Tom Hanks' New Movie Feels Familiar

It's been quite some time since we've seen Tom Hanks play a hero without a terrible haircut. In recent years, the man who played perennial good guy with remarkable abilities so well in the likes of Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, and Forrest Gump, has traded in lovable heroes for more challenging, complex characters in the likes of Charlie Wilson's War, Cloud Atlas, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

But with his next picture, it seems Hanks is treading into territory far more familiar with a '90s-era Hanks. In Captain Phillips, the actor plays the real-life Maersk Alabama captain whose boat was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. But, while Hanks plays the hero, the film, directed by Paul Greengrass, will also delve into the lives of the pirates themselves, based on the trailer released Wednesday. It would be a natural plot element for a director like Greengrass, who has spent his career proving he can juggle action and politics deftly, having released films like The Bourne Ultimatum and United 93.

Only one downside to Captain Phillips: While we can herald the return of Hanks the hero, we also must cope with the return of Hanks' Massachusetts accent, which had thankfully spent 11 years parked in Harvard Yard after Catch Me If You Can's release.

Image: Columbia Pictures