I feel like we are hijacking the thread (see what I did?). In short, it’s international law. No port, in any civilized nation would allow crews to dock with arms in their ship. Furthermore, the sailors would be the first against it. My husband is an ex-navy officer, with commendations for marksmanship, he says he would not sail with weapons in the ship even if it was allowed. Though rare, conflict and physical violence does happen, imagine in close quarters in the middle of the ocean. Plus most of the crew members have no training on handling guns.
Perhaps you’d like to start another thread, or revisit the old one.
There are certainly restrictions. However a blanket statement that no nation or port would allow a ship to dock where there were small arms on board isn’t correct.
Pirates would be less likely to go after a 20,000 ton vessel if there were a couple of trained guards on board firing a .50 BMG anti-material rifle at their leaky motor skiffs, with a another dozen guards on board armed with automatic weapons.
The Houston Chronicle had an article Sunday with the 3rd Mate on the Maersk Alabama and his account was much like what others here have said, that the captain ignored warnings, did things that probably contributed to the incident happening at all and he most definately did not think of or refer to him as a ‘hero.’ He currently lives in Galveston and while he was approached by the film crew to contribute to the story, for some reason they couldn’t agree on terms and he was left out. He said that as a result, the ship’s crew’s efforts to immediately restart the ship and follow the lifeboat while in contact with and waiting for Navy personnel to arrive was largely left out of the film account.
Also, I well remember news accounts when the kidnapping was an ongoing ordeal and read that it was a couple of well-placed sniper rounds that took out the pirates, one shot per man, reportedly to the head. Apparently though later it was revealed they all suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.
So the film might not be fully accurate in events or perceptions but that need not matter. It still sounds like great entertainment and I’ll look forward to seeing it. I’ll just know going in this is Hollywood and the captain in real life was no Tom Hanks.
There’s a definite possibility that the movie misstates Phillips’ actual behavior in the initial attacks, but I think he still gets credit for surviving his subsequent kidnapping. Yeah, I know that merely surviving does not necessarily make one a hero.
The film doesn’t show the vessel being re-started, but clearly does show it following the lifeboat until the Navy arrives on the scene. I’d put this down more to editing for running time than anything else.
Well, the film certainly chooses one scenario over the other, I’ll say that much.
The film does have some content implying conflict between the Captain and crew, but when does this not exist between labor and management in large industrial concerns? The film does show Hank’s character reviewing e-mails about piracy without taking any action other than an additional drill, so it doesn’t come off as being in wild opposition to what the crew members seem to be saying.
I could certainly understand some resentment on their part based on the following:
Tthe screenplay was based on Phillips’ memoir, so of course it’s going to be from his viewpoint and thereby potentially self-serviing, and he would most likely get the largest payout for purchase of the rights to the story.
There are a couple of scenes in the film prior to the attack that imply the crew is a bit lazy, although I wouldn’t say it comes anywhere near being slanderous.
It’s been mentioned that several of the crew have sued Maersk over the incident, and the fact that Phillips apparently is a witness for the defense would understandably cause resentment.
Lastly, the New York Post article, which appears to have been written before the reporter actually saw the movie, for me misstates an important plot point concerning the botched hostage exchange that ended up with Phillips aboard the lifeboat. That scene actually does follow the events as related by the crewmen, IIRC.
About the movie:
The articles about the movie paint a different picture than we originally heard when it happened. I am willing to believe that half of the criticism from the crew is a matter of sour grapes, but it is obvious that Phillips is not the man portrayed in the movie.
About arming ships:
Yes, arriving at some ports with arms might not be a problem, but ships travel from port to port, and many don’t have a very fixed route. Sometimes mid-way they are directed to a different port, and what are they going to do? Throw the guns overboard? Lie to the local authorities. There are other better reasons why companies don’t want to arm their crews, even if they could, namely the liabilities that come with it, and the added danger that comes with pirates knowing that they might be met with gunfire. You will not find a poll out there, but according to my husband he has yet to meet a captain that wants his crew armed. Mind you, my husband is still navigating around there, so you’d think he’d be the first to want guns.
This is an interesting article about this, and possible solutions to the “no firearms” situation, of course, most of the commenters went back to argue that what they need is firearms. U.S. Naval Institute Blog
Like a lot of other people I was riveted by the news accounts at the time of how the situation was being tracked and then resolved. It’s going to be stunning entertainment, regardless. Also the story behind and interviews with the Somali playing the chief antoginist are fascinating. Can’t wait to see him, and then what roles come up for him in the future.
No, Tom Hanks sounds like Captain Phillips. It is not Tom Hanks’ fault that the man he was playing has a stereotypical accent.
It’s like the raft of shit that Nick Nolte got for playing August Adone in Lorenzo’s Oil. I saw an interview with the man, and he sounded just as Nolte played him. It’s wasn’t Nick Nolte’s fault that Mr. Adone happened to sound like Chico Marx.