Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is a new thriller based on the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.

Bourne director and Academy Award nominee Paul Greengrass' cinema verité style makes this film a bit more grounded and realistic than this season’s other quality thriller about a team in peril, Gravity.

And Hanks plays Phillips so layered and realistic that you can imagine working on his crew. By the time the story builds to an emotional crescendo in the final scene, I was definitely moved.

Simply put: It’s less fantastic than Gravity and duller than Argo, but this is one sturdy thriller and some of the most powerful work that Hanks has ever done.

Award potential: Oscar voters will certainly cast a Best Actor nomination for Hanks. Potential for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and more.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.