20 Greatest Movie Moments Of The 2010s
13. Captain Phillips: The Rescue
Paul Greengrass' brilliant thriller Captain Phillips, which is based on the true story of the hijacking of an American cargo ship by Somali pirates, has one of the finest movie endings of the decade by some distance.
The finale, in which US forces narrowly rescue Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) from a lifeboat in which three of the Somali pirates are on the verge of shooting Phillips is a masterpiece of suspense in which comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock would be more than justified. It's the kind of unbearably intense film scene that'll have viewers reaching for the oxygen mask and even on repeat viewings, it doesn't get any easier to watch.
As if this amazing rescue sequence wasn't enough, the film ends with a shattering scene in which Phillips goes into shock during a medical check-up. It's some of the finest acting Tom Hanks has ever done and a remarkably accurate recreation of shock and trauma.
Is this one of the most intense film endings of all time? Absolutely, without a doubt.