BFI London Film Festival – Opening Night

This year’s BFI London Film Festival set sail last night with the film Captain Phillips, starring legendary Tom Hanks and with director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne movies) at the helm.

This year is the 80th anniversary of the BFI and so a large celebratory feel surrounds this year’s 57th London Film Festival – highlighting some of the world’s best filmmakers and actors/actresses. In my humble opinion it’s one of the most exciting times to be in London.

But back to the opening night…

Leicester Square was filled with the UK’s press, flashing lights, fans and A-list celebrities. I took my sister to the premiere, who was going to one for the first time, and so was brilliant to see her excited face as we strolled the red carpet and tried to unsubtly stop and oogle at Tom Ford (who had dressed Tom Hanks’ gorgeous wife Rita Wilson for the evening).

Taking our seats inside we chatted away to ourselves and scoffed the complimentary Green and Blacks chocolate whilst listening intently to the lovely spoken introductions from director Paul Greengrass and star Tom Hanks.

Captain Phillips was a perfect choice to kick off the festival. It’s a film that comes from Paul Greengrass’ heart (having been inspired by his father to make the movie) and it’s in his signature style of creating truly tense cinema – real heart pumping stuff.

Captain Phillips tells the story of Richard, who embarks on one of his usual long haul trips on an American cargo boat, this time crossing the dangerous waters around the horn of Africa.  It’s an unbearably tense hijack thriller and is based on the true life event of the hijacking of an actual American container ship in March 2009 by Somali Pirates – so you can get the jist of the plot from this.

Despite knowing what is inevitably going to happen in the film, the action plays out perfectly and is genuinely uncomfortably tense viewing at times – hearing the inevitable bleep of danger when you see the two green spots of the approaching pirate speedboats on Hanks’ ship radar is heart sinking. You know what’s about to happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it but watch…

Now I have been a fan of Tom Hanks for years but I think this is up there with one of his best performances yet. He plays the part of a man in constant struggle – between saving his own life, between trying to do the right thing, to saving his crew and ship and by doing his moral duty. The relationship and power struggle between Tom’s character and the 4 Somali pirates is also very well judged by Greengrass; he manages to avoid stereotyping with the pirates and gives them all fleshed out characters by the end of the movie. Special mention should be paid to Barkhad Abdi who plays the ‘Captain’ of the pirates, Muse, who is ferocious on screen and holds the whole film together alongside Hanks.

I was pleased to see that the film has opened to rave reviews today and will open to the public in cinemas next Friday 18 October – I highly recommend you watch!

For all other amazing films shown during this year’s film festival, there are STILL tickets left so be quick – keep them HERE. Here’s LMNH’s pick of what to watch at the festival if you get the chance (and if not all of the below will be on general cinema release later in the year:)

Locke (starring Tom Hardy, the entire film is set in his car…sounds intriguing!)

12 Years a Slave (all star cast starring Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Benedict Cumberbatch about the story of one man’s life as a slave)

Philomena (Steve Coogan and Judy Dench form an unlikely friendship in this charming film about a mother in search of her long lost son)

Gravity (this much talked about film is set entirely in space and stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney)

Blue is the Warmest Colour (this year’s winner of the Palme D’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival)