T
he choice to go with an unknown group of Somali actors was not only the right
choice, but also the best decision. Although
Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia,"
"Forrest Gump") is excellent as Richard Phillips, captain of the
he Maersk Alabama, a commercial shipping vessel, but it is the actor Barkhad
Abdi as the Somali pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse who brings this story to life. He is called Muse, pronounced Musi, and he is
of unknown age. Both of these actors are
excellent in the portrayal of two men from different cultures trying to survive
in today's rapidly changing world. "Captain Phillips" is a two
hour and fourteen minute intricate and mesmerizing thrill ride into the minds
of third world pirates.
T
here
is no need to have the tag line cry out that this film is "based on true
events." This is
a story that played out on the national news in April of 2009. Although,
there are probably some aspects of the story which may not have happened
exactly as depicted, or were changed to make the story more entertaining, we
must remember that director Paul Greengrass ("The
Bourne Supremacy", "The Bourne Ultimatum," "The Green
Zone"), and the actors Tom Hanks, and Barkhad Abdi, can only give us a
small glimpse into the terror of the three days that Captain Richard Phillips
was held as a hostage starting on April 8, 2009. The screenplay is based on the book by
Richard Phillips titled "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and
Dangerous Days at Sea." Screenwriter Billy Ray ("The Hunger
Games", "Flightplan"), adapts Richard's book for the big screen
with all the fact and fiction that make seeing these types of films worthwhile.
I
n
2009, the United States’ great economic recession had just reached its lowest
point that March. In 2009 Richard
Phillips was 53 years-old, a husband to his wife, Andrea, father of two
children, Mariah and Daniel, and was a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime
Academy. Phillips is assigned to captain
the American registered MV Maersk Alabama and is responsible for the lives of
20 men. While checking his email,
Richard Phillips double checks his assignment to the Alabama, he checks that he
has his passport, and he packs a picture of his family. On the way to the airport, he discusses his
fears for his family in a world that is changing way too quickly. He worries that his son needs to finds a
direction in life, that if he doesn't do well in school, that he will miss job
opportunities. While in Somalia, Muse
(Barkhad Abdi) awakes to the local warlord driving into his village, causing
fear as he rallies the fishermen to get off their asses and go seize some ships
and do some legit pirating. The kicker here
is that this is not a Disney film that these pirates are real and people will
die.
“It
is only business. Nobody will get hurt”
T
he
contrast that director Greengrass sets down immediately is that while Phillips
has a job, and looks forward for his children's future, Muse and his village
just want to survive the day. What we
see, is that the villagers must find a way to pay for the privilege to go
pirating. One of the many items offered
up is Khat, a plant that is ancient and indigenous to the area. The plant tends to act as a stimulant, causes
a sense of euphoria and a loss of appetite. Early on, we see that Muse
has a rival in his village who is in charge of one of the two skiffs that hunt
the waters for ships to loot. Within the
first 40 minutes of the film, we see that life in Somali is a dog-eat-dog world
and only the desperate and ruthless survive.
Muse picks three of his fellow villagers to go in his skiff, Bilal
(Barkhad Abdirahman), the young Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), and the angry and reckless
Najee (Faysal Ahmed). All four of these
actors give excellent performances that seem to stem from a sense of brutal
anger.
I
mmediately
upon boarding the Maersk Alabama in a port in Oman, Phillips takes note of
security issues and has the first officer Shane Murphy (Michael Chernus), order
the crew to fix them. There are only 20
men crewing the 17000 + ton, football-field sized, cargo ship. The film portrays Phillips as a firm but
understanding leader as he drills the boat in security measures on apparently
its first day at sea. Timing of events in films has a tendency to either
compress or stretch at the whim of the screenwriter. The actual details in the film may also be
small figments of the screenwriter's imagination; however, it seems that the
big details are there.
"We have come too far to turn back
now."
F
rom
the moment the four men stepped onto the bridge, the level of tension that
director Paul Greengrass has been building up slowly, now suddenly goes into
overdrive. The twenty minutes that the
pirates are on the cargo ship only serve as a foreshadowing of the intensity
that is to come later. Phillips is kept
as a hostage when the pirates escape in the small lifeboat, Greengrass ups the
ante by focusing on the eyes of the characters.
By doing this, we see and feel the emotions that rage in these actors. We can see Phillips thinking, planning,
plotting, and we can see his fear. In
Abdi, we see through his eyes a sense of hope within hopelessness. We see
a young man trying to find a way for him and his men to escape their fates. We see in Najee (Faysal Ahmed) a sense of
madness, impatience, frustration, and hate.
Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), the youngest, and wounded during the Alabama's
takeover, gives the impression of not only fear, and confusion. Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman) is the quietest of
the four.
W
hat
stood out for me was the intensity given off by both Hanks and Abdi. The interaction between the two is solid and
real. I have heard interviews with the
actual Richard Phillips and Hanks seems to have nailed his New England accent. The film has many subtitles as the four
pirates speak in Somali for our benefit, while the Phillips character is
clueless to what they are saying. For
me, the subtitles kept a sense of movie realism that we as the audience are
used to, and find annoying without. In
typical Greengrass style, he films the story in a semi-documentary style with
camera movement lending to the realism of the scene.
B
arry
Akroyd's cinematography is appropriate for this type of semi-documentary film. Subtle movements, to define the style, yet
nothing so vomit inducing. Christopher
Rouses editing paces the film perfectly, keeping us edging closer to the edge
of our seats at each turn of events. Moreover,
Henry Jack Mans score is precise, stirs the suspense, and subliminally creates
the sense of impending dread. Paul Green
grass pulls of a major coup in "Captain Phillips." His masterminding and the direction he leads
the crew and cast is dynamic, interesting, and almost perfect. He brings out the emotional tiredness, the
frustration and every now and then allows us to see a glimpse of hope.
"I know how to handle Americans."
"I know how to handle Americans."
A
lthough
the incidents leading to the end of the standoff are well known, Green grass
brings the characters and story to life in an interesting and entertaining ways. "Captain Phillips" is wonderful for
what it is, an entertain movie, done well, and gives the audience a sense of
national pride. However, like Ben
Affleck's "Argo," many will decry the film for its inaccuracies
in characterization, changes in details and the rest of the realities that rear
their ugly heads as thy do with all films adapted from novel. But that doesn't matter, "Captain
Phillips" is a must to go see.
Captain Phillips ~ Pirates Take Phillips Hostage
All images are courtesy of Sony/Columbia pictures
Related
Captain Phillips ~ They Are Not Here To Fish!Captain Phillips ~ Pirates Take Phillips Hostage
Movie Data
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, Thriller
Year: 2013
Staring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman
Director: Paul Greengrass
Producer(s): Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin
Writer: Billy Ray, Richard Phillips, Stephan Tatty
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 134 minutes
Release Date: 10/11/2013
All images are courtesy of Sony/Columbia pictures
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