Sony

PG 13 134 min

Many times I'm surprised by motion pictures when they fall short of my hopes and expectations while other times something I dreaded turns out to be a diamond in the rough. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, based on the actual events concerning the title character and the 2009 hijacking of the ship Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates and starring household name Tom Hanks was just about exactly what I'd assumed it would be.

I'm not a huge Tom Hanks fan but I think there are particular roles he does very well and that his everyman persona fits a lot of different situations. I do not, however, I think that he has a great deal of range or headroom as an actor even though many tend to fawn over everything he does. Still he is smart enough to avoid extremely taxing rolls, for the most part, and powerful enough to not have to take them. In this case, despite phasing in and out of a generic New England accent, he's been perfectly cast. Captain Richard Phillips is a regular guy and the producers were wise enough to avoid casting an action hero type.

We all remember the news when the ship was boarded by Somali pirates and the captain abducted in a lifeboat. We all know how that ordeal ended. (actually if you don't this should be even more fun.)

So the challenges are at least twofold. First to keep the story interesting even though most folks know how it ends and second how do you add enough background information to bring a one minute news story to life?

Director somebody and rider somebody else have done a nice job on both counts.

I had actually worried a bit about how this incident may have been handled politically keeping in mind Hanks very liberal views. Yes they did indeed human eyes the pirates but never to the point of making them heroes or monsters. These guys are no more and no less than starving desperate peasants, neither freedom fighters nor sociopaths.

Hanks himself plays the lead role perfectly as a normal man thrust into an unimaginable situation.

This is an impressive balancing act with top notch acting.

B

WSS