Tom Hanks is not known for his range of voices. He managed a decent Texas drawl in Charlie Wilson’s War; a perfect enunciation of the (imaginary) Krakozhian dialect in The Terminal; and a vaguely New English stammer in Catch Me If You Can. On the other hand, his “Oi-rish” accent in Cloud Atlas was laughable (and thankfully brief).
His latest try is clam-chowder Boston-ese, as he takes on the title role in Captain Phillips by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, Flight 93). The film is based on the real Phillips’ book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. Sheesh, so much for spoilers.
As you might have guessed, Phillips was in command of a container ship that was set upon by pirates in April, 2009. Hanks, in the trailer, first gets wind of their approach by the time-honoured nautical means of blips on a radar screen.
“This it the Maersk Alabama,” he says into the radio. “We are an unarmed freighter. We have two skiffs approaching with armed intruders; potential piracy situation.”
The woman at the other end of the call tells him to get the fire hoses ready. Apparently, you can try to stave off modern pirates with high-pressure water. If that doesn’t stop them, at least they’ll be clean and well hydrated when they arrive. Phillips, obviously hoping for more, replies: “Yeah. Is that it?”
VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks
Phillips uses water, flares and a bit of wild steering to try to avoid the intruders, but they make their way aboard. Their leader tells him: “Look at me. I’m the captain now.”
As to the Navy SEALs and dangerous days at sea – Phillips was taken hostage in a lifeboat by the pirates – the trailer gives us little more than a few shaky images. But shakier still is that accent, which ranges from heavy (he makes “ladder” sound like “Lada”) to non-existent. Perhaps by the time the film is released he’ll have the voice worked out.
Captain Phillips opens on Oct. 11.