Captain Phillips (2013)

British director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, United 93) brings his signature shaky-cam style to the true story of the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of American cargo ship Maersk Alabama. But the best tension in Captain Phillipsdoesn't come from the pinball editing of the confrontational, claustrophobic closeups that make up the majority of the film. When Greengrass pulls the camera back to reveal aerial shots of a tiny skiff with a jerry-rigged motor trying to take over the colossal freighter, he is making groundbreaking shifts in the traditional underdog story. Read the full review here.