Piracy was a big problem in the 1500s and still is today. Every day ships and vessels are seized on the coasts of Somalia and other African countries. The film Captain Phillips directed by Paul Greengrass provided an in-depth look at what is happening in those areas and shows how much pirates have evolved over the years. Although there are many popular myths and legends in the world of piracy, there is a real and factual history of this naval culture. By looking at their history, tactics, famous characters, and development in the modern era, we can have a better understanding of the real world of pirates. Captain Phillips is a film based on the 2009 hijacking of Captain Phillip's ship, the Maersk Alabama, off the coast of Somalia. The film begins by showing the pirates' first failed attempt to try to board the ship, but to no avail. The second attempt, however, was successful, reaching the ship and taking Phillips and three other crew members hostage. With the four armed pirates on board and the rest of the crew hidden below deck, Phillips leads the pirates in a game of cat and mouse around the ship. With one of the pirates captured by a small group of crewmen, the crew agrees not to harm him as long as they leave the ship. The deal doesn't go as planned, however, and Captain Phillips ends up alone on a lifeboat with all four pirates, forcing him to leave his fate in the hands of the Navy. Contrary to popular belief, pirates are not the rum-drinking hooligans they are portrayed as. They are a murderous, wealth-seeking organization that will stop at nothing to seek redemption. You might ask, "What drives pirates today to do what they do?", and there's a simple... middle of paper ...s battle dramatically at that time. Instead of traditional hand-to-hand combat, this weapon allowed you to fight enemies at great distances from the safety of your ship. Cannons also help pirates inflict damage on other people's ships. These cannonballs could sink ships with a single shot if hit in the right place on the hull. Cannonballs were capable of tearing entire masts of ships to pieces and rendering them completely incapable of moving or escaping. These weapons of destruction, however, were not created only to destroy ships. These cannonballs were also used to assault forts and bases from the sea where they could only be reached by returning cannonball fire. This method of attack prevented sailors from losing their lives fighting on land where they could have remained alive on the ship. Weapons have changed dramatically over the hundreds of years of piracy.