Tom Hanks electric in ‘Captain Phillips’

Captain Phillips
Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abidrahman, Faysal Ahmed

In this true story directed by Paul Greengrass, Tom Hanks plays Captain Richard Phillips, whose cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. Hanks has said that he didn’t meet the Somali cast members prior to filming the hijacking scene, which was a stroke of genius since it allowed the crew to react viscerally to the events as they unfolded. Hanks delivers a flawless performance in this tour de force role that is garnering rave reviews and is sure to have many academy members whispering the “O” word. –p.d. lee