To say this film is a compelling viewing experience would be an understatement. The (recent) real event of the eponymous captain's cargo vessel being taken by Somali pirates is to some extent given a literal join-the-dots and slightly airbrushed Hollywood treatment, but the real power here comes from Greengrass's trademark fusion of rapid-fire editing, shaky-cam and true cinematic eye which all combine to give the film an almost relentless sense of urgency and/or tension. Hanks is excellent, building character through tiny early details and never fails to find anything but real emotional truth throughout (which makes the final scenes quite harrowingly raw to watch), but credit is also due to Barkhad Abdi's considered but tough performance as the pirate 'captain'. For all concerned to create such a nail-biting film out of very familiar material is a terrific achievement and is one which has real impact on the big screen.
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