Captain Phillips (Greengrass, 2013)

It's a wonder superhero movies are so prevalent in today's market, as there are so many real-life heroes gaining recognition on the silver screen. Hollywood is now sort of in a habit of plucking stories straight from the headlines and plopping them in theaters across the nation (see Mark Boal's superb adaptation of the bin Laden hunt in Zero Dark Thirty, or Chris Terrio's work on Argo). The latest of adaptation of a news event is the harrowing true story of Captain Richard Phillips, who was kidnapped by Somalian pirates in 2009. The result is a fittingly heroic character study that does justice to the real-life event.

Captain Phillips, from The Bourne Ultimatum's director Paul Greengrass, is a fast-paced, claustrophobic thriller meticulously shot with crisp camerawork and inspired direction. Tom Hanks stars as the titular character, in what is probably his best performance since 2000's Cast Away. His wonderful performance will undoubtedly earn him his first Oscar nomination in over decade, and quite possibly makes him a frontrunner to win Best Actor- an award he hasn't won since Forrest Gump in 1994.

For those who do not remember the event, Captain Richard Phillips was the commander of a United States cargo ship called the Maersk Alabama. It was shipping supplies to various spots in Africa, when all of a sudden two skiffs showed up on the vessel's radar. These skiffs were controlled by Somalian pirates, who subsequently attacked the cargo ship. After failing to keep them off the ship, the Maersk Alabama crew plays cat-and-mouse with the pirates, while Captain Phillips tries to keep the Somalians from finding his shipmates. His solution to the problem puts his own life in grave danger, and the U.S. Navy has to rescue him before a very short time window runs out.

While many directors avoid or have no success with handheld "shaky cams", Paul Greengrass wields them like a journalist- he captures the emotion and tightness of the situation with unstable cinematography and controlled direction. Every pan, tilt, and movement is inspired by the feelings of the characters in the frame. Scenes with just Captain Phillips seem very experienced, slow, and wise; scenes in Somalia are jarringly shot with several quick cuts in succession. It's the mastery of the cinematographic craft by a true artist.

Tom Hanks demonstrates every emotion as Captain Phillips, from the uncomfortableness at the beginning, to the nervousness during the initial assault, and cumulating in the terrifying shock during the last ten minutes. He can only flex his acting muscles so much, however, as the film only deals with the event itself, and nothing before or after. Hanks outshines the rest of his co-stars, but Barkhad Abdi holds his own as the villain Muse. Abdi makes the pirate seem almost sympathetic at times, right before doing something brutal or drastic to any that stand in his way.

The screenplay is cleverly written, and in combination with the editing, makes for one thrilling adventure. Though a meatier part of the story could have come from the before and after of the situation, Greengrass still handles the material nicely. It just would have been nice to see some "movie exclusive" story elements not featured in the news, either from Phillip's book or personal testimonials.

Captain Phillips is likely to become Oscar bait come March, much like other recent real-world narratives. Tom Hanks, one of contemporary cinema's greatest actors, is certainly overdue for Academy recognition. His award would also be for Captain Phillips himself, one the greatest American heroes of the past decade. No, not just a real-world hero- a real-world superhero.

Four and a half out of five stars.