Thursday, October 10, 2013

"I think Tom Hanks did a great job,"

AFP - A captain whose high seas kidnapping is the focus of a new Hollywood movie gave the production a thumbs up on Thursday -- but noted the real thing was "much worse."

After a failed bid to take the entire crew hostage, the pirates seized Phillips instead, holding him in a lifeboat for several days until US Navy SEALS came to the rescue.

The hair-raising encounter, which played out in real time, has now made it to the big screen, with "Captain Phillips" hitting theaters Friday.

"I really felt it was important to maintain and be a person ... you have to make sure they see you as a human and not just a lump of flesh," he said.

"Of course if you put anybody in a small enclosed lifeboat, relationships will ensue, good or bad," he said. "There are times we laughed with each other -- there's times we laughed or better yet sneered."

In real life, Phillips' story is not quite as clear-cut as on screen -- a number of crew members have sued him for allegedly ignoring warnings to stay further away from the Somali coast, thereby negligently endangering their lives.

France24

5 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Popeye sues his captain because being a sailor is dangerous!

What have we come to?

Back when I was a child, many moons ago, little boys dreamed of becoming Popeye precisely because Popeye led a life of adventure and danger!

Shouting Thomas said...

Well, Popeye always won the heart of Olive Oyl, too!

Don't underestimate the appeal of that.

ricpic said...

Luckily there's a beltway around the Twin Cities.

chickelit said...

Of course if you put anybody in a small enclosed lifeboat, relationships will ensue, good or bad," he said.

Lifeboat banter just after Titanic sank (according to Margaret "Molly" Brown): link

Amartel said...

First time in many many years I've wanted to see a movie in the theater, not wait for video.