Captain Phillips

Do remember when the Maersk Alabama container transport was hijacked in the high seas off the coast of Somalia in 2009? I don’t recall reading or seeing a lot of the details at the time, so I didn’t get that clear a story of what was going on.
 
Captain Phillips fills us in on details of the incident – Hollywood-ized, I’m sure, but because the movie is based on the true story, I like to think most of it was accurate. At any rate, it’s one of the more entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while. And believe me, I watch on average one movie a day.

It’s currently showing on FX.

Tom Hanks stars as Capt. Richard Phillips, whose quick thinking and actions saved the crew from becoming hostages. He himself was taken hostage by four Somali pirates led Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi). They were able to delay the boarding, but the pirates eventually prevailed.

The screen virtually exudes tension, only partially relieved when the Somalis are persuaded to leave via a sealed lifeboat after their own skiff went adrift. Unfortunately, they took Capt. Phillips hostage on a voyage that takes the tension to an even higher level.

Next thing you know, the lifeboat is surrounded by a Navy destroyer and launches, an aircraft carrier, and Navy SEAL marksmen.

And the best part? It’s based on the actual 2009 incident.

I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.