Photo credit: Courtesy of Sony
In our countdown to the Oscars, we continure with Best Picture. Our previous countdown eliminated “Her.” The remaining nominees for Best Picture are: “12 Years a Slave” – “American Hustle” – “Captain Phillips” – “Dallas Buyers Club” – “Gravity” – “Nebraska”- “Philomena” – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Now we explore “Captain Phillips.”
“Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is — through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens — simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.” Production notes.
Even though this is based on a true story, it was kind of off setting that four guys in a motor boat could take down a large vessel full of crew members, even if they didn’t carry weapons. Tom Hanks had some brilliant Oscar winning scenes at the end, but that wasn’t enough to keep it in the lineup. So, we’re taking it off the list. Two down, seven to go.
The Trailer:
