Year: 2013
Director: Paul Greengrass
Screenplay: Billy Ray
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Adbi, Faysal Ahmed
Synopsis is here
I’m still trying to figure out in my mind if Captain
Phillips is a stunning film all together, or if the films climax is so strong
that we forget that its first act feels quite plain. I considered the film that
helped make Greengrass such a viable director in America; United 93 and found
myself more engrossed with how that film looked at preparation and meditation. United
93 had a perfect balance of dread and procedural in its beginning, with its
quiet moments betraying the impending chaos. Here Greengrass tries a similar
thing but with less success to the tone. We see the films two captains going
through their routines, blissfully unaware of how both will place each other
through their paces. Phillips (an on form Hanks) and his wife (Catherine Keener
in a small cameo) debate their son’s future before he sets off for his long
haul. On the other side we find Adbuwali Muse (Adbi) lead a group of Somali pirates
towards Phillips ship in search of ransom.
Greengrass’ ace in the hole, much like United 93 and Green Zone,
is his ability to remind us that there are two sides to the story we’re watching.
The time we spend with the pirates is vital, as we witness just what survival means
to them. Unfortunately while the build up of character is needed for later on,
there’s a distinct lack of urgency and blandness towards proceedings I cannot
place my finger on. I can honestly say I can’t remember too much of the film
before the clash of cultures.
Once Muse and Phillips meet, the screws begin to tighten.
The idle chit chats and work grumblings that littered Phillips’ ship before are
exchanged for frightened glances and hushed tones. The Pirates invade the ship
both visually and orally. Their demands are yelled at a near unintelligible pitch
and tensions accelerate to their peak because of this alone. The fear of their
guns is obvious, but the combination of this along with the alien sound of
another language being screamed constantly brings a worry we don’t often think
about. Is someone demanding for you to do something or a commanding someone
else to shoot you? This maybe based on a true story and yet I still found myself
gripping my chair arms until my knuckles went white. I feel now it’s important
for you to look at my profile picture as you will then realise the extremity of
the tension.
From that moment on, Greengrass’ powerful use of space takes
hold. We alternate from tight claustrophobic close ups of desperate faces
before switching to vast landscape views which show a lifeboat as a mere pin
prick on an endless sea. Like Gravity; power of Captain Phillips comes from
just how powerless the protagonists are rendered. Both films are also superb at using tech to
shove us within their characters headspaces. Twenty years ago, this film would
seem an even more arduous task to comprehend. The work of Greengrass’ crew is
overwhelmingly intricate, that I’m not surprised that more nauseous viewers
avoided it due to seasickness. It’s that seamless.
The cast are equally unerring with Barkhad Adbi and Faysal
Ahmed keeping up with the ever dutiful Hanks at every step. It’s important to
remember that these are first-time performers and their ability to show the
right amount of intensity and humanity should be well noted. We should not
enjoy their acts, but the displays shown by the actors create an empathy that
is difficult to attain.
Like all filmed true stories, Captain Phillips clearly takes
liberties. It’s amusing to see that Phillips does the same walkie talkie move I
witnessed two days after when I watched Harrison Ford in Air Force One (if that was actaully done was it life imitating art?). It’s also clear that the pirates run under
certain archetypes. We have The Captain, the Kid, and the hot head all on show
so it’s fair to say that there is a certain poetic licence in play. Yet while it’s based on true events, we’re
supposed to gain the feel of what it’s like and not a full documentation. There
are places to gain “more truth” I came for the film. And this is what
Greengrass brings after a rather mundane beginning.
I watched this on the opening weekend of Catching Fire and the film has already seemingly dropped out of critical discourse, as is the
way of many movies these days. Would people still be writing about Phillips if
the beginning was stronger, or is this how we treat all films these days? That
seems a shame if it’s the latter as Greengrass’ final stunning moments hit
harder than many others films complete running times. That in itself is worth
talking about alone.
