I went into this film not knowing anything about the events that happened in the real life story. Obviously, it was about a Captain who in this case was unfortunately boarded by Somali pirates during a trip around the horn of Africa. It starred Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips. To my knowledge, there were no other a-listers. They portrayed Phillips as a fairly competent Captain, concerned about security and safety of his crew. I have since read he was not so favorable with his crew in real life. But I digress. The film from the beginning was very suspenseful and dramatic. From the scene where the pirates are steadily approaching the ship down to the final 8 to 10 minutes, it held your attention. I heard the pirates in the film were not originally classically trained actors but were instead picked on the spot from a group of Somalis because they looked the part, and demonstrated some acting abilities. This to me is incredible because they were all fantastic, especially the main protagonist. They put the fear in me. This film had it all, suspense, drama, fear, and military actions. I cannot recommend it enough. Tom Hanks may get an academy award for his portrayal. It was and he was that good.
*****
