Review:
Captain
Phillips is an intense and realistic-feeling thriller. The film is about the
true story of Captain Richard Phillips, the Captain of a U.S. cargo ship that
is taken hostage by Somali pirates.
Director Paul Greengrass is
known for his documentary-like directing style: shaky handheld camera work,
gritty realistic feel, natural lighting, and naturalistic acting. His style is
again employed to great effect in Captain Phillips. If nothing else, the film
feels very realistic (with really only Tom Hanks’s presence
separating it from feeling like a documentary – seeing Tom Hanks, a huge movie
star, almost takes the audience out of it, but thankfully Hanks is quite good
in the film).
The camera is constantly right in
the mix of the action, giving the audience the impression that they are right
there with Phillips, a hostage themselves. And to this degree, Greengrass
builds up a fair amount of tension that feels unrelenting. The audience is
never given a chance to really breathe. Every time it seems like things will be
alright, the stakes are only ratcheted up to a higher rung. Greengrass does not
provide a release until the credits role. This is quite a feat for a film in
which the audience knows how it ends coming in. And yet, it also in a way works
against the narrative’s overall pacing. While Greengrass has created a perfect
tone and look for the film, the perpetual stress that the audience feels for
the second two acts is almost too much and even feels a bit tedious. Audiences need
moments of release throughout, typically, for a thriller to maintain its hold
for an entire narrative.
The issue here with Captain
Phillips is that there simply is not enough time. There film’s runtime is already
134 minutes, which leaves almost no time for lighter moments to juxtapose the
tense moments against. Basically, the film is structured primarily just to tell
the story of the pirates taking the ship and the immediate aftermath and
resolution. The film does not have much character development or the time to
create a fuller feeling narrative.
The lack of character development
does not seem like a big issue in the moment, because Greengrass keeps things
moving and the tension high. The audience is essentially on the edge of their
seats from the time the pirates board the ship until the end, but not because
they are invested in the characters rather it is the aesthetic style that has
pulled them in. However, aside from the audience’s interest in seeing the
narrative resolved, there is not much else to keep them interested in the film
besides seeing the ploy resolved.
Phillips is not really developed
much more than being a typical ship Captain who worked hard to get where he is,
worries about his kids, and takes his duties seriously. Even more grievous, though,
is the lack of development of the pirates. Greengrass shows the audience that
they live in squalor with warlords forcing them to work, but it all feels
superficial. He just does not have the time to really dig into what drives
these men. The audience never really cares about these men, even though there
are greater forces seemingly extorting them, causing them to choose this life
(left with no other option). They are very interesting characters, but the
audience is not really given much, and the film even seems to simply vilify them
(when that just feels like too easy an answer, despite its attempts to show the
story from both sides). Thus, Phillips is left as the only hero, but without
much development, it is up to Hanks’s performance and charisma to draw the
audience to his side (and he is up to the task). It feels like Greengrass
wanted there to be an interesting dichotomy between the opposing sides, each
with their valid motivations for why they do what they do, he just did not have
enough time or could not structure the main drama efficiently enough to fit it
all in.
In many ways, Captain Phillips is
a film that works in much the same way as Zero
Dark Thirty, but it succeeds to a much lesser degree because unlike Zero
Dark Thirty, the film never quite creates a powerful and compelling lead
character (which I almost think should have just been Muse, as his dramatic arc
is far more compelling). Plus, the story, while interesting, just does not have
the same initial grab as Zero Dark Thirty’s narrative, thus character
development is even more vital and thusly missed to a greater extent.
However, despite its faults,
Captain Phillips is still undoubtedly a strong thriller (especially on its
initial viewing). Greengrass pulls the audience in with his brand of gritty
realism and then just lets the suspense mount and mount.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: Paul Greengrass changed the way
Hollywood makes action thrillers with the aesthetic style with which he shot
his Bourne
films. However, he is maybe even a better filmmaker when recreating true
stories as dramatic features. Bloody Sunday
and United 93
are probably his strongest films, and Captain Phillips is very much in the same
vein. It is too bad that he could not have included more character moments (as I
think the film could have been incredible).
Henry Jackman
combines industrial and tribal influences to create a fantastic score that
complements the drama and tension within Captain Phillips. It also does a good
job setting the tone for the film. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd is
a frequent collaborator with Greengrass (having shot United 93 and Green
Zone). Their work together really perfects Greengrass’s aesthetic shooting
style on this film. Many have complained that Greengrass’s camera often feels
overly shaky (seemingly for no reason), but here everything comes together to
create a genuine feeling of realism. Again, the audience feels like they are
right in the middle of the action. Paul Kirby’s
production design compliments this realism as well. His sets and design look and
feel very authentic.
The cast, mostly made up on
unknown actors, feels honest – in many cases the performances feel as if they
are being done by people who do these jobs in real life. Francine Maisler’s
casting is phenomenal, especially in her finding the actors playing the four
main Somali pirates. Catherine Keener
plays Phillips’s wife, but I assume her role was initially much larger as she
appears in what is essentially a cameo in the first act without really anything
to do. Michael
Chernus, Mahat
M Ali, Faysal
Ahmed, and Barkhad
Abdirahman are all good in smaller supporting roles. Barkhad Abdi
really emerges as a potential breakout star with his performance as Muse.
Despite his small stature, he comes across as being very intimidating, and he
is able to convey the pain and deeper struggle that he is experiencing as he is
trying to lead his men to a good result (aka them garnering money for their
hostages). Tom Hanks is also very good in the film. He has just enough charisma
to get the audience on his side (plus, he is the innocent party). His fear
feels genuine which translates to the audience, making the tension all the more
palpable.
Summary
& score: Captain Phillips succeeds as a good thriller because of
director Paul Greengrass’s aesthetic style. It is a gripping narrative film
that feels real. 7/10
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