History Film / CaptainPhillips

* AgonyOfTheFeet: Upon learning that one of the pirates is barefoot, the crew of the ''Maersk Alabama'' strew broken glass by the door to the engine room. Bilal steps right into it and is pretty much taken out of action. He spends the rest of the film in great pain. Even worse, to rub some salt in these wounds--''quite litteraly''-- Phillips at the end pushes him into the sea in order to escape, quipping Saltwater would be good for your foot". Ouch.

* HoldingBothSidesOfTheConversation: During the pirates' first attempt to capture the ''Maersk Alabama'', Captain Phillips bluffs them by pretending to talk to a nonexistant naval vessel, providing the Navy's responses himself. When he says that a helicopter will be showing up in five minutes, most of the pirates take off. [[spoiler: Muse isn't fooled, but the engine on his skiff craps out.]]

* AgonyOfTheFeet: Upon learning that one of the pirates is barefoot, the crew of the ''Maersk Alabama'' strew broken glass by the door to the engine room. Bilal steps right into it and is pretty much taken out of action. He spends the rest of the film in great pain. Even worse, to rub some salt in these wounds--''quite litteraly''-- Phillips at the end pushes him into the sea while exclaiming "Hey, salt water might be good for your feet!". Ouch.

* HeroicBSOD: Captain Philips upon his rescue. He's in tears and can barely speak during his subsequent medical examination.

--> "You said you were a businessman! Is this how you do business?!"

* ShootTheHostageTaker: A Marine JAG comes aboard the ship where the snipers were stationed. He deliberated with the chain of command and advised them on when it would be legally permissible to take shots to save Captain Phillips. [[spoiler:This is exactly what happens, as two of the pirates are shot, and the third one is arrested.]]

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Between attempts on the ''Maersk Alabama'', Muse orders another pirate to give him another engine for his skiff. The other guy doesn't take it so well; he starts yelling at Muse and threatens to shoot him. Muse gives him a wrench upside the head. No one gives him a problem after that. [[spoiler: Until the situation starts going to hell when they're in the ''Maersk's'' lifeboat.]]

** [[invoked]]In real life, the trap with the broken glass never happened, although Muse really did have his hand sliced open [[spoiler:when he was captured by the crew. Muse has a gun and is alone when he is captured in the film; in real life [[WhatAnIdiot he went below deck with a crew member unarmed]].]]

* TheOperatorsMustBeCrazy: Phillips calls [=UKMTO=] to say, "Help! We're being chased by pirates!" and gets an operator who calmly tells them they should follow procedures, get their hoses ready, stay calm, etc. Phillips is too shocked to respond, but you can see "TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW, LADY!" in his eyes. He also tries reaching the US Navy, only to find that their connection's ''off-hook''.

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Captain Phillips, when the [=SEALs=] kill the pirates remaining on the lifeboat, gets those pirates' blood all over him. He does not react to it well. This also momentarily confuses the medic who treats him afterwards; she asks him a few times if he really is not physically hurt because of how he looks, and after denying that he is physically hurt a few times, Phillips simply says that it's not his own blood but that of the pirates.

* BookEnds: The film begins with one woman (his wife) asking Phillips if everything is going to be OK, and ends with another woman (the Navy medic) telling Phillips that he's going to be OK.

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks "has a problem" [[Film/{{Apollo 13}} again]]. The boat is even named after the U.S. state of [[Film/ForrestGump a character]] from Alabama. And this isn't the first time [[{{Film/SavingPrivateRyan}} he played a captain]]. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt because, according to his own account of the ordeal, the real Captain Phillips did say, "Shane, we've got a problem," at one point (when the open MOB - man overboard - failed to start, forcing them to give the pirates the enclosed lifeboat instead). Nor is it the first time he's [[Film/CastAway left a loved one at the airport for work only to run into trouble on the high seas]].

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks "has a problem" [[Film/{{Apollo 13}} again]]. The boat is even named after the U.S. state of a [[Film/ForrestGump simple character]] he played before. And this isn't the first time [[{{Film/SavingPrivateRyan}} he played a captain]]. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt because, according to his own account of the ordeal, the real Captain Phillips did say, "Shane, we've got a problem," at one point (when the open MOB - man overboard - failed to start, forcing them to give the pirates the enclosed lifeboat instead). Nor is it the first time he's [[Film/CastAway left a loved one at the airport for work only to run into trouble on the high seas]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Muse rambles about how he wants to go to America once he strikes it rich. By the end of the film, [[spoiler:he's on his way to America--''but'' in cuffs to face trial for piracy, and the end credits reveal he was sentenced to 33 years in an ''American'' prison.]] A prison cell is obviously not the way he had envisioned his stay in the America...
* BerserkButton: After spending two-thirds of the movie being abused by the pirates in one way or another, Captain Phillips finally snaps [[spoiler: and physically attacks Najee after he snatches away the farewell letter Phillips was writing to his family.]]

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks "has a problem" [[Film/{{Apollo 13}} again]]. The boat is even named after the home state of a [[Film/ForrestGump simple character]] he played before. And this isn't the first time [[{{Film/SavingPrivateRyan}} he played a captain]]. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt because, according to his own account of the ordeal, the real Captain Phillips did say, "Shane, we've got a problem," at one point (when the open MOB - man overboard - failed to start, forcing them to give the pirates the enclosed lifeboat instead). Nor is it the first time he's [[Film/CastAway left a loved one at the airport for work only to run into trouble on the high seas]].

* ArcWords: "Don't worry Irish, everything gon' be OK."

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Muse rambles about how he wants to go to America once he strikes it rich. By the end of the film, [[spoiler:he's on his way to America--''but'' in cuffs to face trial for piracy, and the end credits reveal he was sentenced to 33 years to an ''American'' prison.]] A prison cell is obviously not the way he had envisioned his stay in the US...

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Muse rambles about how he wants to go to America once he strikes it rich. By the end of the film, [[spoiler:he's on his way to America--''but'' in chains to face trial for piracy, and the end credits reveal he was sentenced to 33 years in prison in Indiana.]] A prison cell is obviously not the way he had envisioned his stay in the US...

* ForegoneConclusion: Considering that the movie is based off of a memoir by the real Captain Phillips, you know he is going to come out ok.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Played with. The obvious choice, playing the trope straight, would be to always refer to CAPTAIN Phillips with "Captain". This doesn't happen once the pirates take over the ship (as one of them himself says, ''he'' [the pirate] is the captain now, not Phillips anymore. But instead of simply addressing Phillips with "Mr. Philips" from then on, the pirates only ever call him "Irish" (supposedly after Phillips' heritage).

** Muse tells the Captain he is just a "businessman". When his henchmen start pointing guns at the bridge crew the Captain appeals to Muse to stick to his word:
--> "You said you were a business man! Is this how you do business?"

* ComicallySmallBribe: The pirates see Phillips' offer of $30,000.00 (all the cash in the ship's safe) as this. In real life, Phillips didn't even offer the cash until much later because he ''knew'' they laugh at such a measly sum.

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks "has a problem" [[Film/{{Apollo 13}} again]]. The boat is even named after the home state of a [[Film/ForrestGump simple character]]. And this isn't the first time [[{{Film/SavingPrivateRyan}} he played a captain]]. Doubles as LifeImitatesArt because, according to his own account of the ordeal, the real Captain Phillips did say, "Shane, we've got a problem," at one point (when the open MOB - man overboard - failed to start, forcing them to give the pirates the enclosed lifeboat instead). Nor is it the first time he's [[Film/CastAway left a loved one at the airport for work only to run into trouble on the high seas]].