15 Incredible Films Based On Real-Life Tragedies
9. Captain Phillips
Based On: The 2009 Hijacking of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship by Somali pirates.
Captain Phillips is an exceptionally effective representation of a real-life event. Thanks to its subtle yet intelligent script, all of the characters come across as fleshed-out, ordinary people trapped in an extraordinary situation and thanks to the ever-brilliant Paul Greengrass' wonderful directing, this is a film so suspenseful it's harrowing to watch.
The film is further enhanced by the amazing performances by Tom Hanks and the four actors playing the Somali pirates, especially Barkhad Abdi as their leader. Regarding the villains, the film does a great job of humanizing them and displaying them as victims of their circumstances; the death of most of the pirates feels remarkably tragic at the end, even though Captain Phillips himself escapes.
The ending of the film is truly devastating, since it is not only one of the most painfully tense film endings of recent years but it also concludes with a stunning (as well as highly accurate) representation of going into shock from Tom Hanks. Captain Phillips is a brilliant film that must not be missed and is arguably one of the best Best Picture nominees of the 2010s.