Captain Phillips **

Paul Greengrass directed this Action/Drama. Watch Preview. Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Yul Vazquez, Michael Chernus, Chris Mulkey, Corey Johnson, David Warshofsky, John Magaro, Angus MacInnes. Rated PG-13 for sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance use. Running time is two hours and fourteen minutes.

The story of Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) 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.

I find myself at odds with the national critics on this one. They seemed to like it and I thought it too long and with pacing that made sections quite dull. The film spends too much time on the background of the pirates (I realize there's not a lot to do there, but still...) and the final thirty minutes is a long, slow slog. Hanks is fine as usual but the rest of the cast spent the rest of the time screaming and being quite unpleasant (yes, I know, they were unpleasant, but a little of that goes a long way). I also found the Phillips character somewhat disconcerting, especially in the final scenes when he seems to lose all emotional control. Younger crowds may like this better than I did but I suspect older patrons are going to be spending a lot of time looking at their watches.

There are no additional scenes once the final credits begin. A large screen will provide more impact. Theatres/Times.