Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips
Once again, Tom Hanks shows off his star power front-and-center in the eponymously titled Captain Philips, Paul Greengrass’ new film about the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009 that opens nationwide this weekend. Despite the pairing of powerful Hollywood talent in Hanks and Greengrass, some critics have already started to circle in on how the title character is portrayed in the film–and whether the real-life Captain Richard Phillips wasn’t as much as a bold leader as he was a reckless mariner.
So far, the film’s early reviews have been generally positive, including a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 78 out of 100 on Metacritic. Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, the film Captain Phillips shows Hanks playing the hero against a band of Somali pirates who have taken control of his ship and threatened the lives of his crew.
But one review from Salon argues Captain Phillips is not so much a tale of heroism as much as it is a “disturbing celebration of American military power.” Then there is the controversy of Captain Richard Phillips himself, who has been criticized as ignoring the very warnings that could’ve prevented his ship from being hijacked in the first place.
For more on the real-life Captain Phillips, watch him speak in a public appearance only five months removed from his harrowing ordeal in which he reflects on the valuable life lessons he learned during the struggle.
Captain Richard Phillips: Lessons on Leadership from The Harry Walker Agency on FORA.tv
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