Muse: Look at me. Captain Richard Phillips: Sure. Muse: Look at me. Captain Richard Phillips: Sure.

Muse: I'm the captain now. Captain Richard Phillips: There's got to be something other than being a fisherman or kidnapping people. Muse: Maybe in America, Irish, maybe in America.

Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is - through director Paul Greengrass's distinctive lens - simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama's commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Awardwinner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips' unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS FILM REVIEW & OSCAR PREVIEW 1-17-2014

1-17-2014 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts Journalist/Film Reviewer FuTurXTV & HHBMedia.com - David Velo Stewart Editor HHBMedia.com
David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart

When I went to see Captain Phillips I really had no idea or any true confidence that the Somali pirates would be treated as well as they were in the film. To me the social and historic relevance of the saga that happened between the crew of the Maserk Alabama and the crew of the Somali pirates was this was one of the first major international and military crises for President Barack Obama. I had vaguely hoped that the film would show some background scenes of our first African-American president weighing the options of ordering lethal force against some minor African fisherman by day turned bad ass pirates by night. No such luck in Captain Phillips for what I wanted to see. What I got instead was a very well-constructed high sea thriller between two captains who were doing the best they could to salvage a bad situation. For Tom Hanks he gave his typical brilliant acting portrayal. He immersed himself deeply into the role of Maserk Alabamas real life Captain Richard Phillips. I know from press accounts that Hanks took careful preparation to accurately portray Phillips and wanted to get his small details and routine mannerisms right. But what really and only makes Captain Phillips works as one of the true gems of dramatic films and a de facto great Black lead starring film that came out in 2013 was the impressive performance of Barkhad Abdi as the lead Somali pirate Muse.

What I learned from watching of Somali pirates attacking large Western cargo ships seemed like trying to rob a bank with gun drawn on a napkin. Yeah, its possible you could rob that bank, but whats most plausible is that the bank tellers would just laugh at you. So you have to imagine that hundreds of Somalis are willing or are forced to venture out into the deep waters of the open sea on small metal skiffs to hijack ships a hundred times their skiffs size. I never assumed that a captain like Muse had to follow a ship like Maserk Alabama for days and nights to get a chance to board it. I thought they would be within an hour of two of land at least. It seems highly illogical and impractical when you see that Muse and his three loyal, brave and nave crew members are not some advance trained bunch of mercenaries that you typically see in a Jason Bourne or James Bond flick. Muse and his Khat chewing crew were actually relying on a Somali pirate mother ship and another pirate crew to have their back. But in the end they were left alone to fend for themselves against the full might of the U.S. Navy and Navy Seals.
David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart

So what Captain Phillips turns into is a classic battle of wits between a street wise and serious Somali fisherman/pirate and a pragmatic, smart New England Captain. There is nothing similar in the backgrounds or lifestyles of Muse and Captain Phillips except they both seem extremely adept with handling pressure under extreme conditions. Captain Phillips from the moment he boards his cargo ship to sail the dangerous India Ocean made sure his ship and crew was prepared for even the possibility of being attacked by pirates. That dedication to duty was what actually allowed Captain Phillips to keep the vast majority of his crew safe and hidden deep below his ship. And I could equally appreciate Muses calm and unflinching manner as he kept some of his trigger happy crew from shooting Captain Phillips for stalling or not helping them find his crew. Muse sees the bigger picture of being a pirate is not about getting rich or feeling powerful no Muse knows being a pirate is a means to an end when you have no other way to feed ones family. This is a just a job that he prepares for and takes as seriously as Phillips.

I really would like to see Barkhad Abdi win an Oscar, but I also know it would be hard to do so since Hanks did not get a Best Actor nomination. I cant see Oscar voters being so generous to award Barkhad with a well-deserved prize while knowing Tom Hanks got nothing for his equally as impressive performance. I guess I will just be hoping that there is a serious effort by Sony to mount an aggressive campaign for Barkhad Abdi. We would have to start seeing many Barkhad TV interviews and in-depth behind-the scene pieces by non-Black film writers. There needs to be a personable story in the NY Times or on 60 Minutes about Barkhad growing up in Somali, Yemen and Minnesota before getting a role of a lifetime. With a positive media campaign Barkhad Abdi could do an impossible task, like Muse, and win an Oscar in 2014 for Best Supporting Actor.
David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart