Captain Phillips Review

[Bini]

Here's Rotten Tomatoes review.

Originally we had planned to see Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 since we'd seen the first one in 3D and thoroughly enjoyed it but a lady in front of us said that Captain Phillips and GRAVITY were both worth seeing. I wasn't thrilled about GRAVITY - it just looks boring to me - so we decided last minute to buy tickets for Captain Phillips and it was fantastic.

I'm not really a massive fan of Tom Hanks but depending on the role I think he does a fine job overall. In this role, which is based on a true story, I felt he did an exceptional job. In a nut shell it's about a man who captains a cargo ship with humanitarian supplies through dangerous, though international, waters when his ship is captured. The small but entire cast is believable, especially, the men that portrayed the Somali pirates. A+! There is some mild language and some violence but all within the boundaries of PG13 I thought. The only negative is that there is quite a bit of camera swaying.. If you're at all sensitive to that - you may need to skip this - I get motion sickness easy and felt ill afterwards but I don't regret seeing it.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when I sat down to see this but I was pleasantly surprised in how well it was executed and kept me interested. It might be a film that some of you will enjoy as well.

[Guest]

Bah. Both movies (Gravity and Phillips) were okay but Gravity, to me, was less frustrating than Phillips.

It bugged me the entire movie that a big cargo ship destined to cross pirated waters does not carry a single firearm. So, 4 skinny Somalians tries to board this ginormous cargo ship. And what does the Captain do? Fire flares at them. Really? Break out your .22 rifle and SNIPE AWAY!

And so then the Somalians take the Captain - which was idiotic the way it unfolded... they have a knife on the neck of the Somalian captain, they have a gun, there are 3 other Somalians but they were ALL in the lifeboat... and they decide to let the Somalian Captain go in the boat BEFORE they get Phillips out of the boat. DUH!

And so then it takes "half the US Navy" (direct quote) to rescue One Captain kidnapped by 4 Somalians. And what does Phillips do? Jump ship. And what does the Navy do? Nothing. Because with all the might and power of the US Navy, they can't put frogmen in the water unless they got the Seal Team...

So, of course, the Seals will have to come in and save the day. I love SEALs. Love them. And they were good in this movie too. But, I can't help but think all throughout this idiot movie how they should've just sent Jet Li to save Phillips and save thousands of taxpayer money. Or, even just send two fully armed off-duty Marines on them cargo ships going through those waters.

Okay, my review is of course not about the movie but the real-life situation portrayed. Because yeah, the acting and pacing was great in this show.

Now, Gravity. I liked it better than Phillips. 2 actors and one extra. That's it! Well, actually, it's 1 actor with one supporting for half the movie, and 1 extra that is just a few seconds. Great acting, great visuals, great pacing, believable enough because I am no expert on NASA stuff. The only problem with it is I left the movie wanting to rewrite it... I was hoping that she would've been able to somehow save Matt. And I was hoping that they would've shown her telling the story to some folks in NASA... I mean, c'mon... a few more extras is not too much more added investment!

[Bini]

Bah. Both movies (Gravity and Phillips) were okay but Gravity, to me, was less frustrating than Phillips.

It bugged me the entire movie that a big cargo ship destined to cross pirated waters does not carry a single firearm. So, 4 skinny Somalians tries to board this ginormous cargo ship. And what does the Captain do? Fire flares at them. Really? Break out your .22 rifle and SNIPE AWAY!

And so then the Somalians take the Captain - which was idiotic the way it unfolded... they have a knife on the neck of the Somalian captain, they have a gun, there are 3 other Somalians but they were ALL in the lifeboat... and they decide to let the Somalian Captain go in the boat BEFORE they get Phillips out of the boat. DUH!

And so then it takes "half the US Navy" (direct quote) to rescue One Captain kidnapped by 4 Somalians. And what does Phillips do? Jump ship. And what does the Navy do? Nothing. Because with all the might and power of the US Navy, they can't put frogmen in the water unless they got the Seal Team...

So, of course, the Seals will have to come in and save the day. I love SEALs. Love them. And they were good in this movie too. But, I can't help but think all throughout this idiot movie how they should've just sent Jet Li to save Phillips and save thousands of taxpayer money. Or, even just send two fully armed off-duty Marines on them cargo ships going through those waters.

Okay, my review is of course not about the movie but the real-life situation portrayed. Because yeah, the acting and pacing was great in this show.

Now, Gravity. I liked it better than Phillips. 2 actors and one extra. That's it! Well, actually, it's 1 actor with one supporting for half the movie, and 1 extra that is just a few seconds. Great acting, great visuals, great pacing, believable enough because I am no expert on NASA stuff. The only problem with it is I left the movie wanting to rewrite it... I was hoping that she would've been able to somehow save Matt. And I was hoping that they would've shown her telling the story to some folks in NASA... I mean, c'mon... a few more extras is not too much more added investment!

Needed to highlight that.

[Windseeker]

After hearing the stories from the actual crew and reading how this guy was made a Hero from the Media and Hollywood I don't know if I can watch it.

It puts me in a conundrum, trying to balance my indignation and not wanting to support lies vs being entertained.

I'll probably just watch Gravity.

[Bini]

After hearing the stories from the actual crew and reading how this guy was made a Hero from the Media and Hollywood I don't know if I can watch it.

It puts me in a conundrum, trying to balance my indignation and not wanting to support lies vs being entertained.

I'll probably just watch Gravity.

What were the stories told from the actual crew? And is it someone's fault if the media and or Hollywood choose to portray them in a way that isn't 100% accurate? I know that there have been many 'based on a true story' films in the past that most people haven't had a problem with, despite the plot not being completely accurate.

[Windseeker]

Here is one article about it.

Crew members: ‘Captain Phillips’ is one big lie | New York Post

I believe there are true heroes out there..somewhere. I just have a pet peeve about jerks winning. Anyway...sometimes you have to turn off your brain and just enjoy a well made movie.

[Guest]

Here is one article about it.

Crew members: ‘Captain Phillips’ is one big lie | New York Post

I believe there are true heroes out there..somewhere. I just have a pet peeve about jerks winning. Anyway...sometimes you have to turn off your brain and just enjoy a well made movie.

Note on the article: You'll have to balance the crew's stories with what they're trying to get out of it - Court Settlements.

So, yeah, who do you believe, right?

[Windseeker]

Note on the article: You'll have to balance the crew's stories with what they're trying to get out of it - Court Settlements.

So, yeah, who do you believe, right?

This is true. I think I sympathize with the crew more. The fact Phillips was 60 miles closer to the coast then he reports definately calls into question his honesty. Crew locking themselves down before any hint of problems means there must have been a disconnect between the crew and this captain.

I might watch when it comes to DVD. Like you Anatess, I don't get why this ships can't be armed. I suppose all it takes is for someone to get in range with a grenade launcher. But it still seems easily defendable. I could come up will allot better methods then a flare gun.

[Praetorian_Brow]

Trying explaining a grenade launcher to every customs officer at every port, in every country. Even a .22 would require declaration and the proper paperwork. Most weapons in countries require a tree's worth of paperwork to certify and to prove the possession is legal. Entering a port requires conformance to all the laws of the port of entry. It is easier and cheaper, not to carry weapons on a ship of commerce.

International law applies in international waters and I think some people forget that such a thing exists.

I loathe movies like these ones, because they distort facts and root causes and portray someone as a hero when they are usually less than that. People with no understanding of military operations, or international law, or even of the subject, assume because it is "based on a real story", what happens and how it happened in the movie is a good reference point for their understanding of the subject. I cringe when I see actors trying to behave like military or movies trying to replicate operations.

I put this movie into the same category of Black Hawk Down. They even have links, believe it or not. Enjoyable until real facts are researched and then repugnant thereafter.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Praetorian_Brow

[Windseeker]

Trying explaining a grenade launcher to every customs officer at every port, in every country.

I was talking about defending against a grenade launcher. I don't know what it takes to take down a ship. I don't know exactly how these pirates do it. It does seem odd that some guys with guns in little boats can catch and take down these cargo ships.

Can a bullet hole in a hull stop one of these? What about a grenade, will it pierce the hull?

[Praetorian_Brow]

The Pirates are not interested in damaging the ship or the crew, as both are required for ransom demands that usually fetch millions from the shipping company. Push comes to shove though, they will do whatever they deem within their best interests or save their own skin. Life in Somalia is cheap and horrible.

An RPG, or a rocket propelled grenade (a grenade launcher is something entirely different) as typiucally used by the pirates could damage the hull, but I doubt it could cause enough damage to sink a freight ship by itself. Small arms, AKs (assault rifles) and RPKs (machine guns) as typically used by the pirates wouldn't do much damage again'st the hull of a typical freighter that is targeted, but it would do damage and frighten the crew.

In banks, the tellers are instructed to comply with the demands of the robber. Same thing here. Cheaper, safer to just give them what they want. Fighting will result in death, injury and damage which is more expensive than the demands in most cases.

[Vort]

I just have a pet peeve about jerks winning.

You must find the world a cruel place indeed.

[Guest]

The Pirates are not interested in damaging the ship or the crew, as both are required for ransom demands that usually fetch millions from the shipping company. Push comes to shove though, they will do whatever they deem within their best interests or save their own skin. Life in Somalia is cheap and horrible.

An RPG, or a rocket propelled grenade (a grenade launcher is something entirely different) as typiucally used by the pirates could damage the hull, but I doubt it could cause enough damage to sink a freight ship by itself. Small arms, AKs (assault rifles) and RPKs (machine guns) as typically used by the pirates wouldn't do much damage again'st the hull of a typical freighter that is targeted, but it would do damage and frighten the crew.

In banks, the tellers are instructed to comply with the demands of the robber. Same thing here. Cheaper, safer to just give them what they want. Fighting will result in death, injury and damage which is more expensive than the demands in most cases.

The first thing a pirate has to do is board the ship before you can even be a threat. AK47's can't get you there.

Yes, commercial ship liners the size of the one portrayed in the movie carry millions of dollars worth of cargo. I would think it is cheaper to file the paperwork for armed security than to lose the ship to pirates.

[Praetorian_Brow]

Weapons laws are not universal and its tangled web of international law.

Pirates can board fairly easily on a huge ship. If I knew someone was pointing RPG's at my truck while they were in a rickshaw with a jet engine on it, I would be intimidated myself.

Customs needs to be as smooth as possible as the profit margin for these ships is set on a schedule, so simply "filling out the paperwork" if it is even an option for most countries is not the catch all solution to piracy. The world's navies wouldn't be in the Gulf of Aden, if it was simply a case of just giving the ships weapons to fight for themselves.

[Windseeker]

You must find the world a cruel place indeed.

Yeah..but it evens out in the end when the biggest jerk ever is cast into Outer Darkness.

[Guest]

Weapons laws are not universal and its tangled web of international law.

Pirates can board fairly easily on a huge ship. If I knew someone was pointing RPG's at my truck while they were in a rickshaw with a jet engine on it, I would be intimidated myself.

Customs needs to be as smooth as possible as the profit margin for these ships is set on a schedule, so simply "filling out the paperwork" if it is even an option for most countries is not the catch all solution to piracy. The world's navies wouldn't be in the Gulf of Aden, if it was simply a case of just giving the ships weapons to fight for themselves.

I got curious so I went ahead an read the international law on this one.

According to the UN Conventions for Law of the Seas the ship may carry a firearm on international waters if the ship's Flag allows firearms. An Australian ship, for example, may not carry firearms because firearms is illegal in Australia.

Once the ship enters territorial waters, the territory govern the carrying of firearms. Each territory has different laws but most countries do not prohibit the entry of ships carrying firearms into their jurisdiction providing they declare them on arrival and they are suitably secured onboard and sealed during the time in port.

The world's navies wouldn't be in the Gulf of Aden if there were no terrorists in existence. It is the responsibility of the military to reduce/eliminate threats to its citizens. A ship carrying a country's flag becomes a territory of that country. So, a terrorist boarding a ship carrying the US flag is the same as a terrorist entering Manhattan.

[Traveler]

Historically the most effective method to stop pirates is to target their launch ports.

In general the only way to stop crime using methods of deterrent is to make the punishment greater and as likely as the possible reward gained.

The Traveler

[kapikui]

I always liked the idea of sending out ships armed to the teeth but disguised to look like cargo ships. Do things to deliberately draw out the pirates. Maybe have a nice attack submarine hanging out nearby. Then when the pirates attack, eliminate them.

[Praetorian_Brow]

Going to "eliminate" all of Somalia while you are at it?

The piracy in that region was initially a product of starving people, who lost their fishing livelihood after international companies dumped toxic waste in their water and over fished the area.

[dahlia]

After hearing the stories from the actual crew and reading how this guy was made a Hero from the Media and Hollywood I don't know if I can watch it.

It puts me in a conundrum, trying to balance my indignation and not wanting to support lies vs being entertained.

I'll probably just watch Gravity.

That was my feeling as well. Watching the commercials, I thought it might be interesting, but after reading what the crew had to say, well, I'll leave this one alone.

[Guest]

Going to "eliminate" all of Somalia while you are at it?

The piracy in that region was initially a product of starving people, who lost their fishing livelihood after international companies dumped toxic waste in their water and over fished the area.

Actually, if you want to use "initially", then it started with the Somalian Civil War that caused Somalia to disband its Navy and Coast Guard which then left the coastlines undefended which then caused foreign shipping boats to intrude into Somalian territorial waters to both fish or dump waste.

The Somalian Civil War that went on from 1991 to 2006 caused massive inflation that drove the prices of food and gas to unbearably high prices. This caused nationwide starvation among the Somalians and drove many people to the coastal areas. Somalia used to have the biggest military in Africa when it was still a Socialist Republic. This military disbanded sometime before the end of the Civil War which left Somalia vulnerable to foreign invasion especially after it lost a war with neighboring Ethiopia that had Soviet support. They thought they were allies with Russia! Somalians were left with nowhere to turn to so they started to form their own civilian defense groups to protect their coastal waters from the foreign fishing boats that started to creep into territorial waters. They soon realized that they can ambush these fishing boats and get money and at the same time protect their coastline... hence piracy became a Somalian industry.

[kapikui]

Going to "eliminate" all of Somalia while you are at it?

The piracy in that region was initially a product of starving people, who lost their fishing livelihood after international companies dumped toxic waste in their water and over fished the area.

Nope, just the ones that commit acts of piracy. If most of their pirates don't come back, it will eventually stop.

[Praetorian_Brow]

Forum junkies are funny. I bring up an initial observation that very few have an understanding of, then it seems as if they then go to google or wikipedia soon after and are suddenly an expert on the subject and instructing me, which is fine, as often I am hazy on the details.

I applaud the quests for clarification and the pursuit of knowledge, but it amuses me. I suppose I should just be grateful I was able to shed light on the topic and we all come away with a better understanding in the end, just as long as the intentions of all parties wasn't for mere ego purposes.

Yes, Anatess, you're correct, I did miss some points. Somewhere in there, the failed military mission by the U.S. military should be mentioned, as that led to approximately 20 marine deaths and 5000 Somali deaths. Read on that subject and I think you would dislike the "heroic" Black Hawk Down movie as well.

[Bini]

Forum junkies are funny. I bring up an initial observation that very few have an understanding of, then it seems as if they then go to google or wikipedia soon after and are suddenly an expert on the subject and instructing me, which is fine, as often I am hazy on the details.

It always seems obvious, too, doesn't it? I can relate. I've been on forums where someone has asked something medically related and I'll give a basic answer but it covers their question - and then someone who isn't in the profession will suddenly respond with this enormous type out with all this medical terminology tossed in it - and everyone thinks this person is like super knowledgeable on it. No, just no. Google or Wiki anyone?

Back to topic..

I haven't read the link as of yet but I guess it's too late in regards to my decision in seeing this one. I saw it and I enjoyed it. I thought everyone did a great job. I'm not in 'the-know' to really form an opinion regarding piracy and war in Somalia.

[Windseeker]

Going to "eliminate" all of Somalia while you are at it?

The piracy in that region was initially a product of starving people, who lost their fishing livelihood after international companies dumped toxic waste in their water and over fished the area.

I've actually been to Mogadishu and I'm not sure about international companies. I know I was told that I couldn't go swimming in the ocean because of Hepatitis A which is caused by the entire city dumping their sewage straight into the ocean.

I've never seen such pretty and diverse coral straight from the beach as I saw in Somalia, and I have lived for years in Maui and Florida. It was very tempting.

Anyway..

I just have to disagree that the "international companies" are soley to blame.