Pirates have made a big comeback in recent years thanks to the lawless activities happening off the coast of Somalia, but while we hear of multiple hijackings and kidnappings from the region they rarely involve American citizens. One of the exceptions though occurred in 2009 when the American cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama was attacked and boarded by pirates.
Paul Greengrass is bringing the story to the big screen as his first film since 2010’s Green Zone, and the first trailer promises a thrilling real-life drama happily free of politics. Having Tom Hanks in your title role never hurts either.
Check out the first trailer for Captain Phillips below.
Greengrass knows action and suspense as evidenced by his two Bourne films, but he’s also shown the ability to mix the thrills with sensitive real life events (United 93). The film is based on Captain Richard Phillips’ account of the hijacking, “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea,” and also stars Catherine Keener as Hanks’ wife.
The Danish film, A Hijacking, beat Greengrass’ movie to the punch last year with a story about one of their own ships falling into pirate hands.
Captain Phillips hits theaters October 11th, 2013.
