TWITVIEW: CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Tom Hanks at his best! Intense, edge of your seat story detailing Captain Richard Phillips being taken by Somali Pirates in April of 2009 as he protects the crew of his cargo ship. Grade -4 out of 5!

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Captain Phillips is an intense action at seas detailing the ordeals of Captain Richard Phillips as he was taken by Somali Pirates in April of 2009.  Paul Greengrass directed this movie off of a Billy Ray screenplay based on the novel A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Nave SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea which was written by the real Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty. I’m calling it already – OSCAR NOMINATION for Captain Phillips for Tom Hanks and the screenplay. Billy Ray makes us the audience feel as if we are watching the events and ordeals that Phillips went through as they happened – from his arrival on-board the Maersk Alabama to his being saved by the US Navy days later. Captain Phillips is an edge-of-your-seat look at how one man sacrifices himself to save his crew and his ship.

If you’re not familiar with the story or don’t remember what happened in 2009 the short of the story is that the Somalian Pirates (not to be confused with the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Pirates of the Caribbean) were hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia and holding the crew/Captains at ransom till their respective countries paid the ransom. The US Maritime Administration sent out communications to all cargo ships to be on the look out for pirates in the area. Since the crews of these ships are unarmed, Captain Phillips ran a team drill to get the ship ready in case of pirate attacks which meant knowing how to keep your keys hidden in case of capture (getting the keys can mean gaining control to cargo and all doors on-board the ship) but also getting the high-power hoses setup which are used to forcefully push the pirates away from the ship. On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates board the Alabama as it was bound for Mombasa. Phillips offers to give them $30,000 (as they kept asking for cash and talking about the large ransom money that would be paid) if the pirates would just leave the ship. After an intense standoff, Phillips is able to get the four pirates onto one of the Alabama’s lifeboats but the pirates take Phillips with them to hold onto until a larger ransom can be paid.

Prior to the boarding, Phillips had been able to get a call off to the US Navy about the hijacking situation about to take place. The Navy sends out the Bainbridge who’s captain, Commander Frank Castellano, setups up communication between the lifeboat and the pirates to ensure Captain Phillips’ safety. Along with the Bainbridge the Navy orders a team of Navy SEALs to assist with getting Phillips back from the pirates. And in what has to be one of the most “edge-of-your-seat” sequences I’ve ever seen, Captain Phillips will keep you glued to the screen waiting to see what happens next.

Tom Hanks is amazing as his portrayal of Captain Phillips. He really is one of today’s best actors and I believe he has a chance of getting an Oscar nomination for this one. He delivers a wide range of emotions on this one and really makes you feel for the anguish and ordeals that Captain Phillips went through. And for a movie that is two hours and fifteen minutes in length, it takes a strong actor to be able to not only carry the movie, but allow the audience to connect with what is happening in front of you. I have to say that so far in the Fall of 2013 this is one of the Best movies of the season but also one of the best movies of the year.