Breathtakingly harrowing, impossibly tense, white-knuckled, tremendous….in our New York Film Festival review of “Captain Phillips,” we certainly weren’t short of the superlatives for the latest thriller from Paul Greengrass. After some taut trailers the first real clip from the movie has arrived to back up some of what we’ve been saying about this one.
Tom Hanks lead the cast as Captain Phillips himself, overseeing the crew and cargo of the Maersk Alabama when it gets overrun by Somali pirates. What happens next is nothing short of a grip-the-armrest picture as the desperate Hanks has to figure his way out of a situation with an equally desperate adversary. And in the scenes below, we witness his clear leadership from the start, when it becomes clear his vessel is about to be boarded by some aggressive individuals who don’t exactly have an invitation. Also note the excellent score by John Powell.
“Captain Phillips” opens on October 11th. Watch below.
As a ship's captain frequently trading in the Gulf of Aden area, I can vouch for the authenticity of the maritime and piracy scenes. In many respects they are terrifyingly lifelike.
With the tragic recent events in Nairobi and East Africa over the last few days, the movie has become especially topical and relevant. For more intuitive background to this sad part of the world and the life of pirates and those seafarers working in the area, check out Amazon Books – 'The Megiddo Revenge' http://tinyurl.com/njdrna5