Drama mine

Director Paul Greengrass is no stranger when it comes to reenacting some of the scariest moments of real life. In 2006 he brought one aspect of the tragedies of 9/11 to life with United 93. Now seven years later he goes from terror in the sky to terror in the ocean with Captain Phillips. Based on events from the 2009 incident involving Somali pirates attacking a U.S. cargo ship, Greengrass has once again created a gripping, intense thriller.

The first part of the film deals with the cargo ship's initial voyage. During this time we meet the crew, including the titular captain (played by Tom Hanks). While the scenes serve primarily as exposition to establish the characters, most of the scenes feel very fresh. Few films today deal with modern day sailing, especially in a vessel like a cargo ship. So to hear and see what's involved in the day to day operations was fascinating. So too were the early scenes involving the crew's efforts to prevent the pirates from coming on board. It is clear that some measures are known and in place to hopefully prevent any attack, but when those plans fail, it is interesting to see the creativity that these men attempt to use in order to get out of the ordeal safely.

If you're familiar with the story, then you know that the pirates eventually take Captain Phillips hostage on a lifeboat and try to flee back to Somalia. This part of the film is the most difficult to watch. They are difficult primarily because of Greengrass' efforts to give realism to the way these scenes are film. Greengrass effectively shoots these scenes within extremely cramped quarters on choppy waters. The end result is likely to give some both claustrophobia and seasickness. What works best about these scenes, however, is that we learn more about these pirates instead of seeing them simply as faceless villains. The leader of this group, is a rail-thin man who goes by Muse. He's played very well by real life Somali, Barkhad Abdi. We see the internal struggle that this man goes through as he is desperate to prove himself to others while recognizes that some of the decisions to accomplish that goes against his sense of human decency. You realize that not every pirate is doing this as an act of terror, but as a means of survival.

As the Navy gets involved in trying to get Captain Phillips back from his captors, the intensity level gets ramped up to a whole new level. Even though most likely know how this story ends I will not divulge those details here. All I will say is that I was in awe of the acting performance Hanks gives in the film's closing minutes. You completely forget you are watching an actor and truly believe you are watching someone who has actually experienced a horrific ordeal. I know the race for Best Actor will be extremely competitive this year, but I am willing to give it to Hanks already for his work in those scenes alone. He once again proves why he is truly one of our best actors around.

Like Gravity, this film does not boast a large cast. Oddly enough Catherine Keener shows up in the very first scene of the film playing Phillips' wife and then is never seen from again for the rest of the movie. Instead Greengrass keeps the film streamlined and focused on the primary conflict. This is likely for the best because we become so much more invested in this story without a lot of superfluous characters or unnecessary subplots. What is left is another excellent tale of one man's quest for survival.

Given that I saw this film on the last day it was available at my local theater, you may have to wait until it comes out on DVD before you have a chance to see if you have not done so already. If that's the case, I would highly recommend it. Unlike Gravity, which demands to be seen on the big screen and in 3D, Captain Phillips is a film that will be just as effective on the small screen. You owe it to yourself to learn more about this incredible story and to witness some excellent acting from the film's primary leads. In a crowded field this awards season, this film may get a bit lost at sea, but it is still worthy of high praise. Grade: A-

O Captain, My Captain

Here's the first trailer for Captain Phillips. Based on the real life events about Somali pirates overtaking a U.S. ship. The film stars Tom Hanks and is directed by Paul Greengrass. Based on what I've seen here, they can already take all my money...I'm in.

Cross to bear

Like many, I had trepidations about the continuation of the Bourne franchise without Matt Damon as the amnesiatic assassin or Paul Greengrass as director. But to the studio's credit, The Bourne Legacy is not simply a lazy or spiteful reboot like Sony did with Spider-Man. Instead they created an expansion of the universe created by Robert Ludlum's spy novels and attempted to look at the story from a different perspective.

That perspective comes from Aaron Cross, (Jeremy Renner) an agent of Operation Outcome, a separate group from Treadstone, which Bourne belonged too. A key difference between the two groups is that Outcome agents have been put on a pill regimen to medically enhance their abilities. The film opens during the timeline of the last Bourne film. We see from new footage different government officials reacting to Bourne's efforts to expose Treadstone. Realizing that the operation is blown, the CIA decides to pull the plug on all their operations. A team led by a retired Air Force colonel (played by Edward Norton) is tasked with eliminating all of their agents. Cross is fortunate enough to escape and begins his quest for determining why the government is now trying to kill him.

All of this set-up is terrific. The film nicely weaves the events of the previous film into this story and justifiably establishes a reason why there would now be someone else wanting to exact revenge on our government. The scenes establishing Renner's character are also well done. He's currently training in Alaska, so we get several instances of him battling the elements before dealing with the government, including a fight with wolves that was on par with the action scene earlier this year in The Grey

Unfortunately, the movie loses steam in the second half. Cross' character seems more intent on getting a fresh supply of the pills that give him his abilities than he is about exacting revenge. We get a lot of scenes with him talking about the pills, showing the effects of withdrawl, and looking for the pills and none of it is particularly engaging. Helping him in his quest is a doctor played by Rachel Weisz who originally gave him the drugs. She's being hunted by the government as well after she managed to escape an attack on her lab. Weisz is fine here, but I never saw any chemistry between her and Renner in the same way that I did between Damon and Marie (Franke Potente) or Nikki (Julia Stiles).

Pacing also becomes problematic as the movie progresses. After a series of conversations bog down the middle of the film, we get an overly long action sequence at the very end of the film. Not only should there have been a better balance between the action and dialogue, but the film's final action sequence comes off as anti-climatic. I expected more to come and yet shortly after the chase sequence finishes, the credits begin to roll.

Though frustrating, the film's abrupt ending left many doors open to be explored down the line in yet more Bourne films. I know I am interested in seeing more. Although admittedly, it's more of an interest in seeing the characters established in the first three films, rather than anyone new in Legacy That not only goes for Damon, but also people like Joan Allen and David Straithairn, who have little more than cameos in Legacy As for the new characters, Renner was fine when it came to the action, but he still strikes me as a better sidekick than leader (see The Avengers and Ghost Protocol). Edward Norton is always an excellent actor, but we didn't learn enough about his character here to care whether or not he returns.

The Bourne Legacy is a difficult film to rate because a lot hinges on whether or not anymore films in the franchise will be made. If this is it, then the film feels like an underwhelming and unnecessary capper. If this is a jump start to a new trilogy, then you can appreciate what it was trying to set up. For now I'm giving the film I mild recommendation for its ability to nicely integrate the storyline of the original trilogy and for whetting fans' appetites for the possibility of more adventures with Treadstone, Outcome, Blackbriar and the rest of the shady CIA operations. If fans of the franchise come in with lowered expectations, they'll likely enjoy this latest spy thriller. Grade: B