Hanks stars as Phillips, a Massachusetts everyman whose career on the high
seas keeps him away from his wife (Catherine Keener) more than he'd like. That
combined with the obvious dangers of pirate attack weigh on his mind as he
gears up for another voyage on the massive Maersk Alabama, a supply vessel
providing goods and rations to a number of poor countries. In typical
Greengrass fashion, these quiet moments are presented in matter-of-fact
fashion, a calm before the incoming storm. Phillips knows the risks involved
with trekking around the dangerous Somali Gulf of Aden, and will run his capable
crew through security drills before launch, after an ominous warning about
heavy pirate activity in the area.
The storylines converge as the fragile pirate boats make their charge for
the hulking Alabama, and Phillips uses his wit to outsmart the attackers. But
all of his tricks don't change things in the end, and once Muse and his small
but ferocious team board, an intense battle of wills unfolds that will have you
on the edge of the seat. It’s no secret how this was all brought to a swift
conclusion, but those events on the ship are still a mystery to most and Greengrass
tenaciously chronicles them with his usual intensity. The tension in the air is
thick enough to cut with a knife as the pirates scour the vessel for Phillips'
missing crew, while the Captain is put through an emotional crash course of
fear and terror. The balance of power constantly shifting, a delicate respect
forms between Phillips and Muse. This is all supposed to be business, and they
are two men in the business of staying alive, which is about as personal as it
gets.
Phillips' story is a little underdeveloped, lacking the complexity and
aggression of his Somali captors. The script by Billy Ray presents a layered,
complicated backstory that presents them as more than just treasure-seeking
villains. It's strongly suggested that their fishing industry has been
decimated by the U.S. and other nations, leading to the poverty they wish to
escape. Emaciated and chewing on khat root to dull the pangs of hunger, we're
left to perceive them as wild-eyed animals backed into a corner. Thankfully,
Greengrass has a better handle on political commentary than he had on the
heavy-handed Green Zone. 
You'll be hearing the name Barkhad Abdi a lot in the coming weeks, perhaps
even more than Hanks. As Muse, he delivers an electric, incredibly authentic
performance that dominates every scene and could have him a dark horse Best
Supporting Actor candidate. His presence never fades even as Muse's power
becomes muted during the long stand-off. Hanks delivers a steady and
superb performance as Phillips, who for the bulk of the story maintains a sense
of internal control regardless of the dire circumstances. His eyes reflect the
true terror and panic tearing at him on the inside, only bubbling up to the
surface in a dramatic primal howl of anguish after the torturous ordeal has
concluded. 
The cinematography carries all of the kinetic handheld trademarks we've come
to expect from Greengrass, but it's considerably less harried as some of his
prior films. That probably has to do with the limited locales and
claustrophobic atmosphere of the situation, which calls for more attention to
body language and expression. The wind is let out of the film's sails a little
bit by the arrival of the Navy and a SEAL unit (led by Pacific Rim's
Max Martini) who don't really care if the situation ends up messy as long
as it avoids a political scandal. The bloody, abrupt, and very public way the
military handled the situation in reality causes the film to end a mostly
unsatisfying way, lacking the nuance that had been so carefully built up until
then. Comparing two similar films with different agendas is usually a fool's errand, but it's hard not to measure Captain Phillips by the extraordinarily high standard set by Dutch thriller, A Hijacking. The situations depicted are identical, and told in similar styles with an equal measure of passion, but Greengrass keeps a narrower focus whereas A Hijacking encompasses a much wider berth, folding in corporate ineptitude (imagine your boss negotiating your release) and personal tragedies. Captain Phillips could have presented a fuller, richer picture, but it's still a heart-rending, intimate look at desperate men forced into a drastic situation beyond their control.
