Pirates of the Indian Ocean

Somali piracy on the high seas is the hot-button topic in Paul Greengrass’s newest thriller, ‘Captain Phillips,’ a reenactment of the 2009 hijacking of the American container ship “Maersk Alabama” off the coast of Somalia.  Best known for directing two of the three Jason Bourne movies, the former journalist has established himself as the ‘go to’ helmer for gritty real-life dramatizations with movies like ’Bloody Sunday,’ ‘United 93’ and ‘Green Zone.’
 

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks gives another fine performance as Captain  Jack Sparrow   Richard Phillips, the titular hero of this movie.  While many of his former crew accused him of being insufferable (that‘s politely calling him a jackass boss by the way), prone to take unnecessary risks to the point of being reckless and disregarding their legitimate concerns of navigating too close to the Somali coast, his harrowing ordeal while being kidnapped at gunpoint on a cramped orange rescue boat cannot be denied. 
 

‘Captain Phillips’ is a thriller that feels genuine, authentic and believable, yet this also turned out to be its greatest weakness because, although there are brief moments of tension-filled suspense, this rote, by-the-numbers dramatization ultimately proved to be a bore.  Fact is, the four Somali pirates who boarded 'Maersk Alabama' never stood a chance, even when they thought they held all the cards.  ‘Muse,’ the famished, skeletal leader of the hapless pirates simply because he spoke some broken English and played admirably by Barkhad Abdi, tries vainly to project an air of menace and assert his authority by declaring “I am the captain now,” but the calm demeanor and poise of Tom Hank’s Phillips left absolutely no doubt as to who’s really in charge.  Even before the US Navy and SEALS arrived, by which point it became the equivalent of the proverbial cat playing with the mouse before having his dinner, the sheer desperation and bickering of the pirates made it clear that they overplayed their hand but were in denial and refused to accept that the jig is up.  Why didn't they just take the 30 grand and called it a day?
 

Grade: B