Documentary-style, hand-held camera film-making is rarely as fitting as it appears in Paul Greengrass’s “Captain Phillips.” A fictionalized basis of the actual Somalian hijacking that took place in April of 2009; this is a thriller that clasps its arms around your neck, and, with all the  trauma of what the real event must have been like, refuses to let go. While it may not have the emotional pull of some of Greengrass’s earlier work, this is an essential 2013 fall thriller, coming just in time for Oscar season.

At the start, as in all good thrillers, everything is calm. Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) and his crew are sailing along the coast of Africa, as the members of a cargo ship called the Maersk Alabama. Suddenly, the ship is boarded by 4 armed Somalian pirates, who clearly “are not here to fish.” Phillips confronts the pirates, attempting to appease them by offering a sum of money and a pass home aboard the ship’s own lifeboat. But that’s not enough for these guys, who, in previous highjackings, have received several million dollars in ransom. But due to some quick thinking by Phillips, and some heroics by his crew; the pirates are soon forced to flee on the lifeboat, and at the last minute take only Phillips as hostage.

Through the eyes and distinct artistic vision of Greengrass, “Captain Phillips” is an intense and entertaining spectacle. Greengrass has a way of drawing you into his picture, even when you would rather not be a part of it. In his previous film, “United 93,” he showed this with near-perfection; by cutting scenes of action displayed simultaneously across several locations, before finally drawing you in to the final showdown on that famous, unfortunate voyage. Although both films are based on true events, and it is clearly “United 93” that is more upsetting, it is “Captain Phillips” that may be even tougher to handle.

In this case, Greengrass does not just draw the audience in; he pulls them in, right next to Phillips himself. For much of the film, we are trapped in a tiny, claustrophobic enclosed  lifeboat, with 4 angry strangers standing around holding guns. The shaky hand-held cams here hover, as if scared onlookers, afraid to watch, but unable to look away. Like a deer in headlights, there is no escape. Even when the entire American Navy has come in to surround the pirates, the uneasy feeling has, if anything, gotten worse. Captain Phillips is alone, and he has all but lost hope.

As much as this is Greengrass’s story, a great deal of credit also belongs to Tom Hanks, who, as the title character, has redeemed his sub-par movie roles as of late (except for “Cloud Atlas.”) Though at first the strong, silent type typical to his onscreen persona, he believably transforms into a shock-induced trauma victim after his unfortunate adventure. By the end, as he is lying on a bed with a nurse hovering over him, spewing out nonsensical words while tears stream down his face, it is hard to even remember how his character used to be. Considering that Hanks is just an actor playing a part, it still feels as if he actually underwent the experience itself; so precisely perfect is his acting here. Though a bit more insight into the character’s background may have been beneficial, Hanks has done the best he could with the material, and will most likely earn his 6th Academy Award nomination as a result.

Another worthy performance here is that of Phillips’ adversary, the head of the Somalian pirates named Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Although a petite, skinny man, he is also menacingly creepy; at one point even striking his own crew member for insulting him. The entire film really comes down to the power struggle between these two contrasting heads: Muse, the strict, over-powering brute, who arrogantly wants his own way above all others; and Phillips, the faithful, self-sacrificing leader, who, even when kidnapped attempts to provide reason to his captors.

Captain Phillips is an ordinary person in an extraordinary circumstance. It’s the type of situation that Greengrass seems to enjoy portraying. What would an average person do if they were suddenly boarded by terrorists on an airplane, or were on a ship that was highjacked by pirates? “United 93” and “Captain Phillips” ask us these questions, and they seem to provide a hopeful answer, even if the result is not always a happy one. Perhaps we all have that survival instinct somewhere inside of us, and we just need the right situation to bring it out. Personally, though, I’m content with just watching it on the screen, and then going back to my own boring life. I’ll experience my own adventures through the movies.