Sony Pictures has released a pair of clips from director Paul Greengrass’ new film Captain Phillips.  The pic stars Tom Hanks as real life ship captain Richard Phillips who allowed himself to be taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009 in exchange for the safety of his crew.  The film landed on our Most Anticipated list of fall movies, and while Matt wasn’t quite taken with it, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Greengrass has put together.  The filmmaker has a knack for melding relevant and difficult themes with a very effective thriller, and these two new clips are certainly promising.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahaman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez, and David Warshofsky.  Captain Phillips opens on October 11th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Captain Phillips:

Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.  It is — through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens — simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization.  The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage.  Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.