Captain Phillips, 2013.
Directed by Paul Greengrass.
Starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener, Michael Chernus, David Warshofsky, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Barkhad Abdirahaman, Faysal Ahmed, and Yul Vazquez.
SYNOPSIS:
Captain Phillips, a 2013 film directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, arrives on 4K Ultra HD in a SteelBook edition that also includes a Blu-ray and a code for a digital copy. No new extras were created, but the legacy bonus features do a good job of telling the story of a movie based on a harrowing ordeal at sea.
My appreciation for Tom Hanks goes back a long way. I remember watching Bosom Buddies on TV (a crappy little standard-def one, I’m sure) and seeing movies like Splash and Big in the theater. I even took in Mazes and Monsters, a made-for-TV movie that tied into the interest around Dungeons & Dragons during the 1980s (and, yes, needlessly sensationalized role-playing games).
Like Jimmy Stewart could do once up a time, Hanks can simply inhabit just about any role and become that person. Sure, you know it’s him playing that part, but the seeming ease with which he slips into a role is kind of magical. I guess he’s the movie equivalent of comfort food for me.
Which brings me to Captain Phillips, the 2013 movie directed by Paul Greengrass and based on the harrowing ordeal suffered by Captain Richard Phillips when the container vessel he was in charge of was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. The film starts shortly before the hijacking and takes the viewer through its conclusion.
Phillips and his crew have been trained to deal with pirates, and the ship, MV Maersk Alabama, is equipped with various features that allow the captain to successfully repel one attempt by armed Somalis. They return, however, and gain control of the ship from its unarmed crew, leading to a tense stand-off as they try to extract a ransom from the shipping company and the U.S. Navy attempts to stop them from getting back to Somalia.
The early part of the movie cuts between Captain Phillips and his crew and the Somalis, demonstrating the stark contrast in both groups’ lives. The Somalis are determined but not very well trained, which leads to conflicts among them as the hijacking stretches over a few days and they begin bickering with each other.
Of course, Captain Phillips and his crew are just as determined, and the captain in particular is willing to put his life on the line by getting into a lifeboat with three of the pirates as ransom negotiations continue. I assume you probably know how the story ends, but I won’t spoil it, just in case.
Greengrass was a great choice to direct this one, given the kind of handheld documentary style he used with the movie United 93. Captain Phillips isn’t quite in the same class of docudrama as United 93, but many of the most intense parts of the story are told here in a similar style.
As one of the bonus features reveals, Greengrass’s approach to directing the movie also helped it come across with a documentary feel. More on that in a moment.
Sony has issued Captain Phillips on 4K Ultra HD with an included Blu-ray that contains the movie and the legacy bonus features. The film looks great in 4K, with a crisp image and plenty of clear details. There are plenty of dimly lit scenes in this movie, and the 4K disc handles them well. (I’m not sure if the Blu-ray is the same one previously issued or if it uses the same transfer as the 4K disc.)
The only bonus feature found on the 4K Ultra HD disc, which is replicated on the Blu-ray, is a commentary track with Greengrass. He’s always an enjoyable listen when he does commentaries, and he doesn’t disappoint here, keeping the viewer engaged with all kinds of stories about the making of the movie.
The rest of the extras, consisting of three featurettes, are found on the Blu-ray platter; nothing new was created for this edition. Together, those featurettes comprise Capturing Captain Phillips, which has a total running time of close to an hour, so you’ll learn plenty about the movie by the end.
Embarkation (20:23) kicks off this making-off by grounding the viewer in the news stories that aired when the hijacking happened. Greengrass and the real Captain Phillips feature prominently here as they set the stage for what happened in real life. You’ll also learn about the real container ship obtained for shooting and how Greengrass applied elements of improvisation here and there to get more natural dialogue and reactions from the actors.
Full Ahead is the meat of this documentary, running nearly 25 minutes and getting deep into how the film was made out on the open ocean, which, as Steven Spielberg discovered while making Jaws, is not always easy. No sets were used in the film, which adds to that “you’re in the moment” feeling as the hijacking and its aftermath unfold. This segment also gets into real world piracy, which remains a problem in certain parts of the world.
Finally, Stand Fast wraps up with a 13.5-minute look at the most intense part of the movie, which is set in the lifeboat as Captain Phillips attempts to keep his cool with three armed Somalis and the U.S. Navy decides how they will resolve the situation. Fun fact: the finale was completely improvised.
Both discs are housed in a handsome SteelBook which will look nice on your shelf, if you’re into that kind of thing. You also get a code for a digital copy of the movie.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
