If you happened to watching the finale of Breaking Bad last night (which by all good graces you should've been) then you may have caught this new trailer/preview for the new Paul Greengrass thriller CAPTAIN PHILLIPS starring Tom Hanks. I missed it as I was fast-forwarding through commercials at mach speed, but after seeing the trailer, I think I could've carved out two minutes to spare for what looks like a real nail-biter from both Greengrass and Hanks. It's a nicely chopped piece and shows quite a bit of new footage from the film, which is soaking in some solid reviews on the way to its premiere.
Look at me…I'm the Captain now:
Here's the synopsis:
Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is — through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens — simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.
It's nice to see Hanks doing something like this. I've missed his more dramatic performances of late and it seems that he's finally getting back in the game this year, both with CAPTAIN PHILLIPS and the upcoming SAVING MR. BANKS. I don't know that either performance will have him on stage and accepting a golden trophy, but both look like engaging and worthy roles for a man of his acting prowess and that's just fine.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS hijacks theaters on October 11, 2013.