Captain Phillips

The following review may contain spoilers.

I have to be honest, walking into this film I had very low expectations. It seemed to me to be another slow biopic but I am very glad to be completely wrong on that account. Captain Phillips was an easy 8/10 for me personally.

As far as story and pacing went it was flawless, constantly giving a gripping new angle to the story. It was unpredictable and wild and you were literally left sitting on the edge of your seat scene after scene. I think it's also important to note how real the situation felt, the genuine desperation and fear from these actors was so utterly convincing and immersive. I bought every minute of this film and truly loved the psychology and reality of this situation.

As far as acting went there are very few people you can credit as those that truly influenced this film had the majority of the dialogue. Tom hanks is a truly inspirational actor, this film might be one of his best roles yet. He played an incredible balance of stern leader, calm and collected hostage, a man who feared for his own life and his final scene where he's in complete shock is one of the best displays of acting this year. Likewise the men who played the Somalian pirates deserve special commendation as this film marks their major acting debut. And in all honesty the acting from these men trump that of some of the talent in Hollywood these days.

My only criticism of this film was the start, those brief ten minutes of deadpan delivery and dull pacing. A completely uninteresting tidbit of Phillips life in which he has a conversation with his wife about leaving for another boat job. The acting is boring and emotionless. I didn't believe Phillips was a family man even though this point seemed to be made later on in the film. This tired beginning was the only downside to an otherwise perfect film.