Captain Phillips (2013)
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An American merchant mariner must navigate a harrowing ordeal after his ship is seized by Somali pirates.
The story
Captain Richard Phillips, an American merchant mariner, takes command of the MV Maersk Alabama. While sailing through the Guardafui Channel toward Mombasa, Kenya, the vessel is targeted by Somali pirates. Despite the crew's efforts to maintain security and use radio tactics to deter the attackers, the pirates successfully board the ship. The film follows the tense standoff as the crew is held at gunpoint and the pirates attempt to negotiate a ransom for the ship and its crew, while the crew members navigate the immediate dangers of the hijacking.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Captain Richard Phillips takes command of the MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed container vessel. While navigating the Guardafui Channel, the ship is intercepted by Somali pirates. After a failed attempt to deter them via radio, the pirates board the ship and take the crew hostage. The crew hides in the engine room while the pirates search the bridge. A tense standoff ensues as the pirates demand a ransom. The crew eventually manages to force the pirates into a lifeboat, but a pirate's companion refuses to leave without Phillips. The pirates then flee toward the Somali coast in the lifeboat. During the transit, tensions rise among the pirates as they are pursued by the U.S. Navy. A Navy SEAL team is deployed to intervene. Amidst a chaotic standoff involving the U.S. Navy and the pirates, the pirates are eventually neutralized by marksmen. Phillips is rescued and treated for his injuries.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Greengrass
- Writers
- Billy Ray · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hanks · Richard "Rich" Phillips / "Irish"; Barkhad Abdi · Abduwali Muse
- Genres
- biographical; action; thriller
- Themes
- survival; bravery
- Premise and plot tags
- based on true events; maritime; hostage situation
- Source material / true-story basis
- A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its direction, screenplay, production values, cinematography, and the performances of Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 279; Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 48
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a book co-written by Captain Phillips and Stephan Talty.; The production used a real bullet-scarred lifeboat from the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.; The film was shot on a container ship identical to the Maersk Alabama.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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