Captain Phillips is a 2013 production by director Paul Greengrass and writer Billy Ray. The main protagonist is played by big-time movie star Tom Hanks. This adventure-action film was nominated for 6 Oscars during the 2014 Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year. And the fans seem to agree with the movie receiving 7.8 stars on IMDb, while critics put the film a bit higher at an 82 Metascore.
A Summary
Captain Phillips is based on real-life events experienced by the captain and his crew of the Maersk Alabama while sailing the American cargo ship through Somalian waters. The cargo ship gets tailed by a small skiff with multiple armed men, trying to reach the ship. Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) tries his best to keep them away and succeeds the first day, but the day thereafter the men successfully board the ship.
What follows is are tension-filled situations between the hijackers and the crew. Most of the crew was instructed to hide on the lowest level of the engine room, while the captain and two other captured crew members try to buy time for help to arrive. The pirates are offered $30,000, but the leader of the group has set his mind on making millions of dollars.
Phillips is forced to show the pirates around the ship in an attempt to find the other crew members, but through small hints in language between meeting crew members, the pirates are put off-guard. One of two pirates in the engine room searching is injured and needs to go back to the bridge, while the other pirate, the leader, keeps looking.
He gets captured by a large group of crew members hiding in behind the engines. Contact is made with the other pirates at the bridge and they accept a trade, leave the ship with the $30,000 and their leader. Of course, pirates wouldn’t be pirates if they honourably fulfilled the trade.
They take the captain hostage within their lifeboat and leave the cargo freighter. They set sail for the Somali coast, but won’t get there before the US Navy does. Now they are being trailed by three US ships, including an aircraft carrier. The pirate leader is brought to one of the ships to make a deal. However, the US is not planning on making a deal. The three remaining pirates on the lifeboat are shot by SEAL snipers and captain Phillips is free.
The Story
I am really interested in stories based on real-life events and this film is a great example of that. You can constantly feel the tension between the pirates themselves and between the pirates and the crew. Everybody knows it could be their last day alive if they make a wrong move.
I found it fascinating to see how the US responded to one single American taken as a hostage. Three ships, including an aircraft carrier and a SEAL team! In the end, the most important thing came true, the captain was saved and got out of the situation unharmed, both in the movie as in real life.
However, I believe the movie takes its tension a bit too far. You’re watching almost a complete film with constant tension. There are next to none calm situations. While this probably is an accurate portrayal of the situation, it takes away from good dialogue and acting.
The Characters
Captain Richard Phillips
The captain is the only character of the ship’s crew who gets attention. He got (very) little backstory and is in almost every shot, while the other crew members are mere figurants and not important. I love Tom Hanks and this role shows his class ones again. He put so much emotion into a quite bleach-written role that bumps this movie to a higher level.
It is shown that the captain of the ship is well-trained for these situations, as he knows exactly what to do and can keep his cool during intense circumstances. He knew they would be traversing dangerous waters and prepared his crew for the worst as well. Because of his bravery and actions the crew survived this pirate attack.
Muse
Muse is the Somali pirate captain and portrayed in this movie by an actual Somalian. He is the only one of the four pirates who speaks good English and therefore is the main communicator between parties. He is fearless and determined to earn his millions of dollars, by any means necessary. The film portrays him as a smart man, who knows that somethings the captain is telling him are true, even though those ideas are not in their favour.
However, his complete character kinda loses ground when he decides to go to the US Navy to negotiate a deal. The Muse we see during the hijacking wouldn’t have done that, because he knew it would be a trap. Therefore it creates inconsistencies in his character arc.
The Production
The movie is shot in large part by handheld moving cameras, which amplifies the intense circumstances. The shaking camera shots add the tension that is being built. Furthermore, I always like to see some good US army stuff, like the aircraft carrier or the SEAL team. It always creates a bad-ass vibe to join in on the movie.