Excellent acting. Starts out as very gripping and suspenseful and we are introduced to the characters on all sides in a real way. Then most of the movie is about being trapped in a lifeboat, so all that's left for Tom Hanks to do is act fearful. No cutbacks to the family at home. No philosophizing on life's fragility etc. No character buildup for the Navy crew. So there's very little to connect with emotionally. And at the end the medical team are talking in such a rapid-fire military style it's hard to even see any compassion being shown -- I hope that was not a realistic portrayal! I was just glad it was over.

It's not worth renting. I would rather see the documentary I've heard about.

They did a first-rate production. How do you get Maersk to lend a huge container ship and the U.S. Navy several large warships ships for a movie? You must have a compelling story. Tom Hanks was perfect.

But if it has not been said before, I would like to put in a word for the Somalis. It never occurred to me for a moment that they were not real pirates. That is pretty good acting. And while you could think that the range of emotion was limited to yelling and running around, that is not all there was to it. There were moments of camaraderie and attempts at friendship, even if for manipulative purposes. And when Tom Hanks says to the leader "You are not a fisherman", his look is pure evil. That is good acting. If there were more movies for Somalis, they should be the first choice.

The story about Captain Phillips and the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama is a good non-fiction story however it was Tom Hanks and a thrilling Hollywood spin that made this a winner. This film does start off sort of slow but as soon as I got impatient the action picked up. All and all I enjoyed this film. Also, I've learned after the fact that there are some fairly large discrepancies between fact and fiction but I don't suggest looking that up until after watching the entire movie.

Captain Phillips is based upon a true story of a cargo ship that was taken by Somali pirates. The movie has some very good writing because it keeps the tension up and even builds upon it. You would think once the pirates show up the story couldn’t do much more with it but it does. It’s also not all from the American crew’s perspective. They try to give a little look into why the Somalis turned into pirates and they get a lot of dialogue as well.

The two standout performers were Barkhad Abdi as the pirate captain Abduwali and Tom Hanks as Phillips. Abi plays his part cool, constantly re-assuring Hanks that everything will be fine when he’s actually trying to talk himself into believing that. Hanks really shined at the very end. He really portrayed someone in shock and suffering from trauma after his experience.
C

Tension. Pirates. Tom Hanks. The high seas. Life and death struggle. It's all entertaining. I've watched this movie three times (and "Sully" a round dozen) But here's my two questions which don't require an answer.

1. How is it possible that a half-starved, high as a kite, group of Somalis, in a broken-down boat with a broken-down motor (I've owned outboard motorboats. How it is possible they didn't run out of fuel??) manage to board a towering container ship? I read the crew are not allowed firearms the thinking being they might create more chaos and injury. Injury to whom? We can't use rubber bullets or the firehose to flush you off the gangway? SERIOUSLY? Wait. How about I dump sewage on you?

Question #2 Five day standoff. Why? Highly trained, utterly fearless, strapping, hot--Apologies. I digress--Navy SEALS hang around for five days? What are they waiting for? Get in the water and take out those "pirates." Use tactics other than prone on the deck of a ship with sniper rifles.

Okay, I'm done. Get better soon, Mister Hanks.

I ordered the Blu-Ray / DVD with digital copy codes. The item showed new and I was charged for “new”. The packaging was definitely opened and the disks were not new. Both had fingerprints on the disks and the DVD copy is terribly scratched. I really wanted the Blu-Ray which seems to be working so far. I would not have paid what I paid for this disk had I known it would be used.
Now for the movie! The movie was pretty good. I have heard that it strays away from the actual story quite a bit and that Captain Phillips is not quite the hero the movie makes him out to be. That being said......what the NAVY and NAVY S.E.A.L.S pulled off it very accurate! Unbelievable warriors pulled off mind boggling shots to nuetralize the threats! Very cool. Overall I give the movie 4 STARS! Just wish it didn’t get hosed by the seller!

Really enjoyed this movie. I worked for the company who owned the ship involved in this incident. I found this movie riveting from the beginning, especially because it is a true story. Tom Hanks was excellent in the title role. I found myself thinking "Would I have been able to stay this cool in this situation? Definitely worth watching.

This is an intense film that shows the hijacking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates back in 2009. Tom Hanks does great in the title role, slowly deteriorating into panic as he realizes that awful things in which he has no sway are going to happen. Barkhad Abdi also did well as the pirate leader Muse, who has no fear, but does not fully understand the situation he landed himself in. The only problem I have with the film is that I want to know more about the two main characters, but am mostly left with learning about them in the moment, which usually isn’t much since this story has a lot to tell in its 2 hour and 14 minute runtime. Otherwise I highly recommend it.