Thanks for nothing, Siad Barre!

Rating: 7/10 (18 February 2014)

Paul Greengrass's "Captain Phillips" emphasizes the battle of wits between the title character (Tom Hanks) and the Somali raiders. The movie makes clear that the raiders aren't evil people; living in an impoverished, war-torn country, they get forced to work for a local warlord. As main raider Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi) reminds Phillips, the opportunities in Somalia aren't the same as the ones in the US. Siad Barre's destruction of the country's economy and foreign countries' fishing in Somali waters didn't help matters.
If Abdi becomes the first Somali to win an Oscar, then he'll deserve it. He shows Muse as a desperate man, seeing Phillips only as an agent of Somalia's impoverishment. I recommend the movie.