Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Captain Phillips

Top positive review

Good acting and production

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2019

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.

9 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Martin K.

Movie is a reflection on life today where we prepare for the wish instead of reality!

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2020

This is a stupid movie. Not a single gun on the ship in a mamby pamby world. Apparently you can’t have a gun on board, but it’s ok to shoot rescue flares at the attackers. There are several million dollars worth of fixed water cannons which can’t be directed rendering them worthless. This real life situation made me physically ill and I had to turn it off. In hindsight it is a view of the world today where we live in a wish land where reality is far different.

6 people found this helpful

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From the United States

2 great performances by Hanks and Abdi as the tension keeps building in this pirate drama

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

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

3 people found this helpful

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A Crumbaker

Good Hollywood Spin

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

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.

5 people found this helpful

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Leo Dittman

Interesting, well acted, and sad in some ways

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

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.

2 people found this helpful

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Norman K. Clark

A good cliff-hanger -- without the cliff

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

Being based on an actual incident, the ending is a little bit "spoiled," because we all know that Captain Phillips was rescued. It is the story of how he was rescued that captures and fully engages the viewer.

The only slight negative is that the characters, other than that of Captain Phillips, are somewhat two-dimensional and stereotyped. The American sailors might be a little dumb, but they are courageous and resourceful. The characters of the pirates, who are indeed world-class bad guys, nonetheless border on racial or ethnic stereotyping at times.

But this was never intended to be a thoughtful character study. Instead, it is a highly entertaining, wonderfully photographed, thoroughly engaging film that turned out to be much better than I had expected.

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In The Wild

Hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks!

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Well paced yet deeper than just a "bad guys shoot 'em up" story. You get a glimps into the chaos in that part of the world that drives "fishermen" into piracy. Also opens up debates about to wisdom (or not) of providing merchant vessels defensive weapons to deter such things.
There may be debatable points on what went wrong and where things should have been approached differently. But, frankly, this film shows the reality of how events take on their own reality that no armchair quarterbacking could affect. The heroism of the captain and crew and the professionalism of the military responders is well told. Finally, Hank's portrayal of the Captain's emotional turmoil following his recovery from the clutches of the pirate crew is suburb!

2 people found this helpful

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BamaJo

Good Movie

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

Decided to purchase this instead of renting because it is long - anything over 100 minutes is long for me. Ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting. Tom Hanks is such a good actor and you really feel for the character he plays. I remember when this story was unfolding on the news and it was great to be able to see the movie made about it. I hate to say it, but you do have some sympathy for the Somali people because their way of life is so bad compared to Americans, but it still does not excuse choosing a life of crime. I would definitely recommend this movie. It also gave me more insight into the shipping industry. If the captain had only been able to have a firearm. I believe in the right to defend yourself - the criminals certainly have guns!!

2 people found this helpful

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HMAIII

Serious Drama in a Dangerous Part of the World

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a good movie. I bought it because I like Tom Hanks who does his usually great job. He is the kind of actor one can easily trade places with. He's very human and relatable. The story is based on a true story of Somali pirates attempting to hijack the Maersk ship Alabama. The crew hides and the ship is shut down at sea while the Pirates search for the crew and try to restart the ship. They escape the ship in a motorized life boat with the Captain played by Tom Hanks. I thought the portrayal of the U.S. Navy and the Navy Seals was excellent, very professional.

6 people found this helpful

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By CJs Pirate

Great Acting, Great Story

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

Captain Phillips is a great story. Tom Hanks as Captain Rick Phillips does a great job. Pirates, US Navy SEALs, hostages, you name it. The one thing it has that it doesn't really need is excess time. Coming in at 2 hours 14 minutes, this story could have easily tied up nicely 14-30 minutes sooner. It would have made for a tenser movie without the feeling of dragging.

Quotable quote uttered by Chris Mulkey as crewman John Cronan as Captain Phillips describes the situation concerning pirates, "I'm union..." Implying it wasn't his job... kind of sums up the state of the nation.

7 people found this helpful

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shannon lovelace

One of the most gut-wrenching watches of the year!

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

It is one of Tom Hanks undeniablely strong performances showing that Hollywood royalty and newcomers coming together can produce an end product worth writing about. Hanks proves once again that he can bring a sense of that trademark laugh and ability and still convince us he is only "the character". He gives a depth to any character that would be any writer/ directors dream. And with the new comer stealing scenes at times it was a perfect blend of seasoned confidence and fresh faced ideas that sold this true tale until the end. And don't miss the last 15 minutes of the film. Tom Hanks digs deep to express the feeling of us all in those last scenes. Though it is acting, I was 100% invested in those moments... to really experience the release of horror and pain Captain Phillips must have felt. A must see!

4 people found this helpful

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P. T. Mcdonald

Another stellar performance by Hanks

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

Hanks is one of the best. There just doesn't seem to be any role he can't do well, and the story is certainly a compelling one. One minor nit to pick... The way the events play out in the film is not completely in line with the reporting at the time (which reporting was not so favorable to the White House, and somewhat foreshadowed Libya). No way to know if the contemporaneous reporting was wrong and the film right, or if they tweaked the story in the film for political (or other) reasons. And it is, after all, about Phillips and the Navy, not politics, although in the times we live everything seems to get political. Either way, I highly recommend it. I can't think of any film Hanks has done that I have not thoroughly enjoyed.

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Captain Phillips

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