Cinema Feed #18: Captain Philips (2013)

Trailer:

Based on the memoirs of Captain Richard Philips's A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. Captain Philips is a refined directorial piece from Paul Greengrass that chronicles the MV Maeserk Alabama hijacking incident in 2009. The story begins with an ordinary day where Captain Richard Philips (starring Tom Hanks) sets off for a sailing assignment from the port of Salalah, Oman, to Mombassa. This unarmed merchant vessel later encountered a pirate attack from a pirate head named Muse (starring Barkhad Abadi), and three of his fellow crew when passing through the Horn of Africa.

In my opinion, the film draws its definition of survival in two ways. On the surface, it's a portrayal of a man fighting for his survival during the five toughest days of his life. As the film goes on, it unveils a much complex perspective from these pirates. They reflect these melancholic lives who have been restrained with no other options, except to be exploited. As a result, their survival instinct forced them to be involved in illegal activities that would gradually consume their soul. From my past working experiences in Africa and the contents that have been depicted in this film, the America Dream seems to be the only vital source of hope they can cling onto to live in that injustice world.

To achieve a realistic presentation, Captain Philips relies on the application of unstable shooting techniques and the unpretentious performance from Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abadi. Being one of the reputable actors in our era, Tom Hanks is impeccable in his precise performance that allows us to experience the gradual psychological pressure that the character is facing. During the final twenty minutes, his emotional eruption is comparable to an outbursting pressure pot. It is so powerful and almost unbelievable.

In spite of his first time acting, Barkhad Abadi's performance as the pirate head, Muse is guaranteed impressive. He has naturally voiced out the impotent state of these unfortunate ones during most of the conversations he had with Captain Philips. Especially when he helplessly replied, "Maybe in America, Irish, maybe in America', it was extremely depressing and you just can't help but to sympathise with this obscure antagonist at the end of the story.

It's usually a habit for me to share the soundtrack playlist at the end of the feed. This time however, I won't be able to end it without specifically pinpointing this brilliant piece by Henry Jackman. It's one of the core attributes that engages you thoroughly through the 120-minute duration. Have a happy weekend!