Captain Phillips- Tense Filmmaking Ahoy!

The premise is nothing new. We have seen it all before- an idealistic, instantly likeable protagonist finds himself- or herself- in a situation fraught with danger and dread in which he or she has to survive against all odds. Add a slightly sentimental touch to the climax and you have done the job. But while many-a-filmmaker- from Alfred Hitchcock to Andrew Davis- has done the same job again and again, you need to remember that with Paul Greengrass, the man who revitalized the action genre with the two solid ‘Bourne’ outings, it is anything but Hollywood formula.

Because ‘Captain Phillips’- a sweltering account of the true-life freighter hijack by Somalian pirates some time back ago- is more than just Hollywood’s clichéd take on a real-life hostage situation- what it has is smartly crafted, brittle action and peril, a solid, pacey plot and enough intelligent characterization to satiate all our hunger for real thrills and chills.

Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) ships out for a mission on the massive freighter Maersk Alabama and halfway through the seemingly routine journey, moments after receiving an alert about sea piracy, is plunged into a deadly game of cat and mouse. It is barely 15 minutes into the film and Greengrass, that typically competent action master, tugs us into the scenario, building up a storm of cold sweat and choppy sea spray. This is a film that cuts us loose from every bit of assurance or safety- it plunges the action right on our face.

Tension seethes throughout and matters are made even more sudorific as Phillips is eventually hauled up at gunpoint by the pirates, led by their de facto leader- the opportunistic, wily and utterly determined Muse (Barkhad Abdi). And it is from this heart-stopping confrontation where Greengrass pulls out all the stops and what unfolds is thriller-filmmaking bordering on masterpiece territory.

Greengrass has always been a master of solid action sequences, sequences that pull you by your collar and cram you into claustrophobic situations and ‘Captain Phillips’ is no different. Authenticity reeks throughout the super-charged sequences of move and countermove- from the early splashing chases through the sea waters to the edge-of-the-seat tension on board the ship. And later, when the film heads into more murky water, the tension and excitement mingled with dread and paranoia never really dip.

But what powers this gritty actioner is how Greengrass keeps the characterization and screenplay intact without letting down on the speed, energy and dramatic thrust. This is a film which is not afraid of conversations- both heated and introspective- as an increasingly jittery Phillips tries to negotiate with Muse, while the others- from the desperate crew members to the slick SEAL troops and to Muse’s fellow agitated comrades- make their own silent and nifty moves.

Writer Billy Ray delves an expert-like precision into the proceedings and capitalizes mostly on the verbal sparring between the two unlikely captains- Muse calls Phillips as ‘Irish’ with a sneer of confidence while Phillips tries to probe for chinks in his armor, trying his best to reason with a fellow captain who is wise yet embittered, essentially a torn apart soul. Abdi gives it his all and this is indeed a startlingly effective performance- coming from one who is acting for the first time. Despair shows up in his eyes, in his heated actions while he is wily enough to stick to his own position as a captain with honor. And towards the grilling finale, the seams begin to show and it is here that Abdi shows his real edges- his vulnerability in muttering a simple sentence ‘I have come too far, I cannot give up.’ Priceless.

Greengrass of course is the real captain of this tight ship. His approach is now endowed with enough emotional balance; he finely contrasts high-stakes peril with enough emotional heft and yet knows precisely how not to make it sentimental. Phillips is an every-guy- we feel a natural sympathy towards him but our sympathies also lie with Muse, our anger directed towards the world that makes people as desperate and ruthless as Muse. Greengrass smartly keeps politics out of the scenario and adroitly avoids stereotypes. 

Barry Ackroyd’s urgent, crackling cinematography perfectly captures the contrast between the two men and their lives- early on, the insulating, comforting greys of Phillips’ Vermont abode with the scorching, blazing heat and dust of Somalia and Muse’s makeshift shelter. Greengrass uses the contrast to full effect to draw up superb parallels- Muse’s attempt at capturing leadership prior to the raid is perfectly held up against Phillip’s democratic attempts to keep his panicking team intact in the face of danger.

It is up to Tom Hanks to play Phillips out, complete with the every-guy essence of the person and to be true, it is clearly a challenging performance. Stripped of his usual comic charisma, Hanks is in a completely different light here. And yet, he lives up to the challenge completely. He is calm throughout but beneath the surface there lies an emotionally tortured soul, one which springs out in a shattering climax- in which he breaks down into a mess of disorientation, shock and dread. It is a moment that confirms quiet why Hanks is one of the finest actors around here.

And Greengrass pulls it off with terrific flair. It is a moment of truth for us all- a moment where we expect release from the grip of tension that precedes it. But Greengrass wants us to remember- he wants the tumultuous events, their hidden causes and dramatic effects to linger. ‘Captain Phillips’ does not just thrill you. It sobers you to silence.

My Rating- 5 Stars

American Hustle- Worth Being Conned For!

David O. Russell's 'American Hustle' begins with a wordless moment of sheer brilliance.
In a room in Plaza Hotel, a paunchy and bald-pated Irving Rosenfield (Christian Bale) is seen dressing up...his hair. He first combs out a strand, then takes a toupe and applies some glue on his bald pate and then applies the wig with heartbreakingly meticulous care. The entire sequence takes merely a minute or so but Russell and Bale do not shy away from the stark, obsessive precision of the procedure- for that is how Rosenfield, a skilled con artist, would want his life to be; both actor and director lay down the groundwork for the elaborate deception that follows.

And therein lies the wonderful revelation of a film as obsessed with style, sensuality and quirk as 'American Hustle'- that this is a story in which people put on masks to become different people, to hide their messed up selves and their inner demons, simply to survive. And while this is as brazen and breezy as a really good caper can be, the genius of 'American Hustle' lies in occasions in which these secret lives come out open to create a glorious mess.
Indeed, a mess but this is the kind of a messy meal that nevertheless sharp to taste and lip-smackingly, ingeniously delicious.

Russel and co-writer Eric Warren Singer take quite some time to linger on each of the lovable pretenders at the helm of things, much at the risk of plot and tension. But it is wholly welcome as long as each one of them delivers the fireworks of romance, intrigue and wiseass humor in huge dollops. 

And that is why 'American Hustle' is one hell of a caper.

Rosenfield is a self-made man, a con artist who 'would not get taken' the same way as his glass-selling father and he meets his match when he encounters the sensuous and gold-digging Sydney (Amy Adams), a girl who smoothly moves from a stripper to a mundane job in 'Cosmopolitan' and whose infatuation with glamorous attire further leads him to love Rosenfield as well. Both know each other's true selves which further puts them together even as Rosenfield's devious and divorce-averse wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) refuses to relent.
The rest is something that goes against Rosenfield and Sydney's plans- curly-maned Federal bloodhound Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) manipulates our happy couple into a crazy plot to entrap the top brass of New Jersey's politicos in a real estate development scam. And from then on unfolds a wicked game that is both a wild, swinging party and a nail-biting game of chess with every player making move and counter move.

Obsessed as it is with a cast of charisma-flaunting characters, Russell's film comes off as a strikingly realistic character study, which is quite an accomplishment given the sumptuous aesthetic lavished on the film. Russell has always been a master of visual style- from the scratchy, bleached out war-torn visuals of 'Three Kings' to the ducking-and-diving fast shots of 'The Fighter' and this film's authentically preserved milleu gives him plenty of opportunity to use style to the maximum. Along with lesnman Linus Candgren channels his inner Scorsese and Altman but all of the style is put to amazing use- never a shot feels indulgent but extremely well used to capture the quirk that flows out of the script and the romance that blooms between its characters. This is an energetic film- a film which rumbles and races even as its plot slows down and all of its blazing visual brilliance just shows how Russell has now mastered balance as a director.

But this is also a film in which laughs and tears come in equal measure and 'American Hustle' seamlessly shifts gears from the actual scam (loosely based on the Abscam operations) to the sexual fireworks and verbose repartee that unfolds between the leads. Together with hilariously written dialogues and pitch-perfect characterization, Russell and Singer craft an oddball comedy, a farce of epic proportions, a comedy of manners and a heartbreakingly hilarious romantic comedy all rolled into one. And as the masks come down one by one, this is where the drama ratchets up.

While slightly indulgent, Russell's focus on his main players mostly pays off because he endows his flash and dash with welcome nuance and heartfelt emotion. The film revels in the detailing that emerges from the characters- Rosalyn and a fellow upper-class housewife discuss nail polish scents which would seduce their respective men, while Irving's supposed mark, the want-to-do-good Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) enters unwittingly into a warm friendship with the very man who is about to con him. Sydney, trying to put on more than just a single disguise, struggles with her feelings while DiMaso's high-strung, nervy actions are propelled by his personal demons, demons which he hides away. It is only Rosalyn who emerges as the real revelation in the film.

It is undeniably stylish, pacy and thrillingly sensational and sexy but Russell also has a gift for subtlety and it is the self-assured, slick way in which he mixes suspense, romance, humor and drama in a cocktail that gives you a high which lasts long. Russell's flair for quirk and humor is now in top form with the cleverly flowing humor gaining a welcome satirical tinge- such that the mirth comes off as intelligent and yet chuckle-inducing. And the way he blends music with stylistic imagery and split-second editing is perhaps a sign of his emerging brilliance as a major filmmaker.

And finally, there is his ultimate triumph- the superb cast of 'American Hustle' who further take this con-game and make us willingly fall prey to it. Amy Adams is utterly delightful and exceptionally seductive as Sydney- a woman who emerges as vulnerably tender yet slyly clever in turns and twists. In a particularly emotionally raw scene, she filches from simmering sensuality to lingeringly painful and she nails it with a full-throated scream to match the loud music in the background. Terrific.

Yet, magnetic as she looks with her strategically revealing dresses, she is no match for the dynamite that is Jennifer Lawrence. Her Rosalyn is mostly kept aside from most of the center stage action but she is still an explosive character, a ticking time bomb who is never predictable. Lawrence might look a tad young for the role but her essence more than compensates. Not only does she deliver some of the finest, most crackling scenes and lines with blistering confidence and aggression but she also emerges as the most poignant character in the film. It is a masterclass performance.

Bradley Cooper is slightly disappointing as the constantly tense DiMaso. He does some comic, standalone scenes very well indeed and in a priceless scene with curlers in his head, he shows off his nasty edge without fear, even when he is pitted against his own boss. But the overall impression is slightly overwhelming, given the solid competition around him. And somehow, he feels like the douche bag he is intended to be.

Jeremy Renner, in contrast, is a true surprise as the firm yet warm-hearted and generous Mayor Carmine, carrying off his Joe Pesci-inspired hairdo with elan and delivering a memorably lovable character worth rooting for.

Yet, no one hits the mark quite as Christian Bale as the film's leading man and the closest that the film has to a hero. Right from that unforgettable opening sequence to his flirtatious banter with Adams' Sydney and from the intense stares from inside his glares to the De Niro-style dialogue delivery, right down to the despair with which he tries to sort out his life's mess, it is such a marvelous performance that has the 70s written all over it and the talented actor captures acid, anguish and anxiety all in a stunning act. Then, there is the man himself- De Niro showing up himself in the film's most tense scene as a sinister gangster who sizes up the crowd around him.

'American Hustle' feels like a lavish meal served on a gala occasion. It is served extremely in deceptive fashion so that we willingly dig in into its indulgence. And yet, as we find ourselves tasting it deeply, there is much to admire at the nuances and clever ingredients that Russell and his cast bring into the meal. And then you feel that it was worth being conned for.

My Rating- 4 and a half stars out of 5