Movie Review – Captain Phillips (2013)
In April of 2009, the MV Maersk Alabama container ship was sailing off the coast of Somalia when a small crew of Somali pirates hijacked the ship.
It was an international story as Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by the Somali pirates. The four pirates took Captain Phillips off the Maersk Alabama on the ship’s lifeboat. What followed next was a rescue operation by the U.S. Navy, and then some extreme marksmanship by a team of Navy SEALs. Three of the pirates were killed, one was taken prisoner, and Captain Phillips was successfully rescued.
The 2013 film Captain Phillips tells this story on the big screen.
Directed by Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips stars Tom Hanks in the title role of Captain Richard Phillips. Starring opposite him is Barkhad Abdi as Somali pirate leader Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse.
Supporting them are Catherine Keener as Andrea Phillips, Barkhad Abdirahman as Somali pirate Bilal, Faysal Ahmed as Somali pirate Najee, Mahat M. Ali as Somali pirate Elmi, Michael Chernus as Shane Murphy, First Officer of the SS Maersk Alabama, Yul Vazquez as Commander Frank Castellano, commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge, and Max Martini as the commander of the SEAL team.
Captain Phillips begins with Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), captain of the MV Maersk Alabama, driving through Vermont with his wife, Andrea (Catherine Keener), and heading to the airport. All that really happens here is Richard talking to his wife about their family and how he needs to spend more time with their children. That’s rather difficult though being the captain of a container ship that sails to different ports around the world.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Meanwhile, in the eastern African country of Somalia, we see Abduwali Abdukadir Muse (Barkhad Abdi), a person who has experience hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia, pick his next crew of hijackers. A large crowd of men volunteer, but he only picks those who have done favors for him. He chooses Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), Najee (Faysal Ahmed), and Elmi (Mahat M. Ali). None of them are older than nineteen years old.
When then see Captain Phillips as he arrives at the MV Maersk Alabama while it’s in port in the Middle East. The container ship is bound for the U.S. but its path involves sailing past the horn of Africa, through an area of water known for pirate attacks. Captain Phillips seems concerned that the ship’s crew has little regard for pirate countermeasures as numerous doors and passages are unlocked. He brings up this concern when he later meets with the crew.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Once it’s loaded with containers, the Maersk Alabama leaves port and begins its voyage south around the Horn of Africa to the port city of Mombasa, Kenya. But first they have to sail around Somalia, a poor country in eastern Africa that has been home base for many pirate crews. The waters around Somalia are very dangerous as lone ships have been attacked and hijacked.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
As they sail past Somalia, Captain Phillips receives an e-mail warning him about recent pirate attacks in that area of the Indian Ocean. He takes the warning seriously and wants his crew to practice their anti-pirate maneuvers, from using fire hoses to repel boarders to their plan of locking themselves in a room and waiting for rescue.
We see some of the crew members become frustrated as they don’t see themselves as fighters, and they’d rather have the captain sail further out to sea where it’s safer. Captain Phillips reminds them that their job is to safely transport their cargo in the shortest time possible. The crew is also reminded that they all voluntarily signed to sail along this route, knowing in advance that it was going to take them through pirate-infested waters.
During this time we see the Somali pirates using their mothership (FV Win Far 191, a captured Taiwanese fishing vessel) to sail the waters and search for prey. On their radar they spot a convoy of merchant ships. Any one of those ships would be a great haul for the pirates, but attacking a convoy is a suicide. Muse then spots a lone merchant ship on their radar and they head in that direction.
Captain Phillips insists on having the ship’s crew practice their anti-piracy drill. But as they run through the drill, First Officer Shane Murphy (Michael Chernus) notices suspicious radar contacts. Phillips has the Maersk Alabama change course by a few degrees. When the ships on the radar also change course and continue closing their distance, Phillips knows that trouble is approaching.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
There are two small skiffs manned by Somali pirates and heading rapidly towards the massive Maersk Alabama container ship. They’re racing along the ocean waves at top speed.
Captain Phillips order’s the ship’s engine to full speed. They won’t outrun the small vessels, but it buys them time to prepare. It also helps create very large waves that force the pirates to either slow down or hold on tight as they continually get bounced into the air.
The captain then places a distress call and asks for assistance from any military agency that will listen. His call is acknowledged but there’s little that anybody can do as far as an immediate response. Captain Phillips is told to basically shut down the ship, lock the crew in an interior compartment, and wait for a rescue. It’s not very assuring.
The pirates continue to approach and close their distance to the Maersk Alabama. Knowing that the pirates are most likely listening to one of their main radio frequencies, Captain Phillips makes a second rescue call and fakes talking to the U.S. Navy. He makes it sound like an attack helicopter is dispatched to attack the pirates. The pirates hear this radio call, and one of the two skiffs turns around and heads back to the mothership.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
The second pirate skiff commanded by Muse continues with their attack on the container ship. However, luck is on the side of the MV Maersk Alabama on this day. The skiff’s engine has been pushed too hard, and after going over one of the large waves the engine fails. The container ship sails away while the pirates are forced to retreat and repair their engine.
That night the Somali pirates meet up with the mothership and repair the skiff’s engine. They head out the next morning in pursuit of their target ship.
The next morning the pirates have rapidly closed the distance to the Maersk Alabama. Once again Captain Phillips sounds the alarm, engages the water hoses, and orders the ship to make evasive maneuvers. He also places another distress call on the radio, but again, there is no immediate assistance. The crew is on their own for dealing with the pirates.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
This time the Somali pirates use a radio and try to order the Maersk Alabama to stop its engine and surrender. Naturally, Captain Phillips isn’t about to do that. His crew takes their positions and they try to elude the pirates. This works until the pirates work their way close enough to fire assault rifles at the crew, pinning them behind bulkheads. The pirates then spot a gap between the fire hoses, and they make that their spot to try to board the ship.
As the pirates get closer, Captain Phillips takes an emergency flare and fires it like a shoulder-launched missile at the pirate’s skiff. He misses and the flare is mainly a distraction. The pirates return fire and Phillips is forced to take cover. The ship’s helmsman swings the Maersk Alabama on a series of sharp turns, but the pirates are able to hook a ladder onto the edge of the ship and then climb on board.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
It’s relatively easy for the Somali pirates to blast their way through locked doors and gain their way to the ship’s bridge. They take Captain Phillips hostage at gun point along with two other members of the crew. The rest of the crew is hiding down in the engine room.
When Muse looks around the bridge, he’s upset that the ship has been shut down. There’s no power for the engine or any way to steer the ship. It looks like it’s dead in the water. Captain Phillips explains that they used too much power when trying to evade the pirates, and the ship is basically broken. Muse’s fellow pirates cannot get the ship operational, so Muse wants the Maersk Alabama‘s crew to get the ship running. But he has to find them first.
Captain Phillips tries to bribe Muse by offering him the $30,000 in the ship’s safe. He can have it and his men can safely flee on the ship’s lifeboat. This is small money though compared to the value of the Maersk Alabama and its cargo. They can sell it on the black market and make a fortune.
When Muse asks Captain Phillips about his crew, the captain replies that he doesn’t know where they are. Muse suspects it’s a trick, so he uses the captain’s radio to call for the men. He threatens to shoot the hostages if the crew does not respond and come up to the bridge. Phillips talks Muse out of executing his crew.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Phillips then offers to take Muse on an inspection of the ship so that they can find the crew. While he’s making this offer, Phillips is secretly pressing down on his radio’s transmit button, alerting the men as to what is about to happen. Phillips is then escorted into the ship by Muse and a barefooted pirate.
While Phillips is being escorted into the ship, First Officer Murphy has secretly gone up to the ship’s galley to get some provisions for his men to help them stand the heat of the engine room. He’s caught off guard when Phillips comes walking down the hallway. Murphy ducks into one of the cold storage areas and hides behind a rack of food. Captain Phillips sees him hiding. Phillips stops the pirate with bare feet from entering the cooler because he’s not wearing shoes. Murphy takes note of that, and when Phillips and the two pirates leave, he radios down to his men and has them set a trap of broken glass.
Muse has seen a map of the ship on one of the walls, and he deducts that the crew is hiding in the engine room. That’s where he insists on going once they leave the ship’s galley. The only problem for the crew members down there is that the emergency lights are still providing plenty of illumination. It’ll be easy for the heavily armed pirates to find them hiding in that room.
While Captain Phillips slowly leads Muse and the other pirate down to the engine room, the ship’s chief engineer, Mike Perry (David Warshofsky), makes a daring trip to the ship’s main deck. He has to carefully elude the two pirates on guard up there and reach the emergency control room. If he can make it there then he can cut the emergency power and make it completely dark in the ship.
The pirates reach the engine room. Sure enough, the bare footed pirate steps through a doorway and the broken glass badly cuts his foot. The man can’t even stand without being in severe pain. Muse knows that it was a trap and he badly wants to find the ship’s crew. Just as he’s about to start searching the engine room, Perry reaches the emergency control room and cuts the rest of the ship’s power. The engine room plunges into complete darkness.
Muse is furious, thinking that this is yet another one of Captain Phillips’s games. Phillips maintains his innocence, claiming that the loss of power is just another effect from the ship breaking while trying to escape from the pirates. He then convinces Muse to allow his wounded man to go back to the top and get some treatment for his feet. Muse sends him and Captain Phillips back to the ship’s bridge.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
While Captain Phillips and the injured pirate head to the bridge, Muse uses his flashlight to continue hunting for the crew. He’s quickly ambushed by the ship’s crew, and Muse’s hand is stabbed while he’s being subdued.
When Captain Phillips and the injured pirate return to the bridge, the other Somali pirates inquire about Muse. They get a response when Murphy uses the radio to call to the bridge. He tells the pirates that they have captured their leader. Murphy and his fellow sailors are willing to trade Muse for Captain Phillips. While being held at gunpoint, Muse orders his men to accept the trade.
Captain Phillips empties the ship’s safe and leads the pirates to the lifeboat on the stern of the ship. His men emerge from the engine room while holding Muse hostage. It’s a tense moment as everybody gathers at the lifeboat. Phillips tries to be helpful by climbing into the lifeboat and showing one of the pirates how to operate the controls.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Muse is released and he and the other Somali pirates climb into the lifeboat. Thinking that he’s free to go, Captain Phillips tries to climb out of the lifeboat. Muse double crosses the Americans and he has one of his men attack Phillips and keep him as their hostage. The lifeboat then releases from the MV Maersk Alabama and plunges into the Indian Ocean.
The crew of the Maersk Alabama quickly brings the ship back online and makes an emergency distress call, alerting the authorities that Captain Phillips has been taken hostage by four Somali pirates. The pirates are in a lifeboat and heading back to Somalia.
The USS Bainbridge is sent to aid Captain Phillips and end the hostage situation. Under no circumstances is Captain Phillips to be allowed to be taken into Somalia by the pirates. They have an estimated thirty-six hours before the lifeboat reaches the coast of Somalia.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
That evening Muse notices that the Maersk Alabama has lights on and is keeping pace with the lifeboat. Obviously it wasn’t damaged as Captain Phillips had claimed. He’s angered for Phillips lying and playing games with him, and this game cost him control of the merchant vessel.
The hours tick by as the lifeboat slowly makes progress towards Somalia. It’s tough though as the lifeboat has a shallow draft, a small engine, and it’s being pushed by wind and currents. It’s also stifling hot inside of the lifeboat and the men are quickly drinking the emergency water.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Suddenly a massive horn announces the arrival of the USS Bainbridge, a heavily armed destroyer. The warship makes a slow pass and circles around the lifeboat. It’s clear that the pirates won’t be able to escape from this ship. Their only hope is to keep using Captain Phillips as a human shield and continue steaming towards Somalia.
Commander Frank Castellano (Yul Vazquez), the commanding officer of the Bainbridge, makes radio contact and tries to talk to the pirates. He has one of his crew men speak the pirates’ language and try to bargain. The pirates demand $10 million for the life of Captain Phillips.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Commander Castellano then authorizes his men to use a small boat to make contact with the lifeboat. They do so and the pirates show them that Captain Phillips is still alive and well. While talking to the sailors, Phillips make mention that he’s in seat #15. In case there’s a firefight, he wants the military to know exactly where he’s positioned in the lifeboat.
It’s a stalemate as the pirates demand a huge ransom and the U.S. government clearly isn’t going to pay it. It’s also a race against time as the lifeboat continues its slow progress towards Somalia.
A team of highly skilled Navy SEALs are sent to the USS Bainbridge. If the captain is unable to negotiate the release of Phillips, then the SEALs will rescue the hostage.
Two more Navy ships arrive at the scene, the USS Halyburton and the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship. As those ships arrive in the area, a Naval security team takes control of the MV Maersk Alabama and has it sail to its destination of Mombasa, Kenya. The pirates taunt Captain Phillips as they show him his precious Maersk Alabama and loyal crewmen fleeing the scene.
It’s night time and the Navy SEALs are on board a cargo plane orbiting the ships in the Gulf of Aden. They make a parachute jump and safely land in the water. The SEALs then use their small boat and climb on board the USS Bainbridge, using that as a platform to launch a rescue mission for Captain Phillips.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
As the SEALs are parachuting, Captain Phillips tells Muse that he needs to step outside and take a leak. They allow him to do so as another pirate is standing guard at the hatch. As the pirate is looking at the other naval ships, Phillips pushes him into the water and then makes a jump for it himself. He desperately swims away from the lifeboat and heads towards the Bainbridge. The pirates turn around and it’s Muse who jumps into the water and recaptures Phillips. He’s hauled back into the lifeboat and given a severe beating.
The SEAL team commander (Max Martini) makes contact with the lifeboat. He alarms the pirates by revealing all of their names. He then tells them that their village elders are being flown to the Bainbridge where they will negotiate for a release of Captain Phillips. They need to pick up the pace and reach the designated area of water, so he tells Muse that they’ll need to attach a tow cable to the lifeboat.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
The Navy sends another small boat out to the lifeboat to check on Captain Phillips and attach the tow cable. Phillips is allowed to show his face and it’s clear that he’s been injured. He’s given a yellow shirt to wear and clearly instructed to remain in his designated seat at all times. A tow cable is attached to the front of the lifeboat, and an audio listening device is secretly attached to the boat as well.
Muse is informed that he’ll be needed on the Bainbridge to negotiate with the village elders. He’s promised that he will not be harmed on the ship. Muse then leaves the lifeboat and goes with the sailors to the destroyer.
The Bainbridge then shines powerful lights onto the lifeboat and begins towing the boat. The lights blind the pirates and prevent them from seeing the destroyer. What they cannot see are the team of Navy SEALs taking position on the destroyer’s stern and taking aim with their sniper rifles.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
As the three remaining pirates become more irritated, Captain Phillips is worried that he’s going to be killed. He snatches a pen and piece of paper, and he begins writing a farewell letter to his family. One of the pirates catches him and tries to beat him. Phillips fights back but he’s eventually overpowered and tied with rope. The pirates stand him up against the back of the lifeboat, blindfold him, and prepare to execute Captain Phillips.
Captain Phillips (2013) – (c) Columbia Pictures
It’s now or never. The Navy SEALs are in position. As soon as all three targets are sighted the SEALs are given permission to shoot. Three simultaneous gunshots are made and all three Somali pirates are killed. Their blood splatters on Captain Phillips.
On board the Bainbridge, Muse realizes that it’s a trap. There are no village elders. He’s quickly taken into custody and arrested on piracy charges. He’s also informed that Captain Phillips is safe and the three pirates are all dead.
Captain Phillips is taken to the medical bay on the Bainbridge. He’s clearly in shock from being spared a certain death on board the lifeboat only moments ago. As the doctors examine his injuries, Phillips breaks down and loses it. He’s safe on the naval ship and extremely grateful to everybody involved with the rescue.
Captain Phillips ends with a few notes. We’re informed that Muse was tried in court and sentenced for 33 years for his role of piracy, hijacking the MV Maersk Alabama, and kidnapping Captain Richard Phillips. It’s then noted that Captain Phillips returned to commanding cargo ships in 2010.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FILM
So is 2013′s Captain Phillips a good film?
As a film, Captain Phillips is a thrilling adventure involving piracy and a hostage situation on the high seas. The sequences showing the MV Maersk Alabama evading the pirates is quite spectacular on the big screen. The cat-and-mouse game between the ship’s crew and the pirates while on the Alabama is clever and quite interesting. And of course, the final moments of Captain Phillips’ rescue by the Navy SEALs is one big adrenaline rush.
Look for fantastic scenes throughout this film. Much of the camera work makes it feel like you’re right there in the middle of the action, whether it’s from the pirates point-of-view or that of Captain Phillips or the SEAL team on the Bainbridge. The only complaint is that there’s a little too much of the shaky camera effect, and this can be a bit nauseous towards the end of the two-hour film.
Look for a really strong performance by Tom Hanks in this film. He seems okay through most of the movie, but during the final stages of being a hostage and his rescue he really shines as an actor. There’s talk online about how this role may earn him another Academy Award.
The Somali pirates are also very convincing in their roles as well. It’s like these guys were plucked right out of Somalia itself just for this film.
One of the things that really helps Captain Phillips is that except for Tom Hanks, the majority of the cast are actors that aren’t big names. This removes your focus on big names in the film and allows you to pay attention to the story, which is a thrilling and very well filmed one.
The story is great, the scenes are fantastic, and you really feel the tension between Captain Phillips and Muse throughout the ordeal. This is a great film from Hollywood.
THE CONSPIRACY
Speaking of Hollywood, depending which news sites you visit, that brings us to the next topic in this film review.
According to REAL members of the MV Maersk Alabama crew, much of what we see relating to Captain Richard Phillips is a work of fiction. If what the crew members are saying is true, the real Richard Phillips was completely different than what we saw in the film. Phillips is reported to be an arrogant person who disregarded safety procedures and reports of piracy in the immediate area. He allegedly ordered his crew to complete a lifeboat drill of all things when the two pirate ships were speeding towards their ship, instead of having the men jump into anti-piracy mode.
The commercial ships were advised to stay at least 600 miles off the coast of Somalia to ward off pirate attacks. The closer you were to shore, then the easier it was for pirates to attack your ship. When the Maersk Alabama was hijacked, allegedly it was only 235 miles off the coast of Somalia.
FINAL THOUGHTS
By itself, Captain Phillips is a fantastic film. It’s based on a real event where Somali pirates successfully hijacked an American container ship and took the ship’s captain hostage. I still remember the news stories that told an incredible tale when Captain Richard Phillips was successfully rescued from the pirates.
It’s a shame though when Hollywood takes a true story and allegedly twists the real events in order to either: A) Tell an even better story, or B) Push an agenda.
Personally, I don’t see a conspiracy where Hollywood is trying to push an agenda. If the reports about the “true” events of what took place on the Maersk Alabama in April of 2009 are accurate, then it’s clear to see that Hollywood is caught altering history to tell a different story.
That’s not a surprise. Many films “based on true events” are heavily edited and have so many elements changed and altered that it’s almost a new work of fiction. It’s rare when Hollywood does manage to tell a true story without changing or removing key details.
But that’s Hollywood and the art of making movies. It’s all about telling a good story. Let’s face it, if a movie is “based on a true story,” then chances are even better that it’ll sell more tickets and earn the film company that much more money.
Captain Phillips (2013) – movie trailer
Go and see Captain Phillips because it’s a solid film that tells a thrilling story. Yes, it’s based on a true story, but do NOT take what you see as a documentary or an honest telling of the hijacking events.
One thing is for sure. Thanks to Captain Phillips, cargo ships have never looked more awesome than what you see in this film.
