Captain Phillips

The film is based on the terrifying true story of Captain Richard Phillips and his crew in 2009 when Somali pirates hijacked their ship, MV Maersk Alabama; the first American Cargo ship hijacked in 200 years. This raw rendition of the barbaric event sees Tom Hanks undertaking the role of the bold Captain Phillips who leads the ship from the port of Oman through the Gulf of Aden to Mombasa. On route, he becomes aware of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia and is shortly pursued by pirates in two skiffs which he manages to outrun, yet fails the next day when four pirates (including Muse, the leader) manage to outrace the cargo ship and attach a ladder before taking control and capturing Captain Phillips whilst the other crew members hide in the engine room. Muse’s objective is to ransom the lives of the crew for money from the Ship Company.

After premiering at the New York Film Festival the film was praised greatly for its direction, screenplay, cinematography and outstanding performances by the leads Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi (Muse). Critics have claimed it is a motion picture powerful and intense enough to translate the true events of 2009 into a Hollywood blockbuster. It is a smartly written thriller with a conscience, managing to draw us all into a mutual fear of the armed pirates and makes us question how far we would fight for survival. A MUST-SEE!

Rhiannan Falshaw-Skelly