Captain Phillips

Captain Philips is based on the real-life 2009 hijacking of the container ship Maersk Alabama by Somali Pirates. The film is breathlessly directed by British film-maker Paul Greengrass, who manages to produce at one and the same time a gripping, terse thriller and a geopolitical vignette of the effects of globalisation in the Horn of Africa. Greengrass singles in on the interactions between Captain Richard Philips (Hanks) and hijacker Abduwali Muse (debutant Barkhad Abdi) during the thrilling stand-off. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)