For almost the entirety of Paul Greengrass' efficient, thrilling Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks - who plays the movie's eponymous character - imbues his performance with a sense of the "workmanlike." That's not to discredit what Tom Hanks does here at all - he offers up Phillips, whose cargo ship was really overtaken by Somali pirates in 2009, without any actor-ly flourishes - he understands that it's important not to make a "hero" out of him in the generic Hollywood sense. So for the sum of the picture, through the ambush and subsequent abduction of Phillips at the hands of his invaders, it's easy to think: "Man, this Captain Phillips is really keeping his cool." It's true to say, then, that Hank's performance - though competent - isn't particularly noteworthy. And then it comes: Phillips is rescued by Seal Team 6, and Hanks goes to town. As Phillips is taken to the infirmary, completely in shock, the actor offers up one of the most intricate and unexpected portraits of a shock victim in cinematic history - and considering the normality that Hanks grants Phillips throughout, the sudden explosion of emotion makes for an incredibly powerful, heartbreaking scene. It lasts all but a few minutes, but it's without a doubt the best scene in the whole movie, and showcases Tom Hanks as an actor still at the very top of his game.
