by Abhishek Panikkar
Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Philips, an average American merchant mariner captaining an American cargo ship The MV Maersk Alabama which is hijacked along the Horn of Africa by Somali pirates lead by Barkhad Abdi in his debut role staring as Muse. The film is based on a true story directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Ultimatum and Bloody Sunday) and screenplay written by Billy Ray adapted from the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea" written by Richard Philips himself.