Maersk Alabama: Hijacking, Action, and Drama on the High Seas - Paper Example

The movie's theme is about the hijacking of ships by Somali pirates while on voyages through Somali via the Indian ocean (Nilmaola 45). The film directed by Paul Greengrass starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, and Catherine keener depict the atrocities committed by pirates who hijack ships crossing the Indian Ocean using vessels. The hijacking of the ship, Maersk Alabama, was a true story and the movie retells it most interestingly and intriguingly. It is an action-packed movie as all the parties in the ship, including the hostages. The film shows pirates' determination through their resilience of getting on the ship despite being blasted by water cannons. The question of morality is depicted in the film, and in some way, it shows how people view Somalis and what they represent. In the film, theme representation is clear, and the enactment of the actual event is marvelous, and it is thrilling to watch. In all perspectives, the movie shows the dangers of traveling by sea, but on the bright side, it gives a hint on how people should act in the face of danger.

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The ship Maersk Alabama was carrying cargo, and relief food meant for Kenya, Uganda, and Somali. The crew was unarmed with no weapons while the pirates had Ak47s. In this scenario, the art of war is redefined, with no weapons; the ship's captain manages to outwit the pirates. The film supports my view and perspective about war. The resilience of the pirates and their willingness to do anything to board the ship shows how enemies in war are willing to go through great heights to accomplish their agendas. Diplomacy sometimes does not work, but it should be the first avenue of conflict resolution before other actions are effectuated (Berridge 89). From the movie, the pirates were told to surrender but continued their assault, and it only ended when the navy intervened and downed three pirates. The art of war is decisive, and it requires various intervention methods to arrive at a solution suitable to all parties. However, in the face of adversaries who do not know the meaning of negotiations, swift action should be taken to save civilians' lives. The pirates wage war on the ship even though it is carrying relief food to their own country. It is hard to fathom why people are prepared to pay war against their people without due consideration of its consequences. War should come as a last resort in solving issues because when it erupts, both warring sides are always affected. In retrospect, all the conflicts that have been fought in the world, such as world war I and world war II, only bear bitter memories when the effects are reviewed (Olson 105).

Amongst the numerous captivating and thrilling scenes in the film, the part where Muse (the pirate leading the ambush) effortlessly takes control of the vessel and declares it to be his own, regardless of the obstacles put before him by the ship's crew trying to barricade his advance into the Alabama Maersk; comes out as noble. In this particular scene, the Somali 'captain' comes out as a charismatic leader. The air around him demands respect, which he gets by sending fear jittering down his hostage's guts. This is also seen in his crew, who respect his command and were even willing to put their lives on the line to save their captain. This is seen in later parts of the movie. His takeover is a show of power where a Somali pirate becomes the bridge between the ship's crew and their near destinies as a bridge that unfolds as the film proceeds.

Later on, in the movie, the plot twists into a scene that brings out the Somali pirates as selfish individuals. This particular part unfolds when the pirate captain is taken hostage by some of the ship's crew members. On the other hand, Captain Phillips was also being held hostage by some of the pirates in the control room. The scene goes on to a point where trade between the two parties had to be made to allow the pirates to leave. Instead, the switch never takes place, and the pirates escape with a crew member- Captain Phillips. To them, he served as a safe passage, some sort of collateral to their freedom. They come out as self-centered individuals who only think of themselves and what's there to be gained. They not only terrorized the whole crew in the early stages of the movie but also did not keep their end of the bargain. This, in turn, put the captain's life at risk in case things took a turn for the worst. Towards the end of the film and when help comes the captain's way, he is rescued from enemy hands. As he undergoes a basic diagnosis procedure, he breaks down from the trauma, constant fear of his life, and the disbelief of being redeemed. The medic attending to him is heard saying, "Captain, you're safe now." This, to me, is an assurance of freedom, one's safety, and a seemingly happy but traumatizing ending to an awful nightmare. It's both a touching and affirmative scene as the captain, tear stricken, spots of blood from his wounds and some not his, uncontrollably sobs. He is probably going through a lot at the time but a thought sticks out, his family. He worries about them and their safety even though he is the one who has been through a horrifying ordeal. It is indeed an ending to a thrilling account of what some individuals go through to save other people and themselves from the most horrific and trickiest of positions.

Conclusion

In recognition of the impact and lessons learned from the movie, personally, the recommendation to watch the film would be to a classmate. It helps decimate the fears of people as they travel by ship and especially by the Indian ocean using routes passing near the Somali coastline. It also gives an insight into different approaches to conflict and what should be done in cases of danger when in a position of leadership.

Works Cited

“Captain Philips”, directed by Paul Greengrass starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi and Catherine Keener

Berridge, Geoff R. Diplomacy: theory and practice. Springer, 2015.

Nilmaola, Minhatun. "PORTRAYAL OF POST-COLONIALISM IN CAPTAIN PHILLIPS MOVIE." (2017).

Olson, Lynne. Those angry days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's fight over World War II, 1939-1941. Random House, 2013.