Captain Phillips

A superb dramatization and high-octane exhibition of filmmaking adrenaline that once again elevates pseudo-documentary realistic authenticity to a full-blown blockbuster experience. Although Greengrass goes about this unlike anyone from the numerous rows of his many "copy & paste" colleagues, it's a bit of a safe bet on his part, with the camera looking over his shoulder and whizzing between faces just long enough for you to know who he's thinking of. It's not boring at all, but it does last about fifteen minutes longer than audiences would like. Then it would be a fuller experience. And let's face it, when was the last time you saw a Navy SEALS presentation this short and impactful? PS: Hans Zimmer is thanked in the credits, but as the central motif unfolded, I kept subconsciously waiting for the black hood to appear. 4 ½. (09/09/2014)

It’s hard to praise this type of movie better than saying that the creators make it hard for the viewer even to catch their breath for all the suspense here. Despite the fact that they already know not only the result, but (probably) even how the action is going to pan out. The whole thing is underpinned by an unusually powerful final scene in the treatment room which is deserving of all the actors awards in existence. (12/11/2013)

Paul Greengrass simply knows how to push my buttons. He can make an absolutely awesome thriller on a contemporary theme in a way that makes me feel that I’m the one standing behind the camera instead of him. I mean normally I can’t stand a shaky camera, but he can employ such great editing that moves the whole thing to such levels of perfection that I can accept it without any problem whatsoever. I have accepted it so many times in the past and I accept it now too. And that’s not to mention the fact that the actors deliver some extra-ordinary performances. That includes Tom Hanks and the Somali pirates, who are simply on fire. I would never have thought that such a trivial idea could be squeezed into almost 140 minutes while making sure that not a single minute of it would be boring. And the rescue mission at the end? That was simply a pleasure to behold. A well-deserved five-star rating. It sure doesn’t happen every day that you’d watch a movie while bating your breath for more than two hours. (05/02/2014)

It’s fine to see Hanks acting again, even though in the second half he is more like an extra. Although this nerve-racking voyage loses tension a little in the slower, middle section, this is a minor flaw on an otherwise thrilling depiction of past events. This time Greengrass makes excellent use of the camera - shaky Somali vs. calm Yankee-Irish style. Wonderfully heated confrontations, the Somalis are great to a man and the movie is just dripping with authenticity. The finale where the US Navy arrive is a heavy-caliber military display (even my better half acknowledged the majestic beauty of the warships). Greengrass has certainly made more charged and even better movies, but it didn’t receive that stamp of humanity until Hanks got involved. If it weren’t for United 93, I would give it full marks. (26/11/2013)

If you are afraid that Greengrass' shaky camera and grainy image will be missing, be calm, it's here again and there's plenty of it. Moreover, no one can do an ad for the US Navy as sophisticatedly and inconspicuously as him. And Tom Hanks is also excellent. It doesn't have the momentum of United 93 (greater fatefulness) or the Bourne films (a more attractive, action-packed theme), but it's still an original film, full of gripping moments and excellently acted scenes. (07/12/2013)