History Film / CaptainPhillips

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks has "got a problem" [[Film/{{Apollo 13}} again]]. 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]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captain-phillips-banner-5-350x200_8655.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Somali pirates can ruin anyone's day.]]

* VillainousUnderdog: Four Somali pirates in a dinghy versus the US Navy.

* TragicVillain: The pirates get a SympatheticPOV in the first third of the film, showing that they're ultimately ForcedIntoEvil by terrible sociological conditions, having to pay warlords or die and having no other reliable method to pay them (since their fishing grounds are drying up due nautical pollution and illegal foreign fishing). While their actions are villainous and putting innocents in jeopardy, it's hard not to feel sad when Muse discusses the idealized version of America, land of opportunity, and wanting to see it. The film's take on Muse and his companion can essentially be summarized by the exchange where Phillips insists there must be something else to do in life other than piracy and Muse can only mutter, sadly: "Maybe in America, Irish. Maybe in America."

->''I'm the captain now.''
-->-- '''Muse'''

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film is 90% accurate, but there are a few embellishments.
** Although the film makes it seem like Phillips was only aboard the lifeboat for a day and a half, Captain Phillips was actually held hostage there for five days.
** [[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]].]]
** The leader who was captured in the engine room was held down there for twelve hours. In the film they arrange for the hostage exchange almost immediately after capturing him.
** Phillips also tried to pretend that he didn't understand the pirates, which doesn't occur in the film.
** There were 3 skiffs after the Alabama on the first attack, not just two. After the bluff about the incoming air support, two of them fled and the last one kept pursuing, as depicted.
** There ''was'' a drill occurring during the first pirate attack, but it was a fire drill, not a pirate drill.
** Phillips' biography makes no mention of writing a farewell note to his family like depicted at the climax.
** There was a Marine JAG who came 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 the fateful shots that saved Captain Phillips. This is not depicted in the film. Presumably depicting such bureaucratic tension would have cluttered up the pacing of the movie.

* DavidVersusGoliath: An unusual inversion, where Goliath is the protagonist: first it's four Somalis (one of whom has no shoes) versus a giant cargo ship, then it's the same four men against a US destroyer, and it gets scaled up even more when the destroyer is joined by a frigate and an amphibious assault ship. Against four men with guns in a tiny lifeboat.

** A Navy officer gives Muse his word that the tribal elders are on their way to resolve the ransom demand. As soon as word comes that [[spoiler: Phillips is safe Muse is taken into custody instead.]]

* ISurrenderSuckers: Inverted. Muse surrenders to the Navy when they offer to take him aboard their destroyer where he can receive food and medical care. He does and expects his crew to join him soon after for a peaceful negotiation. Once his crew is killed, though, the Navy men chatting with him immediately jump on Muse and take him into custody.

** Near the end, Captain Phillips sees a pen and begins covertly writing a letter to his family in despair. When Najee catches him and flips out, Phillips finally snaps under the pressure and fights back. The result is that he is nearly executed [[spoiler: and all the pirates are killed.]]

* NotSoDifferent[=/=]PlotParallel: The film's structure nicely sets this up between Phillips' crew and the pirates: the scene of Phillips leaving Vermont for his new assignment is followed by Muse choosing his crew for his latest mission in Somalia; the scene of the crew discussing their first pirate scare on the ''Maersk Alabama'' is followed by the pirates dealing with the fallout from the same attempt back on the mothership, with both captains getting some grief from their men; and both Phillips and Muse have to keep their men in line when they start losing their cool because this is NotWhatISignedOnFor.

* RuthlessModernPirates: They raid the ''Maersk Alabama''. It turns out the pirates were fishermen, who have been driven to desperation after mechanized fishing boats picked clean the waters off the Somali coast.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Deliberately invoked, in-universe. When the negotiators come out to the lifeboat, they also bring a "clean uniform" for Captain Phillips. This consists of a bright yellow shirt with a reflective silver "NAVY" logo printed on the front and back, the better to distinguish him from his captors in the low-light conditions.

* 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.

* 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 in chains to face trial for piracy.]]

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Captain Phillips, once the [=SEALs=] have killed the pirates remaining on the lifeboat. He does not react to it well.

* AmateurCast: None of the Somali actors had ever acted before. Newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who plays Muse, earned several award nominations including an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In addition, some of the Navy personnel were actual Naval officers, including the Petty Officer who plays the corpsman that treats Phillips at the end of the film (her words and tone carry quite a level of authenticity when treating a traumatized victim).

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Phillips is made into a more heroic figure by offering his life when his 2nd mate is going to be shot. He then ends up letting himself be a hostage in exchange for the pirates leaving the ship. In reality, Phillips never offered his life and was more the subject of a botched hostage exchange than letting himself become one, which he himself admits in interviews. Additionally, some of Phillips' former crew feel he was responsible for the hijacking because he ignored suggestions to steer the ship farther from the coast, but Phillips countered that they would have been just as unsafe 600 miles away as they were at 300; an argument depicting this dichotomy of thought is in the film.

* AmateurCast: None of the Somali actors had ever acted before. Newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who plays Muse, earned several award nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In addition, some of the Navy personnel were actual Naval officers, including the Petty Officer who plays the corpsman that treats Phillips at the end of the film (her words and tone carry quite a level of authenticity when treating a traumatized victim).

* BlatantLies: When trying to catch the ''Alabama,'' Muse claims to be the Somali coast guard here to help out. Notably, the crew of the ''Alabama'' just ignores him

* SanitySlippage: Captain Philips really starts to lose his wits after the pirates re-capture him after he attempts to escape the lifeboat, and Najee attempts to strangle him to death. Then he ''really'' starts freaking out after Najee catches him writing a farewell letter and then prepares to blindfold and execute him. Thankfully he exposes himself to the SEAL snipers' line of sight as he holds his pistol to Philips' head.

* FlareGun: Philips tries to drive the pirates off with a flare gun to little effect.

* GenreBlind: When the pirates are taken under tow by the Navy Destroyer Captain Phillips is given a high visibility shirt to wear and the lifeboat is illuminated by powerful floodlights. One of them seems to realize what is going down.

* IGaveMyWord: 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:

* IronicEcho: While in the lifeboat, the pirates complain that this situation is NotWhatISignedOnFor, just as Phillips' crew did a few days ago.

* ISurrenderSuckers: Inverted. Muse surrenders to the Navy when they offer to take him aboard their destroyer where he can receive food and medical care. He does and expects his crew to join him soon after for a peaceful negotiation. Once his crew is killed, though, the Navy men chatting with him immediately jump on Muse and treat him with extreme hostility.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. The Navy manages to remove Muse from the lifeboat under pretense of 'Negotiations' ...but he is also the one keeping any semblance of stability on the lifeboat. However, the SEAL snipers are already lining up their shots, so it winds up not making much of a difference.
** Near the end, Captain Phillips sees a pen and begins covertly writing a letter to his family in despair...which only makes thing much more unstable when Najee catches him and flips out on him, resulting in Phillips getting tied up and scared out of his remaining wits during the final shouting match (very nearly getting himself shot right then and there).

* OhCrap: Several for the Captain when the pirates are approaching, and it's clear no help is going to be coming soon, but mostly when they get their ladder hooked on and climb aboard.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The pirate mothership gets the hell out of Dodge once the American Navy shows up. Captain Philips tries to dissuade the pirates with this information, but Muse says that he's come too far.

* VillainousValour: We see a degree of this with the boarding scene in which the pirates approach the larger vessel despite the rough seas caused by the Alabama's hard maneuvering.

* 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.

** There was a Marine JAG who came aboard the ship where the snipers were stationed. He deliberated with chain of command and advised them on when it would be legally permissible to take shots that saved Captain Phillips. This is not depicted in the film. Presumably depicting such bureaucratic tension would have cluttered up the tension of the rescue.

* YouHaveFailedMe: The pirates know this is what they face from their warlord Garaad if they go home emptyhanded.