Hence, it was not the Captain volunteering but a hostage exchange gone wrong that resulted in the hostage situation on the lifeboat.Īnother detail where the movie briefly departs from reality is when Bilal gets injured on the ship by a trap of broken glass set by the crew. This seemed to briefly work until the pirates reneged on the agreement and took Phillips hostage, taking him on the lifeboat with them. 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. 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 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.
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