CAPTAIN Richard Phillips kisses his wife goodbye and goes off to work. Not to a desk-bound job but to sea in charge of a cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, carrying water and food aid to Africa. It will be no ordinary voyage thanks to the appearance of Somali pirates.

With Tom Hanks at the helm as the captain (and tipped for another Oscar nomination), Captain Phillips is surely one of the films of the year. Coupled with his previous movies – namely two Bourne thrillers and the real life United 73 – Captain Phillips confirms Paul Greengrass as one of the best directors at combining thrills, human drama and a conscience into an award-winning whole.

The fact that the film is based on a book by Phillips (and Stephan Talty) tips you off to the fact that he survived the ordeal, but that in no way diminishes the tension and suspense as this true life story unfolds.

Ships are warned that pirates are operating along the route, so when two unidentified vessels appear on the radar, Captain Phillips knows that trouble is fast approaching.

Captain and crew implement the “repel boarders” emergency action, leading to a tense time as the armed pirates clamber on board as the crew go into hiding in the boiler room and the engines are shut down.

The captain stays on the bridge to deal with the situation as the pirates, led by chief hijacker Muse (Barkhad Abdi), demand a ransom for the return of the ship to its American owners.

What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse as the captain tries to outwit and outmanoeuvre the hijackers. Take the money in the safe and leave, he suggests. But they want more as landing such a big ship holds out the prospect of a very big ransom.

The American navy and navy seals are ready for action as the hijacking undergoes one twist after another, eventually leaving the wily Phillips to save his own life before a do-or-die rescue mission is ordered to end this politically sensitive hijacking.

Tom Hanks delivers an utterly convincing portrayal of an experienced seaman determined to save his ship and his men whatever the personal cost. Abdi adds flesh to the role of the leading hijacker in a part that could have just been a stereotypical terrorist.