Was Captain Phillips a hero?

[olgagr]

It's so easy to judge sitting comfortably in your room.
But try to put yourself in his shoes.

[loripatrick]

Seeing as how all crew members lived through this ordeal and Captain Phillips was the one mentally/physically tortured, I would suggest they shut the hell up.

[shurtugal]

Funny thing is I just rewatched the movie after hearing about this following the first time I saw it, and it seems to obviously show fairly early on in the movie Cpt Phillips reading piracy warning e-mails. Obviously he didn't change course in the movie after reading them. Also, in the movie, he didn't give himself up. He was clocked from behind and locked inside the lifeboat. I really don't understand why so many people are talking like they saw a completely different movie. I don't think they lied or romanticized about anything. Maybe just didn't elaborate on everything.

[jacobsjokes]

Maybe he ignored the emails. Doesn't change the fact that his life was in danger. not theres. he did his duty as the captain of that ship

[spanishforyou]

Fine. He wasnt a hero. Let's attack him for having a very human mentality, that which is "this won't happen to me." Let's also forget that he was held captive by pirates for days. All I'm hearing is "I don't give a shit he may have been scarred for life."

[orcasem]

Better question: Is CNN a news channel?

[loripatrick]

Captain Phillips did not give himself up. The pirates took him for ransom. He didn't throw himself into the lifeboat. The pirates shut the lifeboat door while Captain Phillips was showing them how to use levers, etc. Mr. Perry just seems bitter and twisted that he wasn't part of the hero's welcome. Richard  Phillips hid his crew the best he could.

[walterfielding]

The Captain of the Titanic ignored ice warnings, the Captain of the Lusitania ignored U- Boat warnings. As a captain of a ship there is always warnings of something going on at sea. Every Captain then has to pick and choose what to ignore and what to follow. Sometimes you pick the wrong thing...

[MikhailKalashnikovMiG]

Relax mahn... everything gun be okay...

[lettherebelamp]

Tom Hanks sounds just like Captain Philips in the movie

[ShaggyOtis]

That's disgusting that those crew members have the audacity to say Phillips "wanted" to be captured by pirates. They're just mad because they didn't get limelight and feel like their part in the whole thing was belittled. There's always one person that gets all the credit, it's just how it happens. He endured a helluva lot more than any of his crew did, so he at least deserves some recognition. 

[glitzstar]

okay this is sort of bullshit. Maybe he didn't take into consideration the email warnings which he should have, but he definitely never wanted to be captured. This claim is forgetting that the man was captured by Somali pirates and almost died. 

[Precookedfish]

End of the day he still saved their lives even if he didnt give himself up intentionally just because the media wants to make him look like a hero doesnt mean they should be ungrateful

[Abdulllah]

if captain phillips is not a hero, Tom Hanks is :)

[AnthonySpecialeJr]

1:36  *facepalm*  major problem here:
1.  What is labeled on the map is not Mombasa, Kenya, it is Lindi, Tanzania
2.  How does a "news" network make this kind of mistake?

[hydroglyph]

To me this is just sour grapes from guys who didn't get the recognition.

[smithamy]

Whether the Captain is a hero or acted reckless is irrelevant. Truth is, we will never know if 300 miles was enough of a distance or if 600 miles would have changed everything. It's possible that the situation could've been worse if they were closer inshore or even further out. I admire this man for his honesty while his judgement was being picked apart under a microscope by the media, the crew & the rest of us who weren't there; hindsight is always 20/20. At no point did he claim to be a hero, instead he gave credit where credit was due to the US navy & to his crew (even though they've chosen to speak against him & his choices). After his horrific ordeal he has even 'gotten back on the horse' and returned to the sea; which many wouldn't be able to do or would care to; after all, since the story broke, the media coverage, the book sales & now the movie are probably bringing in more than enough money to keep him & his family taken care of without needing an income forcing him to work. It's so easy for all of us to sit behind our keyboards & judge others, instead of trying to see the good.

[misslori]

I'm shocked at this attack on him. Even if he did have poor judgement, I think what he went through was enough.

[GetToDaChoppa-kr]

I just watched the movie and I have to say it was amazing! No matter if Captain Phillips is a hero or not the film is still thrilling and Tom Hanks and everyone involved in it were flawless.

[kristalinde]

Captain Phillips is to a hero. He saved his crew from the Pirates, you are forgetting what happend.