Review of THE COUNSELOR: A Ponderous Puzzler

November 15, 2013

When I first heard about this film and its pedigreed credentials: Director Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt, I was excited to see it. However, because of the very poor reviews and box office performance Stateside, I have tempered my expectations before I went to see it. And so should you.

"The Counselor" refers to the nameless character played by Michael Fassbender. He appears to be a very successful lawyer, happily engaged to a gorgeous, church-going girl (Penelope Cruz). However, for some reason this film never really completely discloses, he still felt the need to get himself involved with a Mexican drug cartel, peppered with colorful characters, like the wild-haired Reiner (Javier Bardem), his slinky girlfriend Malkina (Cameron Diaz) and the urban cowboy Westray (Brad Pitt). Will the Counselor get away with both the girl and cash?

When I saw in the opening credits that the script was by Cormac McCarthy, who also wrote "No Country for Old Men" (which I did not exactly like), I braced myself for one puzzling and boring ride.

It was, for the most part.  However,there were those pockets of incredible tension and violence involving necks which you will not soon forget. 

Michael Fassbender was okay as the titular Counselor, but there was nothing about his character which was fully-explored. He is obviously greedy enough to risk everything he had to get himself involved in nefarious criminal activities despite everything he already had, but we do not see exactly why. So we end up not caring at all about him. We actually see other characters counsel him, than him counseling others.

Cameron Diaz's femme fatale character Malkina was unexpectedly well- developed. She is certainly no dumb blond bimbo here. Her scenes though were the most perplexing as to where she was coming from. She has a scene on the windshield of a luxury car that was as head-scratching as it was sensually acrobatic.

Javier Bardem is really very comfortable playing these cool criminal types. Penelope Cruz is too good to be true. I expected more out of these two actors and their characters than what ended up in the final edit we saw, which was disappointing.  

I found the character of Brad Pitt the most interesting one of all. Every time Westray was on the screen, the story perks up and even the long conversations he has with the Counselor actually made sense. Too bad Pitt was only in about a third of the film or less.

"The Counselor" comes across as a slick action-filled crime caper film at first glance. However as you watch it, you will realize that it was actually mostly long-winded, unrealistically philosophical conversations and monologues from the most unlikely of characters. I think the main problem is the turgid and generally lifeless script which the talents of the director nor the actors could save. 4/10

Review of SHIFT: Charming Chemistry

November 12, 2013

There have been so many Filipino films that I have seen this year thanks to the several film festivals that have been held at various malls.  First there was the Cinemalaya, then there was Cine Filipino, then the Directors Series.  This week is the turn of Cinema One Originals.  This film fest of independent films by neophyte filmmakers are being shown from November 11-19, 2013 at the Trinoma, Robinsons Galleria and Glorietta 3.

The film I was able to catch this afternoon was entitled SHIFT.  I had no idea whatsoever what this film was all about, nor do I know who the director or the stars were.  It turned out to be a simple but hip little project which many young people would probably identify with.

"Shift" is set in the ubiquitous world of call centers and its employees.  Estela is a quirky, carefree young lady with red hair.  Trevor is a tall, dark, handsome young guy, and by the way, gay.  Outside work, Estela has a persistent suitor Kevin, while Trevor had an Australian boyfriend.  But at work, the two connect very well with each other with their many things in common.  Question is, will this friendship lead to a real though unconventional love affair?

Estela is played by Yeng Constantino, a rock singer whom I did not know had it in her to be a charming and capable actress.  Trevor is played by Felix Roco, who was also very good in essaying his challenging gay role.  The two had very good chemistry with each other, and this palpable tension between them carried the film through the length of the film.  The delightful supporting role of Alex Medina as Kevin also lent additional texture to the story.

The language used in the film was so young and hip, perfect to convey a story so young and hip. I confess I would not have caught it all without the help of those very well-made subtitles!  I definitely loved the technique where their chat sessions and texting threads were shown onscreen, all complete with subtitles as well.  I liked the cool locations and bohemian set pieces which give this film a bright and sassy color all its own.  The inside look inside the cubicles of call center agents was also very interesting.

Towards the end though, the momentum of the film slows down when the director did not seem to know how the film should end properly.  There was a heartfelt song number by Yeng which while beautifully rendered, unfortunately may bog down the storytelling.  But this was a minor quibble in the greater scheme of things.  The soundtrack in general was outstanding.

The main drawback, I would think, is that the story is so simple that it could have been an episode of a TV drama anthology.  Fortunately, Director Siege Ledesma injects enough personality to lift it up to deserve to be a feature film.  This is a pleasant yet lightweight endeavor, but not bad at all.  7/10.

Review of SAPI: A Jumbled Mess

November 8, 2013

A Brilliante Mendoza movie is an awaited event among Filipino cinephiles. After all, he is the only Filipino film director who had won a Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Admittedly though, his films (like Serbis or Kinatay) are not really the easiest ones to understand or like for the casual movie fan. His last film Thy Womb (starring Ms. Nora Aunor) seems to bridge that gap, arty and award-winning, yet still relatively commercially appealing.

It is interesting then to see this current film "Sapi" to see if he will create a film that will bring him into the mainstream consciousness. A good horror film is usually a crowd-pleaser. Unfortunately, it went the opposite way from that. In fact, even Mendoza's most ardent fans will most probably not like this one for various reasons.

Meryll (Meryll Soriano), an SBN producer and her reporter Dennis (Dennis Trillo) air a feature about a demonic possession. Problem is that this sensational footage had been surreptitiously bought from the rival network PBC cameraman Baron (yes, you guessed right, Baron Geisler). Aside from professional sanctions following this serious infraction, Meryll, Dennis and Baron all begin to be tormented by ghostly visions and events. Or are they?

OK, we cannot expect the story of a Brilliante Mendoza film to be told plainly. Yet artistic it may be, the film still needs to tell its story well. The main story about the stealing of footage was unimaginatively plotted. There was absolutely no way Meryll et al. could have gotten away with their unethical actions, and they do not even try. 

Also, how come so many scenes in this film happen without any seeming logical reason. What was the point of that whole scene in the cheap restaurant? Just to have a Mercedes Cabral cameo? What was the point of showing Dennis cruising the streets for a prostitute? Because a Mendoza film is incomplete without a gratuitous sex scene? 

The last hour was a blur of terrible supernatural events which seem to be happening to the guilty trio. Yet confusingly, their lives just go on as if nothing had happened at all to anyone of them. Did anything happen at all?  In Sapi's most memorable scene, Mendoza showed a big horrifying creature coming out from a vulva (shades of the controversial graphic birth scene in Thy Womb but made more shocking).  But in the next scene, everything seemed business as usual with the girl, everything forgotten. Truth to tell, these "horror" scenes were not really scary at all, recurrent thunderbolts of lightning notwithstanding.

So for me, Sapi did not really succeed as a horror film. The social commentary parts about the media war, or even about the garbage and the flooding, were shallow at best. The camera was very shaky (though thankfully not as dizzying as Mendoza's Captive). The cinematography was pale and washed out, since majority of the film occurs in the rain or in the dark. The acting of the cast was compromised by the inexplicable things their characters were made to do. The editing is a jumbled mess of non-sequitur scenes.

I guess there nothing really much that I liked about this film. That said though, I will still be looking forward to the next Brillante Mendoza film.  3/10.

Review of BADGES OF FURY: Silly Kung-fu Cops Flick

November 7, 2013

Having Jet Li headlining the cast will really set high expectations for fans of Chinese martial arts movies. However, just in the first few scenes of this particular film, you will already know that you need to tone these expectations down.

There is a series of mysterious deaths in the city. The victims were all young men who strangely die with a silly grin on their faces. The policemen who get assigned to this case were unlikely partners, the young reckless Wang Bu Er (Zhang Wen) and grizzled veteran Huang (Jet Li), under their lady boss Angela (Michelle Chen). Investigation lead them to a young actress Liu Jin Shui (Liu Shishi), who was the girlfriend of all these victims.

Zhang Wen plays the slapstick comic lead role. His character's name "Bu Er" literally means "never second," which is ironic for this bumbling foolish policeman.  Zhang is shameless in some really embarrassing scenes and stupid situations. He does have several exciting fight and chase scenes, but will usually end up bungling everything. This young actor made his mark in several popular television dramas and had won a Best Actor award playing the autistic son of Jet Li in the 2010 dramatic film Ocean Heaven.  Badges of Fury is Zhang's first all-out action film, and I must say, he did quite well with his stunts and wire-work.

Jet Li only plays a supporting straight man to Zhang here. It may disappoint his fans that he appears in only about a third (or less) of this film despite his prominent billing. Li, of course, still rules his scenes, figuring in some exhilarating, though over-exaggerated and obviously CG-aided martial arts fights.

The ladies in the cast are all very easy on the eyes.  Michelle Chen is quite funny in her cute little way, though she was not entirely believable as a senior police officer at all. Liu Shishi plays it serious here as Jin Shui, the lonely girl who seemed to be a curse for the men who fall in love with her, all of them winding up dead.  Sexy Yan Liu plays Liu Shishi's liberated sister Dai Yiyi, whose uses her feminine wiles to seduce men and sell life insurance.

This film is shallow and light-hearted, not to be taken too seriously. There will be scenes that you cannot help but laugh out loud in their craziness. The investigation of the murders has its own nifty twists and turns which can puzzle you. It can be a fun way to spend a lazy hour and a half, if you do not expect very much.  Think of it as a poor cousin to those classic Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow martial arts action/comedies.  4/10.

Review of THOR: THE DARK WORLD: Sparked by Humor

October 31, 2013

In the beginning, there was a all powerful dark force called The Aether. The powers on Asgard contain this force and keep it hidden for thousands of years, only to be found by none other than astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). When The Aether takes possession of Jane, of course, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) comes to her rescue. 

However, as Asgard and the Nine Realms face the resurgence of the Dark Elves led by the diabolical Malakith (Christopher Eccleston), a catastrophic planetary alignment threatens to end the existence of the whole world. Thor was forced to solicit his incarcerated renegade brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to help him with his elaborate plan to save Jane and the Realms. Can the two estranged brothers actually work for one common noble goal?

Honestly, the first hour of this new Thor film was so dark it was almost dull. The special effects looked so fake and unimpressive, very obvious excessively cartoonish mayhem. The acting can be so hokey and corny, so serious and heavy-handed despite the shallowness of the story. The plot itself is very familiar, and reminiscent of many other superhero films. The romantic scenes of Natalie Portman wearing a gown felt like scenes in a "Star Wars" prequel.

But there was that sudden turn around midway in the film when Thor and Loki joined up that the film snapped into place and never looked back up to the very end. The second half came alive because of its quirky sense of humor, thanks largely due to the characters of the eccentric Dr. Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), Jane's cute intern Darcy (Kat Dennings), and Darcy's own dorky intern Ian (Jonathan Howard). I feel these funny moments saved this film from wallowing in self-seriousness. These scenes may seem so out of place, yet they were still so laugh-out-loud hilarious.

However, are these funny scenes really what director Alan Taylor wants us to remember this movie for?  The brotherly interaction between Thor and Loki should have been the main focus, but this can be buried under so many other less-important computer-generated details that tend to overwhelm this production.  

In any case, overall, this film turned out very entertaining superhero action film that audiences will enjoy. You may not really be able to fully understand how the fight action went from realm to realm in the climactic battle but these were exhilarating to see.  The artwork in stark red and black with broad brush strokes over the final credits were awesome to look at. Don't leave right away as you know there will be extra scenes to whet your appetite for more adventures to come.   7/10.

PS:  My review of the first Thor film is posted HERE.

Review of MAE NAK: Worst Version of Thai Ghost Tale

October 26, 2013

This version of the Thai ghost legend was released in local theaters this week. This was after the success of "Pee Mak" here earlier this year. I have also seen "The Ghost of Mae Nak" (2005). There is an even earlier film version called "Nang Nak," which was acclaimed world- wide during its release in 1999.

Mak and Nak get married. Just when Nak discovers she is pregnant, Mak gets conscripted to join the army. After the war, Mak comes home to see his wife and their infant child. However, oddly, everyone in town scared of his house and wife. He eventually realizes that the Nak he sees was just her ghost. It turns out Nak and her baby died in childbirth, and she was now trying to keep her family intact even as a spirit. When the townspeople try to exorcise her spirit away from Mak, she becomes a terrorizing, angry, vengeful ghost.

"Pee Mak" was wildly successful because of its light-hearted comedy- horror approach and its charming and delightfully comic set of actors, led by Mario Maurer. The earlier 2005 version takes the legend into the context of a modern-day romance of a young newly-married couple haunted by Mae Nak's vengeful spirit with some shockingly innovative scenes of gory deaths. The 1999 version "Nang Nak" is by far the best of them all with gorgeous cinematography, sensitive storytelling and charismatic acting by the actors who played Mak and Nak.  "Pee Mak" is clearly inspired by "Nang Nak," as their overall look is the same.

This particular "Mae Nak" is only about the legend itself, stretched and bloated out for more than one and a half hours. There was nothing original nor exciting about this version at all. The lead actors playing Mak and Nak looked good, but were dull and flat in their acting. The supporting actors were not any better. 

The main reason for this movie was the 3D.  This was Thailand's first 3D horror film. However, since this was not shown in 3D locally, this was not a factor. Unfortunately, the ghostly visual effects (including the ones obviously meant for 3D) were trite and terribly executed. The attempts at comedy were very lame and amateurish.

There is nothing much to write about this awful film. My one-star rating says it all. 1/10.

My ratings for the other Mak-Nak films are as follows:  Nang Nak (1999):  9/10.  The Ghost of Mae Nak (2005): 6/10.  Pee Mak (2013): 7/10.

Review of THE FAMILY: Dull Gangster Salad

October 24, 2013

This movie has big names like Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, yet it inexplicably had absolutely no buzz about it at all. This is certainly not a good indicator of a film worth looking into. However, curiosity got the better of me so I still went on and checked it out. Now I understand why we are not hearing much of this film.

"The Family" is about gangster from Brooklyn, Giovanni Manzoni, who had turned to testify against his mafia colleagues. He and his family had been herded off to Normandy in France as part of the witness protection program. There, this family tries very hard to live and integrate into this totally alien society, usually with terrible results given their violent tendencies. But the bigger problem remains, can they really escape the Mob that Giovanni had betrayed even as they crossed the Atlantic? 

The main story with Robert de Niro's character Giovanni/Fred was so predictable and uninteresting. This was only saved by one scene when a film being shown at a community event with Giovanni in attendance was actually one of Robert de Niro's real-life gangster dramas! De Niro was not even showing any effort in his portrayal. He is so used to this character, just going through the motions. He can do this role asleep, and he probably was.

Michelle Pfeiffer, I don't know why she is not getting better film projects than this. She still looks pretty good. I do not understand why her character Maggie goes from so cool (at the supermarket) to so hysterical (at the climactic gun fight). I thought her character was so poorly developed and this was disappointing.

De Niro and Pfeiffer play dad and mom, but it is more of their children and their stories that caught my attention more. Dianna Argon (of "Glee") plays Belle, a teenager with a crush on her math tutor. John D'Leo plays the youngest kid Warren who was able to corner the black market at school. Unfortunately though, these are mere minor subplots of the film, that were not picked up anymore towards the end. 

Tommy Lee Jones is as grouchy, glum and taciturn as before playing the FBI agent protecting the Manzoni family. Dry as toast as ever. I am beginning to think that he cannot play any other type of personality but this.

Overall, this film was a let-down given the promise of its cast. Director-writer Luc Besson is clearly better at actions films ("La Femme Nikita," "Transporter," "Taken," among others) than for comedy. While the action scenes can be exciting, the comedy scenes were strained, OK, mostly unfunny. The whole thing with all its subplots never really gelled as a whole. Everything felt scattered around aimlessly like a tossed salad. But this salad just tastes so-so and forgettable. 5/10.

Review of CARRIE (2013): Victim of Its Own CGI Overload

October 18, 2013

The story of "Carrie" is by now is a very well-known story. It was first a best-selling novel in 1973 by master of horror fiction, Stephen King, his first novel. It had already been given a film treatment in 1976 by another master of suspense, Brian de Palma, with Oscar nominated performances by Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Locally, there had just been a musical theater version of the same story which just closed last weekend, with Mikkie Bradford and Menchu Lauchengco (my review posted HERE). 

Carrie White is a teenage girl severely sheltered by her fanatically religious mother Margaret. She is a victim of bullying at school, especially by Chris Hargensen and her gang. When Chris goes overboard with her cruelty, her good friend Sue Snell felt very guilty. Sue asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to the prom. Carrie defies her mother's prohibition and accepts her prom date. Of course, Chris will not let Carrie have her fun. Little did they know the powerful telekinetic abilities that mousy little Carrie possesses!

My main interest to see this film is for the performance of Chloe Grace Moretz in the title character.  It was brave of her to take on the very memorable, star-making, signature performance given by Sissy Spacek in 1976. But Chloe manages to hold her own with her own spark of innocence.  Chloe gives us a very sensitive performance as the troubled Carrie.  Her face is extraordinarily expressive even with the minimum of words she says. 

Julianne Moore gives an over-the-top yet sympathetic portrayal of Margaret White with her Biblical mumblings and self-mutilation. Compared to Piper Laurie's portrayal of Margaret in 1976, Moore was more miserably anguished in this version, while Laurie was more raving mad in the original.

Gabriella Wilde and Ansel Elgort who play Sue and Tommy respectively, are both very attractive, and do well enough in their roles. Portia Doubleday and Alex Nolan, who play the villains Chris and Billy, do alright, though they did not have a good enough screen presence in my opinion. It will be interesting to see if any of these young stars will achieve the career status of their 1976 equivalents, namely Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen or the biggest eventual star of them all, John Travolta. That does not seem too likely now, but we'll never know, can we?

If you compare this version with the 1976 version, you can recall scenes done almost exactly alike with practically similar lines.  You can see similarities in little details of the production design, like the ruffles on the tux Tommy tries on, or the stars decorating the prom venue ceiling.  There is none of the nudity seen in the opening credits now, nor are there the "Psycho"-like musical cues whenever Carrie uses her powers.  

What I thought this production did wrong was unduly going overboard with computer-generated special effects. The director Kimberly Peirce seemed to have had too much fun with these new "toys" to the detriment of her film. This advanced technology should have been this film's distinct advantage over the 1976 version, but the blatant lack of subtlety is jarring. Carrie can fly. Carrie can cause an entire street to break open with a single stomp. I guess you get the picture.  Brian de Palma was able to create a tenser and scarier atmosphere at the prom and the house at the end with much less technology in the original film.

This 2013 film version is no means really necessary, but here it is.  Still I think it is still worth the time to witness the acting of Moretz and Moore. It is just too bad that the overwhelming unrestrained CGI extravaganza did them all in towards the end. 6/10.

Review of PASSION: Versus the Original "Love Crime"

October 17, 2013

Brian de Palma is the director of such memorable films of the 70s to the 80s like "Carrie," "Dressed to Kill," "Blowout," "Scarface," and "The Untouchables."  After "Mission: Impossible" in 1996 though, his output had been few, far between and unremarkable.  

"Passion" is de Palma's first film as director and scriptwriter since 2007. It is his own interpretation of the 2010 French film by Alain Corneau called "Crime d'Amour" (with the English title "Love Crime"). De Palma certainly had the right idea, the plot, with its stylish mix of sex and crime, is classic de Palma material.

In both films, Christine is a highly-successful executive of an advertising agency. Isabelle is her talented apprentice. When Isabelle's concept on an ad gets attention and admiration from clients, Christine grabs the credit. When Isabelle raises a fuss, Christine humiliates her in public. Incensed, Isabelle plots to murder Christine with an elaborate plan.  Can she do it?  Can she get away with it?

As a departure from the original, de Palma goes further to develop the role of Isabelle's assistant Dani. In "Love Crime," this character is a male, with only loyalty in mind. In "Passion", Dani is an attractive female who had her own obsessive infatuation and plot, giving the end game an additional twist.

I liked the acting in "Love Crime" more. Kristin Scott-Thomas was a realistic ruthless boss Christine, while the innocent-looking Emmanuelle Sagnier was realistic as the naive Isabelle. In "Passion," de Palma does the opposite, casting the younger, fresher-faced actress Rachel McAdams as Christine, and the older, intense-looking actress Noomi Rapace as Isabelle. I think this experiment did NOT work. Both actresses were miscast, making the entire movie suffer as a consequence.

Overall, the original "Love Crime" was the better movie because of the better casting. If de Palma had reversed the casting in his film, it may have worked better. I realized he probably meant to be unpredictable, going against stereotypes, but I think this decision worked against him. I do admit that very last scene of "Passion" sure packed an extra punch that the original did not have. 

Fans of crime dramas with intricate plotting will like this film, especially those who have not seen "Love Crime" yet.  Remember though that this is a European production, so do not expect Hollywood polish and pace.  6/10.

Review of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2: Deeper Into The Further

October 16, 2013

I watched the first "Insidious" when it was released three years ago, and honestly I do not remember much about it. In fact, I recall that did not really like the film that much back then. My review of "Insidious" is posted HERE.

About "Insidious 2", at first I read many bad reviews about it. Therefore, I did not feel compelled to watch it. However I noted that three weeks after its local release last September 18, there are still a lot of mall theaters showing "Insidious 2". I felt I must have misjudged it since there are still a lot of people watching it up to now.

I decided to watch the first "Insidious" again before watching "Insidious 2". I must say, on second watching I thought the first "Insidious" was actually the excellent horror movie that it was touted to be back then. I must have watched it when I was not in the mood or something before, hence my lukewarm reaction at first. I liked it a lot better this time on re-watching. 

Then, I went on to watch "Insidious 2" right away. Lo and behold, I now think this second chapter is actually a very good sequel after all. And this franchise is actually worth all the hype it has generated.

"Insidious 2" starts with a flashback to when young Lorraine was consulting young Elise about young Josh's bad dreams. We already know these events from Part 1. Then after the creepy opening credits, the story picks up from how the story ended in Part 1, with the aftermath of old Elise's murder and the possession of adult Josh by the Bride in Black. Now that Elise is dead, how can the Lambert family get rid of this pesky and increasingly malevolent spirit from tormenting their family?

The story will go as you may probably predict already, but there are several twists and turns that will still keep you at the edge of your seats and make you jump. I particularly like the fact that spirits in The Further could do time travel and affect events from the past. Of course, like all time travel devices, there will be plot questions that may arise. However, in this case, I thought this gave it a unique aspect that was very interesting. 

Overall, "Insidious 2," though now lacking the freshness of ideas from the first "Insidious," still manages to give us the jumps and scares we crave for in watching films like this. It will also give us a lot of haunting and disturbing images and moments. Patrick Wilson (Josh), Rose Byrne (Renai), Barbara Hershey (Lorraine), Ty Simpkins (Dalton) and Lin Shaye (Elise) all reprise their roles creditably, with additionally richer dimensions.  Scriptwriter Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson also return as ghost hunters Specs and Tucker to provide welcome comic relief, and they were funny.

James Wan, just fresh from his success with "The Conjuring" earlier this year, comes up with another winner horror film. Now I understand why "Insidious 2" has a longer-than-expected shelf life in theaters. I am recommending this one for horror film fans, but definitely re-familiarize yourself with the first "Insidious" film first. This is one of those sequels that really require you to watch the first one in order to enjoy it adequately.  7/10.

Review of CAPTAIN PHILLIPS: Experiencing Actual Piracy

October 15, 2013

"Captain Phillips" is the Hollywood retelling of the true-to-life 2009 story of an American container vessel Maersk Alabama (with Captain Richard Phillips at the helm) being held hostage by armed Somali pirates. The screenplay by Billy Ray was based on the novel "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea," which was written by Captain Phillips himself.  We expect then that the story will all be told in Phillips' point of view. 

Playing the titular character, Tom Hanks is what this film is all about. He starts off simply, playing Capt. Phillips as a regular family man and seasoned seaman on a routine delivery. However when the pirates came, you see him transform into a cool-under-pressure leader and shrewd tactician, matching wits with these desperate aggressors. In the last five minutes, Hanks would give us an unexpected display of emotion which may well deliver him another Oscar for Best Actor.  A nomination at least is practically in the bag.

The Somali-American first-time actors playing the pirates are a very realistic bunch. They portray their characters with wild-eyed and feral intensity, really scary. Barkhad Abdi plays their foolhardy leader Muse.  Gaunt and skinny, he fearlessly engages Phillips in a tense chess game, toe-to-toe. There is actually Oscar buzz brewing for his raw portrayal.  Faysal Ahmed plays the hot-headed Najee, who was the loose cannon of the group. Barkhad Abdirahman plays the young recruit Bilal, getting himself a baptism of fire on his first time out.

When I saw the name director Paul Greengrass in the credits, I understood why the sense of tension and urgency of this desperate situation were so well-conveyed. This was that familiar sense of excitement we felt in his previous films, like the last two Jason Bourne films or that suspenseful 9/11 drama "United 93". He really knows how to make military operations exciting on screen.  What he did for the Army in "Green Zone," he does again with the Navy SEALS in this film.

I have to admit I was on the verge of getting seasick as the camera was shaking with the waves, but luckily I held on despite the two-hour length of the film set at sea. 

Overall, this is a different sort of adventure drama, with a topic not too commonly tackled in a mainstream film. We hear of these events on the news, but this film brings us right in the middle of one in progress. We will feel the tension building as the pirates were approaching their ship. We will feel the fear of the crew when the pirates were on board. We will feel the desperation and the frustration of being trapped in the middle of the open ocean with no help immediately forthcoming. If you are up for such a realistic harrowing experience, then this film is for you.  7/10