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
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