Captain Phillips

Down and Dirty: An edge-of-your seat nail biter that's long, but a good long.

Director: Paul Greengrass

Big Names: Tom Hanks

Big Surprises: Barkhad Abdi and Faysal Ahmed

I just got out of the theaters for this one so my emotions may still be running high... but wow... wow, wow, WOW. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you go to the movies.

I'm not saying it had high artistic value, and it probably won't win any awards, but once the excitement started it never stopped. Just because there wasn't any "deeper meaning" or thought provoking, enigmatic plot twists doesn't mean that this story was anything less than compelling. The fact that it actually happened is shocking enough, but even if it were a completely original work of fiction Captain Phillips would still be an outstanding film.

The movie progresses at the perfect pace. And, more importantly, it actually moves from one setting to another. This is not your stereotypical hostage film where all of it takes place in one room. As the story develops, the characters develop, and the camera man takes you directly to where you need to be. What I mean is, there is never a time when you're wondering "I wonder how [he/she/they] is doing," or "I wish they would get back to [character name here]'s part of the story, that part is my favorite." Simply put, this is the first 2 1/2 hour (+/-) movie that made me hold in my extra large soda all the way until the credits for a long time. I couldn't avoid the longing for what was going to happen next. There was simply never a time when I thought that I could leave for 3 minutes and not miss out on something important.

I cannot decide what is more impressive, the story or the acting. Because Tom Hanks is just as brilliant as always and the Somali pirate's were outstanding, to my pleasant surprise. I don't know how Hanks keeps doing it, but that man can act out any age, emotion, or cultural background that a human being could possibly have. He really knocked this one out of the park. His character reacted exactly how any of us would have. By the time the last few scenes began, it seemed like Hanks, or Captain Phillips, or Hanks... Ahhh he's so good they were one in the same!! He allowed me to forget he was acting, forget that I was in a theater, and not forget that my palms were sweaty.

Did I mention the pirates were phenomenal? Because the pirates were absolutely phenomenal.

I have to partly accredit this to the script. Thankfully, this film gave the pirates an equal spotlight and room on the center stage. It made them into sympathetic characters, one's that you couldn't help but to care for by mid-way through the film. Barkhad Abdi and Faysal Ahmed played two very different roles--Abdi was the brains of the crew and Ahmed was the heartless enforcer--which added to the realness of the role's in the film. They were individuals too. They had lives and families, reasons for stealing ships, and pasts that had affected their present personalities. You may not have liked that they were holding Tom Fucking Hanks hostage, but you understood why. And, most importantly, Abdi and Ahmed did an amazing job at bringing those characters to life.

If you read this far, then you'd know that I'm considering this one a must see. I am a big fan of suspenseful thriller movies though, so I must also warn that this is by no means a light hearted movie. It was, however, rated PG-13 because the actual violence and course language was not very prevalent. That does not by any means suggest that the content matter was less than serious and anxiety filled.