![]() ![]() By 2006 the UIC had united almost all of Somalia. The UIC ushered in a justice system as well as stability, which allowed the unrestricted delivery of aid to malnourished Somalis. The factions united under the name, The Union of Islamic Courts. In response to the terrorism of the US-backed warlords, religious factions began to unite to fight off the warlords. Some of those captured by the death squads were turned over to the US for money, where they were tortured. These warlords created death squads that terrorized the country by killing or capturing anyone who supported Islamic movements. In 2006 it came out that the US had been financing warlords in Somalia. Somalia specialist Michel Del Buono stated that the decision to close al Barakaat was “equivalent to killing civilians”. The organization had no connection to al Qaeda, and thousands of poverty-stricken Somalis depended on the money transferred through al Barakaat from family abroad. In 2001 the US closed al Barakaat, a money transfer company, claiming that it was being used to funnel money to al Qaeda. The US’ “humanitarian” mission, “Operation Restore Hope”, killed 7,000–10,000 Somalis and resulted in a civil war, famine, and political chaos. For example, the US supported the brutal dictator of Somalia, Siad Barre, until his loss of power in 1991. The film was so distorted in its depiction of Somalis that the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in California called for a boycott of the movie, saying it “portrays Somalis as violent savages”.Ĭaptain Phillips is keen to mention that the Maersk Alabama was carrying some humanitarian aid, but neglects to mention the US’ extensive crimes in the region. In the real Blackhawk Down incident, 1,000 Somalis were killed as US rangers dropped into a crowded marketplace. Unfortunately, the facts don’t support this narrative. Blackhawk Down portrayed Somalis as ruthless and bloodthirsty, while making sure to depict Americans as honoring every life. Somalis have served as convenient villains for Hollywood in the past. Though the extent to which Phillips falls short of the movie’s exaltation is somewhat surprising, the film’s depiction of Somalis is not. To quote a Businessweek headline on the topic, “Hero of Captain Phillips Movie Portrayed as Villain in Lawsuit”. Now the crew is suing the shipping corporation for putting them in harm’s way, with Phillips playing a nasty role in the lawsuit. The ship’s chief engineer told CNN,“it was the captain’s recklessness that steered them into pirate-infested waters.” Crewmembers said that Phillips pursued this dangerous route in order to save money. Phillips, who by the end of the film is shown arms tied to the wall, producing a cruciform image, falls short of his role as Christ figure. Perhaps if the pirates had raided pensions instead of corporate freighters the film would’ve treated them more charitably. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if, in our merciless age of austerity, starvation wasn’t regarded as justification for theft. ![]() ![]() Apparently, casting wasn’t on the same page, since the actors portraying the pirates are cadaverously thin. ![]() I suppose the idea is that the pirates weren’t acting out of desperation, but greed. By contrast, Tom Hanks, who plays the eponymous Captain Phillips, urges the Somali pirates to treat their wounded expresses paternal concern for his captors-“What are you, sixteen, seventeen? You’re too young to be out here doing this” conveys indignation over the pirates’ conduct-“Is this how you do business? By shooting people?” and repeatedly tells the hijackers that they could leave, right now, with $30,000, no questions asked-evoking a smarmy game show host (I kept picturing Regis Philbin). They kill their own, abandon their own, don’t aid their own when they are injured, and are portrayed as generally lacking in even the most rudimentary forms of human compassion. Pirates, one of Americans’ most beloved figures-consider the popularity of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy-are loathsome savages in this film. Captain Phillips is a movie about the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama commercial container ship by Somali pirates. ![]()
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