Evan Fox
Reporter
In honor of the release of director Paul Greengrass’ action/thriller “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks, here are five similar films to watch. They are ranked from worst to best, though all of them are great movies.
5. “Dead Man Down”
This film follows a man (Colin Farrell) who seeks to bring down a gangster’s operation in revenge for a past crime. Noomi Rapace stars as his neighbor who seeks to use him as a weapon to exact vengeance of her own.
“Dead Man Down” had a few faults, mainly with pacing, but it also boasted some very intense sequences and great performances from its leads.
4. “Minority Report”
This sci-fi thriller is about a government experiment that uses three pre-cognitive humans to predict future murders and prevent them. Tom Cruise stars as the best officer on the force who fights to clear his name after the pre-cogs predict he will commit a murder. Colin Farrell stars as the Internal Affairs agent sent to overlook the program.
“Minority Report” is a jewel among the sci-fi genre, blending excellent action with deep philosophical discussion. It is one of Cruise’s and director Steven Spielberg’s best films.
3. “U-571”
An historical epic about the efforts of a submarine crew to capture the German enigma machine and break their codes, “U-571” has everything that makes a thriller great. Intense battles and hair-raising suspense make this film a must see.
The main detraction from this film is for anyone seeking historical accuracy. If the audience can look past that, it is an amazing thriller.
2. “Collateral”
A taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) picks up a fare (Tom Cruise) who turns out to be an assassin. Foxx is forced to drive Cruise to each of his various targets in one night, while trying to figure out how to stop him.
“Collateral” is an excellent film, with a great cast that also includes Mark Ruffalo and Jada Pinkett Smith. Foxx was nominated for an Oscar, and Cruise once again proved his acting chops with a memorable turn as the villain.
1. The “Bourne” series
This film franchise is almost universally known for its American espionage tale set in Europe and other countries around the globe. All four films are taut thrillers that redefined what an action movie is.
These films are credited with bringing gritty realism into the action fold and inspired Nolan’s “Batman Begins”. The second and third entries in the series, “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” were directed by Paul Greengrass and are usually considered the best in the series. All the more reason to see “Captain Phillips”.