Captain Phillips

Richard Phillips takes command of MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed container vessel from the Port of Salalah in Oman, with orders to sail through the Guardafui Channel to Mombasa, Kenya. Wary of pirate activity off the coast of the Horn of Africa, he and First Officer Shane Murphy order strict security precautions on the vessel. During a practice drill, the captain notices the vessel being followed by Somali pirates in two skiffs. Knowing the pirates are listening to their radio traffic, he pretends to call a warship for help, requesting immediate air support. One skiff turns around in response, and the other – crewed by four armed pirates led by Abduwali Muse – loses engine power trying to steer through Maersk Alabama's wake. The next day, Muse's skiff returns, now fitted with two outboard engines. Despite the efforts of Phillips and his crew, the four pirates board the ship by ladder. Phillips tells the crew to hide in the engine room, just before the pirates storm the bridge and hold Phillips and the other crew members at gunpoint. Phillips offers Muse the $30,000 in the ship's safe, but Muse's orders are to ransom the ship and crew in exchange for millions of dollars of insurance money from the shipping company. Shane sees that the youngest pirate Bilal does not have sandals and tells the crew to line the engine room hallway with broken glass. Chief Engineer Mike Perry deactivates the onboard power, plunging the lower decks into darkness. Bilal cuts his feet when they reach the engine room, and Muse continues to search alone. The crew members ambush Muse, holding him at knifepoint, and arrange to release him and the other pirates into a lifeboat. However, Muse's right-hand man Nour Najee refuses to board the lifeboat with Muse unless Phillips goes with them. Once all are on the lifeboat, Najee attacks Phillips, forcing him into the vessel before launching the boat with all five on board. As the lifeboat heads for Somalia, tensions flare between the pirates as the effects of the plant-based stimulant khat wear off, and they lose contact with their mother ship. Najee, agitated, questions Muse's leadership when they are intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge. Bainbridge's captain Frank Castellano is ordered to prevent the pirates from reaching the Somali coast by any means. Even when additional ships arrive, Muse asserts that he has come too far and will not surrender. The negotiators are unable to change his mind, and a team from DEVGRU parachutes in to intervene. Phillips attempts to escape but is recaptured and beaten by Najee. While three DEVGRU marksmen get into positions, Castellano and DEVGRU continue to try to find a peaceful solution, eventually taking the lifeboat under tow. Muse agrees to board Bainbridge, where he is told that his clan elders are arriving to negotiate Phillips's ransom. Najee, in control of the lifeboat now, spots Phillips writing a goodbye letter to his wife and snatches it. Phillips attacks Najee but Bilal subdues him with his gun butt. Najee beats Phillips, now bound and blindfolded, and prepares to shoot him. Bainbridge's crew stops the tow, causing Elmi, Bilal, and Najee to lose balance, giving the American marksmen clear shots, and they simultaneously kill all three pirates. Muse is arrested and taken into custody for piracy. Phillips is rescued and his injuries are treated. In shock and tears, he thanks the rescue team for saving his life.

Plot from Captain Phillips (film)CC BY-SA 4.0