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A thriller that has viewers on the edge of their seats has now been added to a new streaming platform.
The 2013 action-thriller film, based on the real-life story of an American merchant mariner who was taken hostage off the coast of the Horn of Africa, was adapted from the main character’s autobiography and reports about the ordeal that happened in 2009.
Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks) was ordered to command the unarmed container vessel MV Maersk Alabama from a port in Oman to Mombasa, Kenya, through the Guardafui Channel.
Aware of pirate activities around the area, the captain and his First Officer (played by Michael Chernus), put safety protocols in place, but are quickly intercepted by Somali pirates in two skiffs.
The plot then focuses on the men’s task to save their crew and vessel from the rising threat, as well as the tense negotiations between Phillips and the pirate leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), culminating in an emotional rescue mission.
The film was pitched by Columbia Pictures just weeks after the real-life rescue of Captain Phillips, and filming took place off the coast of Malta in a real ship identical to the Maersk Alabama.
Its cast also included Catherine Keener as Phillips’ wife, Andrea, David Warshofsky as chief engineer Mike Perry, Corey Johnson as helmsman Ken Quinn, and Chris Mulkey as senior crew member John Cronan.
Upon release, the film was an instant success, grossing a worldwide total of $218.8 million against its budget of just $55 million.
Captain Phillips was a critical success, earning a 93% score on the review platform Rotten Tomatoes, where fans continue to rave about its impact.
“‘I’m the captain now’ was bone-chilling. This movie is high-anxiety from start to finish,” an enthusiast wrote. “The performances are so brilliant that I have no desire to watch this film again.”
One simply added, “I thought Captain Phillips was absolutely perfect,” while another called it “one of the most intense movies I’ve seen with Tom Hanks portraying a character so convincingly. Brilliantly directed, great cinematography, and the whole cast excels in character. Highly recommended.”
“If you don’t like this movie, you need to ask some serious questions of yourself,” a fourth posed.
Captain Phillips was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and nine British Academy Film Awards – for which Abdi won Best Supporting Actor. The film also received six Academy Award nominations, and was included in several critics’ lists of the best movies of 2013.
Captain Phillips is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
