Captain Phillips -- November 2013

NOT THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

Moe: Hey Joe, guess what? For once I've got a movie to recommend to you – if you haven't already seen it, that is.

Joe: Well, good. What movie is it?

Moe: Captain Phillips – it's the one about that American ship that was commandeered by Somali pirates about four years ago.

Joe: Oh, yeah – no, I haven't seen it, but I've been wanting to. So tell me about it. What did you like about it?

Moe: It's really intense – and exciting. It never slows down so you can catch your breath. Great performances, too.

Joe: So what happens? I know basically what it's about, but give me some details.

Moe: It's based on a true story that happened in April of 2009. Richard Phillips was the captain of a cargo ship called the Maersk Alabama. Their task was to take the cargo from Oman on the Arabian Peninsula to the port of Mombasa in Kenya.

Joe: Did they have any idea they'd be attacked by pirates? Were they prepared?

Moe: Yeah, they were more or less prepared. They had water cannons that were supposed to repel pirates if they attacked, and Captain Phillips was a stickler for preparing the crew. Actually, most of the crew members were reluctant to go through drills, but Phillips insisted. And then it happened. A group of four Somali pirates managed to board the ship and take it over.

Joe: So how in the world did they manage that? This was a gigantic ship, right? How big was the Somali boat?

Moe: It was just a skiff – but the pirates were really determined. The State Department found out later that they were all 17 to 19 years old, so I guess it had to do with the impetuosity of youth. They probably thought they were invincible. And the Maersk Alabama was so big it couldn't maneuver quickly. The water cannons weren't really effective either.

Joe: What happened once the pirates commandeered the ship?

Moe: Well, I'm not going to tell you everything; if I do it'll spoil your viewing. The pirates do succeed in capturing the captain. It appears they don't want to kill anyone; one of the Somalis says, "This is just business." They demand an astronomical amount of money. 
Eventually the U. S. military enters the fight.

Joe: You said the performances are good?

Moe: They sure are. Tom Hanks does his usual solid job of acting. And the guys who play the Somali pirates are really strong. The one who plays the lead is a Somali actor named Barkhad Abdi. He's pretty amazing. At the end of the movie the credits say that the Somali communities of Ohio, Minnesota, and London were part of the filming.

Joe: Any reservations about the movie?

Moe: Well, it's pretty violent in places, and there's some offensive language. Some of it is painful to watch. The other thing, though, is that I'd like to have seen more of a historical context. There are some scenes of pirates planning the raid in Somalia, but I wish there'd been at least a little more about Somalia and why the pirates were so desperate and how piracy got started there. Even so, it's really worth seeing. Hanks plays Captain Phillips as a committed family man, and he comes off as a real hero.

Joe: Well, Moe, can I take the kids?

Moe: It's rated PG-13, so I guess it'd be OK to take your teenagers. I don't think I'd take anybody younger.

Joe: What kind of rating would you give it?

Moe: Let me think – I guess I'd give it 3 ¼ stars.

Joe: OK, you've convinced me. Thanks, buddy.