When most people hear the word pirate their thoughts may understandably turn
toward the stereotypical Hollywood meme of men roaming the high seas in sailing
vessels seeking adventure and plunder. The image of the prototypical pirate with
his sword, eye patch and pistol attacking under the skull and cross bones flag
of the Jolly Roger may be loosely based on the seventieth century variation of
those typically engaged in crimes at sea but that is only the smallest sliver of
the historical scope of piracy, for millennia men have engaged in commerce
dependent on sea faring ships for transport. Once men took to the seas with
valuable others would follow with larcenous intent. Just because we live in the
high tech world of the twentieth century does not mean the pirate as a real
threat is extinct. Albeit, the overly romantic elements shown in the
swashbuckling films of the thirties may be long gone, if they ever actually
existed but pirates continue to travel the commercial waterways seeking victims
to highjack and plunder.
This resurgence of the pirate as a sea going menace is very real and more
unscrupulous than ever. The film ‘Captain Phillips’ recounts the story of a man
forced to put his life on the line by facing invading pirates that have no
qualms to preclude cold blooded murder. As is the case with most movies there
are issues as to its veracity. Some claiming firsthand knowledge of the incident
sites major departures from the truth the filmmaker stands behind the
authenticity in relating the essence of the story; the captain of the attacked
vessel brought the crew through the ordeal alive with his cargo intact. Once
again I have to advise those concerned with the historical details to broaden
their scope and consider other accounts pf the events. One thing that is true;
this is a gripping film that excels in the quality employed to relate an
incredibly entertaining movie.
The MV Maersk Alabama is a container ship originating from the Port of
Salalah in Oman. In command of the vessel is Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), who
has orders to take the ship through the Gulf of Aden to Mombasa, round the Horn
of Africa. Aware that there has been confirmed reports of pirate activity he
proceeded with heighten awareness. A prudent part of his precautions was to put
his crew through regular drills to ensure everyone knows precisely what to do in
the event of a pirate attack. During one of these practice session the dreaded
incursion occurs. A pair of small crafts begins to pursue the unarmed cargo
ship; they were manned by a group of Somali pirate’s intent of boarding her.
Captain Phillips manages to evade them initially having one of the skiffs
breaking off in response to Philip’s buff of calling for military intercession.
Rough seas are easily managed by the larger ship but the remaining pirate ship
is forced to abandon its chase.
The respite from danger is short lived when one of the pirate skiffs returns
the next day manned by four heavily armed men commanded by Abduwali Muse (Barkhad
Abdi). Using a crudely crafted but eminently effective ladder the felonious
group boards the Maersk Alabama and takes it over. Phillips cuts the power on
board and orders his crew to secure themselves in the most defendable area of
the ship, the engine room. Phillips attempts to assuage the pirate leader
offering the contents of their safe, approximately $30,000. Muse is under orders
from his superiors for a far greater prize to be obtained by ransoming the cargo
and crew for the millions in insurance. Down below a member of the crew succeeds
in cutting the emergency power plunging the ship into darkness. Muse reacts by
searching the engine room only to be captured by the crew. One of the pirates
negotiates a trade; Muse for Phillips and access to one of the ship’s emergency
boats. Phillips is forced into the lifeboat along with his captors.
Back onboard the Maersk Alabama the situation rapidly deteriorates as the
pirates run out of a stimulant they have been using to remain alert. Losing
contact with their mother ship the pirate’s desperation mounts culminating with
being intercepted by a U.S. destroyer. Other American ships arrive on the scene
trying to negotiate Muse, but he refuses to consider a peaceful resolution. The
captain of one of the American ships is under orders to prevent the pirates from
reaching landfall by any means necessary. That night Phillips attempts to swim
to safety but when fired upon by the pirates are forced to return to the
lifeboat. Meanwhile a team of navy SEALs move into position to regain control of
the situation prepared to use deadly force if necessary.
Although overlooked by the Academy awards Tom Hanks garnered well-deserved
accolades for his performance here. Despite that unwarranted snub Mr. Hanks
gives one of the most intensely emotional roles in his exceptional career. Hanks
in undeniably one of the most versatile actors of our time mastering roles
ranging from light comedy to penetrating psychological explorations of a
reasonable man thrust in to circumstance devoid of any reasonable action. This
man has a remarkable range at his command that stems from his well-known affable
personality. The consummate professional it is obvious that his ability to get
along with the crew and his cast mates translate to his affecting a synergy that
bolsters the entire production.
The director, Paul Greengrass, has a unique resume that made him the ideal
filmmaker to helm this movie. Much of his experience is in directing fictional
action oriented thrillers like ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and ‘The Bourne
Ultimatum’. This is reinforced by his dramatizations of historically significant
events in ‘Bloody Sunday’ and ‘United 93’. This combination of films provided
Mr. Greengrass with the requisite experience in crafting a mesmerizing thriller
while maintain the respect for the real people involved with the ordeals. The
screenwriter, Billy Ray, based his script on the novelized account of Captain
Richard Phillips. Previously his credits included thrillers such as ‘Flightplan’
and notably the migration to the screen of the widely popular novel, ‘The Hunger
Games’ making him a highly sought after author. This is a film that reaches out
to grab your attention immediately retaining it completely through every frame
of the movie. It is rare that such an emotionally charged topic is undertaken on
film as entirely successful as this one making it not only incredibly
entertaining but an important piece of cinema.
Commentary With Director Paul Greengrass
Capturing Captain Phillips: In-Depth Behind The Scenes Featurettes On Making The
Acclaimed Film