One Minute Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Since many of the facts of this "based on a true story," movie that chronicles one of the most dreadfully suspenseful hostage crises of the current decade, are in somewhat of a dispute, I will purely focus on the filmmakers interpretation of the events & storytelling, imagery, & cast performances that bring that perception to life.  Director, Paul Greengrass is no stranger to the political thriller & already  has many major titles to his credit, Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne Supremacy, & Bloody Sunday.   The challenge of this film, like so many others like it, is that we already know the ending, so keeping the story fresh, exciting, &, dare I say, original & unpredictable is a very tall, mostly unsuccessful order.   However, Greengrass is able to accomplish this difficult goal & more.  His victory is achieved, in one part, by a dynamic, fluid, authentic, & thoroughly engaging, tension filled delivery of a well written script.   The second, is the absolutely stellar performance of its entire cast, led most definitively by Hanks.  Despite my utter disdain for his political views, Hanks is, undoubtedly, one of the finest actors of our generation.   His performance is inspired, deeply passionate, & completely believable.   Never has a film with such a publicized outcome, kept me on the edge of my seat, riveted to the screen, & emotionally moved.   I am also proud to report, this is one of the finest portrayals of our brave service men & women that I have seen.  No matter what the whole story may be, this film is an amazing tale of bravery, heroics, & strength of spirit.   5 out of 5 Kernels: A tremendous real life act of courage under unbelievable circumstances & an equally amazing & vivid cinematic portrayal of that courage.