Furthermore, a member of the crew, Chief Engineer Mike Perry, then ambushed the pirate leader Abduwali Muse and attempted to exchange him for the ship’s captain. In reality, the Captain was taken prisoner soon after the pirates boarded. It has also since been noted that the real Phillips never volunteered to be taken hostage or shot to save his crew, unlike what is portrayed in the film.
#Captin phillips movie#
However, whereas in the movie it seems like he was only held hostage in the small lifeboat for a day and a half, the real Richard Phillips was held by the pirates for almost 5 days, from Wednesday, April 8, till Sunday, April 12, 2009. The director, Paul Greengrass, who is a former journalist, is also known for his dramatizations of historic events, having previously written and directed the award-winning ‘United 93.’ It comes as no surprise then that ‘Captain Phillips’ follows the events faithfully, depicting accurate details like the number of pirates that boarded, the firehose tactics used by the crew to stop them, and of course, Phillips’ subsequent kidnapping. The movie ‘Captain Phillips’ is based on the events surrounding the hijacking as well as on the book ‘A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea.’ The book is co-authored by Richard Phillips, who was Captain of the ship during the hijacking, and journalist and author Stephan Talty. The cargo ship Maersk Alabama was hijacked by four Somali pirates on April 8, 2009, whilst in the Indian Ocean.
Yes, ‘Captain Phillips’ is based on a true story. Is Captain Phillips Based on a True Story? And also, what’s with Tom Hanks falling into deep trouble whilst making deliveries? (‘ Cast Away,’ anyone?) If you’re wondering the same, then we’ve got a treat for you! (Possible spoilers ahead). We decided to dig around and see how much of ‘Captain Phillips’ was based on real life. A movie titled Captain Phillips, detailing the entire assault was released on October 11, 2013.A stunning film that brought the relatively obscure topic of Somali piracy to the forefront, ‘Captain Phillips’ portrays an unexpectedly dangerous side of being a merchant mariner. The final pirate who released Captain Phillips was 15 years old at the time of the incident, and is currently serving 33 years in prison for his role in the attack.įollowing the incident, Phillips published a book expressing his thoughts about the hostage situation and telling the story from the perspective of an insider. The Navy Seals shot and killed three of the four pirates onboard and the fourth promptly negotiated the release of Captain Phillips. Deciding the captain’s life was in immediate danger, President Obama gave the order for the snipers to attack the pirates. Captain Phillips took this opportunity to attempt an escape, angering his captors. The pirates were running low on food and water and were beginning to panic. The USS Bainbridge carried a Somali interpreter, a group of intelligence officers, and a team of Navy Seals. CTF-151’s destroyer USS Bainbridge was the first to respond to the maydays from Maersk Alabama, which blocked the way of the pirates in the stolen lifeboat, preventing it from escaping to land.
The kidnappers threatened to kill Captain Phillips if their demands were not met.īack on ship crew members were sent into a panic, as they desperately tried to call for help for their kidnapped captain.
The pirates’ plan was to leverage their hostage for millions of dollars in ransom, which would be used to fund other illegal activities and pay for food and housing for their families. The pirates, with Phillips in custody, boarded a life raft and headed for the Somali coast. Upon running out of gas, the pirates abandoned the ship with only one prisoner, Captain Richard Phillips. The crew members hid from the pirates as they captured Captain Phillips and the ship. Onboard at the time were twenty crew members and their captain, Richard Phillips. On April 8, 2009, four pirates made international news when they attacked an American cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama. Pirates have also been known to steal, extort, kidnap, and murder, while pillaging the high seas. Somali Pirates are well known for hijacking ships, but this is only one of a wide array of crimes they commonly commit.