Captain Phillips 'no hero' in real life, say ship's crew | Film | theguardian.com
Sailors who endured the real-life attack by Somali pirates which forms the basis of Oscar-tipped thriller Captain Phillips have condemned the version of events shown in the film.
Crew members of the Maersk Alabama, which suffered the raid off the coast of lawless Somalia in April 2009, told the New York Post the titular hero played by Tom Hanks in Paul Greengrass's
critically acclaimed film was far from heroic. The sailors, who are
suing their employers Maersk Line and the Waterman Steamship Corp for
$50m, said Richard Phillips was a sullen, self-righteous man: their suit
claims the captain's wilful disregard for his crew's safety contributed
to the attack.
"Phillips wasn't the big leader like he is in the
movie," said one crew member who worked closely with the captain,
speaking anonymously for legal reasons. "No one wants to sail with him,"
he told the Post.
The crew member said Phillips, who went on to
meet Barack Obama and write a memoir, refused to cut power and lock
himself and the crew below deck in line with anti-pirate protocol. "He
didn't want anything to do with it, because it wasn't his plan," said
the crew member. "He was real arrogant."
Sailors who endured the real-life attack by Somali pirates which forms the basis of Oscar-tipped thriller Captain Phillips have condemned the version of events shown in the film.
critically acclaimed film was far from heroic. The sailors, who are
suing their employers Maersk Line and the Waterman Steamship Corp for
$50m, said Richard Phillips was a sullen, self-righteous man: their suit
claims the captain's wilful disregard for his crew's safety contributed
to the attack.
"Phillips wasn't the big leader like he is in the
movie," said one crew member who worked closely with the captain,
speaking anonymously for legal reasons. "No one wants to sail with him,"
he told the Post.
The crew member said Phillips, who went on to
meet Barack Obama and write a memoir, refused to cut power and lock
himself and the crew below deck in line with anti-pirate protocol. "He
didn't want anything to do with it, because it wasn't his plan," said
the crew member. "He was real arrogant."
