A typical and yet again solid Paul Greengrass movie, that's taking an hyper realistic and intense approach to a true story.

I'll admit that the story is not as 'grand' and historically important as lets say that of "United 93" and "Bloody Sunday" but that doesn't matter for Greengrass. He directs the movie with the same intensity and eye for detail and successfully manages to turn this movie into an almost constantly tense and engaging one. And really, it's mostly due to its directing approach that this movie works out as well as it does. Greengrass has the talent to grab the viewers and make them feel as a part of the movie, by the way he handles the camera and builds up the story and tension, in a slow but steadily and realistic manner.

I'll also have to admit though that I hope Greengrass is going to direct some different type of dramas as well in the future. Because he always uses to same approach, things tend to feel a bit gimmicky as well at times, of course especially when you have seen most of Greengrass' movies already.

Another small problem I had with this movie was because it's based on a true story, you already know the outcome as well. It kind of took away some of the tension toward the end for me.

Thing I really liked about the movie though is that it doesn't glorify anyone but it also doesn't ever really villainize anybody. It feels like a very honest, open-minded, movie and therefore also a truly realistic one, even though of course this movie took some liberties with the truth. But I never really have any problems with this, as long as it isn't taking anything away from the true story that it's based on and the changes are all there to significantly help the movie and are there for the good of it, which also all is the case for this particular movie.


I really don't feel that captain Phillips got portrayed as an 'hero' in this but more like an ordinary guy who had to act and deal in some out of the ordinary circumstances. But I also feel that the movie is being incredibly fair and honest toward the Somali pirates. It's showing them as real human beings and not just as evil, aggressive persons, that are out for blood. By just doing and showing some small things, it's telling you a lot about the circumstances of- and motivations for its Somali characters, without ever making them TOO sympathetic by the way.

It's also great that they used some actual Somali actors for the parts. It gives the movie with some real authenticity, maybe also due to the fact that they were played by some non-professional actors. It adds to the intensity and realism of the movie. It also makes Tom Hanks' performance all the more an accomplishment. For most part of the movie he has to act with just the Somali actors and has nobody else to fall back on. He handles all of the emotions of his role very well and yet again truly becomes his character, on the screen.

A great, tense, realistic and gripping drama that grabs you and doesn't let go till the very end.

8/10

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The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. From: IMDb.com

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. From: IMDb.com

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi and others

Current release date: October 11, 2013

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi and others

Current release date: October 11, 2013

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Christopher Stadulis and others

Current release date: October 11, 2013

(Review originally written at 29 January 2008)

One thing that the Bourne movies also really learned us is that magazines, books and towels can be more lethal weapons than guns or knives. I mean with this that the Bourne movies mostly redefined the action genre by having the guts to be different and original.

Still I am glad it's the last out the Bourne series, also because this one is definitely the least out of the Bourne series. They with this movie obviously ran out of ideas and this movie is also mostly a rehash of the previous two Bourne movies. It's really more of the same and actually made me realize how much alike all of the Bourne movies actual really are to each other. The story is actually quite similar to the second movie, also because halve of this movie is set at the same time the second movie was set in (getting confusing?). There again is also an assassin on Jason's tail and his superiors once more want to see him dead to cover up illegal secret mission and.

Just because you have lots of shaking camera-work and fast editing doesn't mean you have a good action movie as well. It makes the movie fast paced but in my opinion they could had gone a bit more easy on its style. Paul Greengrass already sort of overused this with the previous movie "The Bourne Supremacy". The shaky cam and all works great for its action sequences and more realistic moments, such as in the other Paul Greengrass movie "Bloody Sunday" but making an entire action movie, with an obvious fictitious over-the-top action story is a whole other thing. The same goes for the overall same gritty visual style. This visually has as a result that Madrid looks absolutely the same as New York, New York looks like Moscow and Moscow looks like Tangiers. A reason why I think they could had gone a bit more easy on its consistent visual style.

As a matter of fact once you really start thinking about it, this movie isn't even really THAT action filled, in terms of having lots of fights, chases and explosions.

The main reason why this movie is in my opinion the least out of the Bourne series is simply because of its story. This movie has such an incredible simple storyline that it really seems that they simply pushed it entirely to the background and let the action instead tell the entire story on its own. Nothing wrong with it, since this definitely worked out for the movie but it of course is a very cheap way of film-making, that makes you get away with practically everything. And does this movie really reach a satisfying enough conclusion for the trilogy? In my opinion not really, since I don't really have the reason that lots have changed for Bourne. Somehow I don't think he picks up a normal quiet life after all he has been trough.

Matt Damon is perhaps the biggest winner after his three Bourne movies. Before these movies he sort of had a dull and very boyish, nerd like image. His career was already getting sort of slow, before he signed up for the first Bourne movie. He by now has officially been taking serious by lots of critics and movie goers all over the world and he has proved that he can actually handle action really well and is even a convincing action star. Joan Allen also luckily returns in this movie and so does Julia Stiles, though I have the feeling they should had dropped her two movies ago. David Strathairn, Scott Glenn and Albert Finney are some of the new welcome additions to the cast this time.

It's a real fancy and fast, slick looking action flick, that all in all forms a satisfying enough conclusion of the Bourne trilogy.

7/10