For all of the students on campus who are fans of drama and movies based on real stories, the film “Captain Phillips” has started playing on Channel 96.
The film brings to life the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking of the US Maersk Alabama. Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi) and his crew of Somali pirates have invaded the ship and are holding Phillips and his crew hostage for ransom. It is up to Captain Phillips to outsmart his way out of this dilemma and save his crew before any of their lives are mercilessly lost.
This movie takes its audience very seriously. It shows both sides of the story and what has brought both of these individual people together. Muse’s side is based on the real Somali pirates that have been threatening international shipping for years. Phillips, on the other hand, is doing his job as the captain of a goods transporting ship to get the goods safely transported across the sea to the right port.
The suspense and action in the film is one of the biggest reasons to go and see this movie. When the pirates start trying to board the ship, bullets are shot, people are panicking, and sailors are fighting back. The viewers are on the edge of their seat hoping Phillips and the crew will make it out in the end. The actors’ performances, especially Tom Hank’s, are very believable and really sold the audience by making the drama seem more intense.
This film was based off of the book “A Captain’s Duty” written by the real Captain Phillips after his dangerous encounter with the Somali pirates. The book tells of everything that happens in the movie and has become a best seller.
The one criticism about this movie is that the second half became slower, less action-oriented, and more dramatic. Once the pirates kidnap Phillips into a smaller enclosed boat, as shown in the trailer, the drama drags on more than the action. This can become boring to some of the people who watch the film. It is mostly about how in the newly enclosed space the pirates have been driven to start to go mad and turn on Phillips multiple times. The acting and ending, however, still makes the second half worth watching.
The film in itself is a work of brilliance. It makes the public aware of what is going on across seas and what it takes to survive in a dangerous situation that can end the life of themselves or others. The pirates in the real world are not too far from what most people perceive them to be. They are merciless, dangerous, and greedy people that will do anything to get their pay, even if it means endangering innocent people just like Captain Phillips.
