Something to watch tonight: Friday 16 August

Captain Phillips (Greengrass, 2013)

Tom Hanks’ career was in a weird place by 2013. His only non-animated feature film credit between 2009’s terrible Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons and Captain Phillips are the 9/11 misfire Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the misunderstood Cloud Atlas and the awful Larry Crowne, in which Mr. Hanks seemed to be so botoxed that he could hardly move his face. It’s one of the few films I’ve actually walked out of.

But then he gets something worth sinking his teeth into and he comes to life again. Captain Phillips is followed by Bridge of Spies, Sully and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Those last two could work with Captain Phillips as a great Hanks-playing-decent-real-people trilogy.

I reviewed Captain Phillips for the old Funerals & Snakes:

In Captain Phillips Tom Hanks gives his finest performance since Road to Perdition but is run close all the way through by newcomer Barkhad Abdi as the Somali pirate who takes Hanks’ container ship (and Hanks) hostage only to get well and truly in too deep. Paul Greengrass’s adaptation of the real Richard Phillips’ memoir is pitch perfect throughout, balancing the contrasting lives of two men whose day jobs are destined to bring them into conflict. Sometimes a good performance – and a film – is tipped over into greatness by a single scene and that is very much the case here. Hanks has a scene near the end that amplifies and illuminates everything that we’ve seen before and it may be the only genuinely heart-stopping moment I’ve had at the cinema this year.

Also in that December 2013 column: Naomi Watts as Diana, Justin Timberlake in the '“thriller” Runner, Runner, Juliette Binoche in Camille Claudel, Hugh Jackman in Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners (“horrible, nasty little manipulative potboiler”), Keri Russell and Bret McKenzie in Austenland, and the Richard Curtis romance About Time.

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Where to watch Captain Phillips

Aotearoa: Streaming on Netflix and Prime Video

Australia: Streaming on Netflix, Binge and Stan

Canada: Digital rental

Ireland & UK: Streaming on Prime Video

USA: Streaming on Netflix

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Latest comments

On yesterday’s recommendation of Collateral and Miami Vice:

Reader JS of Wellington said, “Any film that advertises itself with monumental cliché of someone pointing a firearm turns me right off.” Sorry, JS, there’s another gun being brandished today.

But almost immediately afterwards reader RI of Auckland wrote and said, “Fuck yeah, now we're talking. I much prefer Collateral over Miami Vice too, but have only watched the latter the one time, might give it another go.”

So, I hope that means that, even when I can’t please everyone, each recommendation appeals to some of you.