Captain Phillips is a multilayered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. Based on a true story, the film focuses on the Alabama ’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two-time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks, Best Actor, 1993, Philadelphia Best Actor, 1994, Forrest Gump), and the Somali
pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi, in an Academy Award®-nominated performance, Best Supporting Actor, 2013), who takes him hostage. The two men are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship in the ensuing standoff, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.