Out of the three major awards anticipated for Captain Phillips, not including a Best Picture nomination, which it received, only Barkhad Abdi was recognized for his supporting performance as the Somali pirate, Muse. His nomination was nice to see, given that it was a difficult role to leave a mark on, and in his debut acting performance, this new face from Minnesota brought life and individuality to his character.
That, of course, makes one wonder about how the director who is responsible for such a strong performance from a first-time actor could be completely snubbed in his respective category. Paul Greengrass has established himself as a top tier director for his ability to stage action ripped from real-life headlines, and this film is certainly his best since United 93, but what sets this film apart from his others is the performances by lead players Abdi and Tom Hanks. Hanks, similarly, was left out of consideration for Best Actor, despite delivering possibly the strongest scene of his career in the final sick bay scene. But again, both were strong fields, and I’m actually happy that Alexander Payne got a nomination for Nebraska. It was one of the year’s best films and it’s nice to see that it wasn’t overlooked.
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