Captain Phillips

Today the movie, "Captain Phillips" opened in Japan and I went to see it . The film tells how merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean during the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009 led by Abduwali Muse.

Initially I could not envision how the movie could be worth watching based on the limited information I knew about the story. But I have generally always trusted and respected the work of Tom Hanks and the directing style of Paul Greengrass (including The Bourne Supremacy, United 93 and Green Zone).

This is a terrific film that has you on the edge of your seat until the end of the film. The perfect pace of action that twists and turns from situation to situation. I was especially moved by the final scene in the movie that, under the guideance of other directors, would have not been included. Mr. Greengrass clearly understood the need to share Captain Phillips' emotion state with the audience since you feel as though you shared the entire episode with him.