Saturday 19 October 2013

REVIEW - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS


One is never truly at rest in a Paul Greengrass film. There are moments of relative calm, but each and all are defined, propelled by a sense of motion. We're been driven, ever onward, ever faster, ever deeper, until the pressure reaches such force that it feels like it's going to rip the film apart. But then, that'll never be the case so long as the Navy SEALs get involved... In this straightforward true story thriller, which aims to be breathtaking but winds up more breathless, Greengrass has encountered another tale worthy of the awesome and meticulous craft that he and editor Christopher Rouse can apply to it, and they do so with a brio that makes up for the lack of innovation in their style. The requisite ratcheting-up of the tension is handled with enormous aplomb, and indeed ease, due to Greengrass' impeccable feel for location and space, and for movement and speed. Though somewhat self-consciously so, Captain Phillips is full of striking, memorable images, and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does typically fine work in aiding Greengrass in depicting these spaces and creating these images, without excessive visual hyperbole. It's up to this trustworthy team to elevate the creaky screenplay, which presents dispiritingly narrow characterisation and video-game dialogue and seems to expect to get away with it - Billy Ray is too florid a writer to know quite how to script what is, essentially, a high-octane action thriller with any credibility. His shoddy work and a sometimes naff, invasive (and shockingly derivative) score from Henry Jackman (another mark against his name) depreciate an otherwise solid film with a magnetic performance from Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips.

3 comments:

  1. Good. Nice review. And Tom Hanks is being hailed everywhere and now at SOS, great. Its so good to hear Hanks getting back into swings of things. Is he gonna be among the ones on the nominations day?
    Its still not clear, right? Don't think there's room for all three old-sports - Dern, Redford and Hanks. All have got the critical word behind 'em. Hanks may be passed onto Saving Mr Banks, if the word on the movie is as good as they say, the word from god knows where. Noting have seen makes me want to get excited.

    And was Captain Phillips on your LFF roster? Since you've not seen Strange Color of your Body's Tears, reckon you haven't yet left London. Anyway glad to read your word on it.

    And hoping you've recovered to your sound being. Best wishes.

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    Replies
    1. Yeh, the tonsillitis was only brief last week, and I only suspected it was making a return for one day this week - it's subsided again. It was never too bad anyway. Thanks for your concern though!

      I leave London on Monday morning, so I've one more film tonight then two tomorrow. Captain Phillips was never on my slate, since all the Captain Phillips screenings in LFF were prior to my arrival in London. Sure it's on theatrical release now anyway so I've seen it before LFF's even over!

      I completely expect Tom Hanks to be Oscar nominated for this. It's one of the surest bets we have atm, I think. He possibly has a stronger shot at a nom for this than Saving Mr. Banks, even though this will be in a tougher category and for a film that may have more limited Oscar potential. But he's very good. I wonder what'll become of the Best Actor race now. A lot of seeming sure bets right now. That'll have to thin out at some point. But I can't see Tom Hanks going down. Not Tom Hanks and not this year.

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    2. Great. Thanks for the inputs.

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