“Captain Phillips” and “All Is Lost” are proof that even our most familiar screen veterans are capable of surprising us.
In a year full of memorable performances from newcomers like Miles Teller (“The Spectacular Now”) and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”), the most revelatory work is arguably coming from Tom Hanks and Robert Redford in two gripping and very different sea-faring thrillers.
Between them, the two have nearly 80 acting credits and three Oscars (although Redford’s came not for acting, but for directing “Ordinary People”). Yet Hanks’ work as a kidnapped merchant mariner and Redford’s embodiment of a sailor stranded at sea are revelatory.