This response uses data provided by Google's Knowledge Graph

The film features an outstanding performance from Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, who brings his signature everyman charm and gravitas to the role. The supporting cast, including Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener, and Corey Johnson, deliver equally impressive performances that add depth and nuance to the story.

Detailed looks at casting the Somali actors and recreating the lifeboat standoff.

On April 8, 2009, the MV Maersk Alabama, a container ship carrying cargo from Salalah, Oman to Mombasa, Kenya, was hijacked by four Somali pirates who had set out from the port city of Harardheere. The pirates, armed with AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade, boarded the ship and took Captain Phillips and several crew members hostage.