#Watching captain phillips movie

But in real life, even one desperate man with a weapon is frightening. After all, four men with machine guns would be no threat to James Bond. If this was a normal Hollywood action film, you'd have to really raise the stakes to make that happen. How Hanks's character handles himself is both remarkable and real, which actually makes the tense scenes even more suspenseful. When sitting down to watch Captain Phillips, I was worried about one thing: that this would turn into a typical action movie - where Tom Hanks would hide in the shadows and single-handedly take down the armed pirates with nothing but found items to help him.

#Watching captain phillips movie

By the time the movie finishes, these men are pushed to breaking point and not everyone gets a happy ending. When Muse is ordered to hit the ocean, and find a ship to steal from by the local warlord, events are put in play that will see these two men go head to head. We are also introduced to Muse, a Somalian man who is surrounded by poverty and violence. It's clear from the outset that Phillips is just a regular man. Tom Hanks plays Richard Phillips, the captain of the Maersk ship Alabama.

And the reality of this situation makes this one of the most gripping thrillers I've seen. What's Captain Phillips about?Ĭaptain Phillips is based on the true story of a merchant ship that was boarded by pirates.

In Captain Phillips, when warned of pirates in the area, they don't prepare for a revival of Pirates of Penzance. They are dangerous men born out of desperation and violence. But these pirates aren't colourful vagabonds or digital thieves. It's hard to believe that in the 21st century, pirates are still a problem.

So when I watch the news and hear stories of Somali pirates, my brain gets a little bit confused. When I think of pirates, I either think of someone illegally downloading the latest episode of Game of Thrones or Johnny Depp prancing around with a sword.