Captain Phillips 4K review by Bobby Blakey
Throughout his career Tom Hanks has delivered a diverse variety of performances and characters like no other. He easily swerves through genres like it is nothing fully immersing into every role. In 2013 he stepped onto the cargo ship for the action-drama Captain Phillips co-starring newcomer Barkhad Abdi from The Bourne franchise and News of the World director Paul Greengrass at the helm. Could this Academy Award nominated film hold up still today or will it fail to take the helm?
Captain Phillips follows the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. Based on a true story, the film focuses on the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips and the Somali pirate captain, Muse, who takes him hostage. The two men are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.
This was yet another great performance by Hanks that offers up plenty of tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the moment the pirates’ step on board. Abdi stepped onto the screen with force holding his own with Hanks with his simple line “I am the Captain now” becoming iconic. The two of them carry the film, bringing the tension and power struggle throughout the film right up until the very end. The film is great, but its their performances that step it up to something special.
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The story is simple but is so well handled visually outside of their performances that it feels bigger than it might have otherwise. The shots of the ship early on launching the hoses to keep the pirates away is all kinds of awesome and exciting, but once they are on board things get tense in the best way possible. It is the kind of film that brings all the elements of a great drama and well-done action flick while walking the lines as both. Every time it feels like we are heading toward a conclusion it changes course to keep it going.
By the time you are halfway through it they have just gotten started and already changed the game, leaving he ship into the small boat and changing the narrative of how things can play out. I love this film and was honestly worried it if would hold up after not seeing it for so long and knowing how it ends and thankfully still works to perfection.
In addition to the beautiful 4K transfer of the film this release offers up legacy features including commentary and a making of featurette. Grab your copy of Captain Phillips available now on limited edition 4K steelbook from Sony Home Entertainment.