take over the ship. Mr. Greengrass keeps the eventual outcome from being a
distraction as he builds suspenseful scenes as the small crew and pirates swap the
upper hand.
The movie’s suspense hits a wall,
however, when the Navy makes its appearance. There are orders to negotiate and
time limits given before the Navy SEALS arrive. The SEALS are an intricate part
of the story but Mr. Greengrass brings them in too early (we see the leader of
the SEALS’ team leaving Washington DC) and the back-and-forth cuts disrupt the
flow. When the conclusion arrives it feels like a Hollywood ending – too easy.
That makes knowing it really happened more remarkable.
Mr.
Hanks is the driving force behind this movie and provides an interesting study
of how an average human deals with life and death situations. Mr. Hanks seems
like he’s playing himself when first confronted with the hijackers – he plays
innocent and helpful even when conniving against them. But as the crisis progresses
so does Mr. Hanks’ performance from argumentative, to despairing, then angry
until he reaches his breaking point.
No comments:
Post a Comment