Captain Phillips

In what can only be described as 134 minutes of edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting suspense, Tom Hanks excels as Captain Rich Phillips in this action thriller.

Captain Phillips, based on a true story, is about the capture of a US cargo ship by Somali pirates in 2009 and the struggle for power over the ship that ensues. After an intense chase the pirates take control of the ship, containing Phillips and his crew. After some on-boat tension the pirates leave in the life-boat with Captain Phillips as their hostage leading to the intervention of the US Navy.

The two lead actors excel throughout the film. The ever-reliable Hanks shows unbelievable control and willingness to survive throughout and is thoroughly captivating but it is his final scene which alone which will almost inevitably lead to an Oscar nomination. However, in a film requiring two powerful captains competing over control, Barkhad Abdi, playing the Somali Muse, was also excellent on  his film debut. His powerful gaze and composure led to a thoroughly convincing performance.

Credit must also go to the director, Paul Greengrass who made a number of fantastic calls with regard to this film. His decision to use a handheld camera for most of the shots was inspired as it truly captured the notion of being at sea. His spacial awareness was also fantastic, contrasting the difference between the vast expanse of the cargo ship and the claustrophobia of the lifeboat. Greengrass also maintained intelligent pace throughout the film, leaving few moments where your interest was waning or your mind was wandering.

What particularly impressed me though, was the storytelling by Greengrass, who clearly refused to make this a 'Stars and Stripes', American hero film. A scene at the start showing the impoverished Somalians followed by a fantastic dialogue between Phillips and Muse successfully attempted to highlight the lack of choice the Somalian people faced, eradicating the good-vs-evil ideology. In this dialogue, Phillips asks, "There's got to be something other than being a fisherman and kidnapping", to which the stony-faced Muse replied, "Maybe in America". This line alone successfully exposes the naivety of a great deal of Western civilization to the harsh truths of the situation, and excelled in telling both sides of the story.

The persistent high-intensity, dramatic conclusion and outstanding acting made this one of the best films I have seen in some time. This is not a film to watch if you fancy a relaxing time as I left the cinema both physically and emotionally drained, nevertheless it is a must see.

4.5 Stars

Review: Now You See Me

"Look closely, because the closer you think you are the less you'll actually see."

Now You See Me, released recently, is a fast-paced, magic-themed film which sadly suffers from thin character development and questionable plot conclusions.

The story revolves around four individual magicians, brought together by a mysterious benefactor to become the Four Horsemen. They consist of a flashy street magician (Jesse Eisenberg), the female Houdini (Isla Fisher), a revived mind-reader (Woody Harrelson) and a small-time thief (Dave Franco). Although these four connected nicely on-screen, their lack of actual screen time meant that making an emotional connection with them was difficult.

In fact the inability to sustain any sort of sympathy with the characters was not just limited to the Four Horseman. Mark Ruffalo's ignorant and dopey FBI agent, as well as Michael Caine's insurance millionaire and Morgan Freeman's smug revealer-of-tricks all failed to spark any sort of emotional connection with the audience however this was down to the lack of character depth.

A further issue with the film was that many of the plot point conclusions were not satisfactory. The magic organisation known as 'The Eye' was never fully explained and the introduction of the Horseman into 'The Eye' at the end of the film was extremely confusing. It is difficult to go into much more without spoiling the film but the conclusion is ultimately questionable. The final scene on a bridge in Paris was a particularly unnecessary ending to the largely pointless love story sub-plot running throughout the film.

Plot points and character depth aside the film had a lot of positives to boost. The tempo in particular was fantastic, maintaining a fast-paced tempo to keep audience interest. Perhaps the most successful example of this was the opening ten minutes involving the introduction of the Horseman individually, which also demonstrated the best example of 'real' magic throughout the film.

The relationships between certain character were also a joy to watch. All four of the Horseman worked nicely together but Eisenberg and Harrelson's characters in particular clearly enjoyed each others company; unsurprising as Harrelson admitted it was his past work with Eisenberg (Zombieland) that attracted him to do the film. There are also a couple of lovely scenes between the two veterans Caine and Freeman, although that is hardly a surprise as they have done plenty of work together recently (Dark Knight Trilogy).

The final strength of the film comes through the work of Director Louis Leterrier in trying to create a Sherlock Holmes-esk approach to revealing how the tricks were done. The breakdown of the tricks by Freeman's character is successful in making the magic seem more realistic instead of simple CGI trickery.

With magic on the rise amongst modern society with television shows such as Dynamo: Magician Impossible achieving great success it makes sense to try a film involving magic. Whilst it borders on fantasy and does not fully convince us of the realism of the magic involved, it's depth of cast and gripping nature makes it an enjoyable summer blockbuster and a worthy watch, even though it does not quite live up to its captivating trailer (Below).

3.5 Stars