The Perfect Storm [2000] [DVD]

That's not to say it's not without its faults. Certainly there is an amount of cheesy dialogue between the main players and the some of the whooping and bonding scenes on the boat are toe curling embarrassing.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Sebastian Junger and is the true story of the phenomenal storm that crashed onto the North Atlantic in 1991. I haven't read the book but apparently it is a most compelling series of survivor accounts of personal experiences that the storm brought about.

The main thrust of the film is the story of the swordfish fishing vessel "Andrea Gail", after a run of bad hauls, skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) decides to take the ship out for one more trawl but to the more dangerous waters of the Flemish Cap. His crew are a motley collection of various characters and include Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg) a young fisherman currently trying to develop a relationship with a single mother, Chris Cotter (Diane Lane). David "Sully" Sullivan (William Fitchner) a older fisherman who has his own personal conflicts with his ex-wife and son. There's also Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne) a family-less Jamaican, Mike "Bugsy" Moran (John Hawkes) the sort of man who'll always be missed in a crowd and Dale "Murph" Murphy (John C Reilly) who is only recruited for this one voyage. I mention the crew in completion as the first part of the film really deals with getting to know all the characters and their own particular issues and problems and this is one of the most enjoyable pieces of the film.

What the second part of the film deals with is the struggle the Andrea Gail faces when she gets caught up in the storm. It's certainly exciting stuff with rolling waves, crashing spray and all round soakings for the entire cast. I guess to be truer to the book the film also includes the fight in the storm of the pleasure vessel Mistral and also that of the search and rescue helicopter that comes to their aid. Although both these series are exciting and well filmed they do detract from the main action from on the fishing vessel and therefore detract from the main thrust.

The film does become a bit formulaic towards the end but to its credit it is still an effective tear jerker. Mention too for the lovely and moving musical score and the special effects which were nominated for an Oscar.

Turns out that The Perfect Storm is one of those movies that can't decide whether it's a man's action flick or a woman's relationship saga. Petersen spends an inordinate amount of time giving each of his crew members some kind of relationship before sending them off into the mother of all storms, reminding me of movies where the guys go away to war and the women stay behind keeping the home fires burning. Enough time is spent in the bar to make me think we're watching "Cheers" or we're on shore leave before the final assault. Strange thing about this is that Petersen, in making Das Boot, didn't care in the slightest about establishing relationships or engaging the female audience. But times have changed. Today's Hollywood director knows that to get people into the theaters you've got to make sure that women's issues and interests are addressed.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" (A quote from Seinfeld in a different context, that you might recall.) But imagine how diluted and unfocused Das Boot would have been had Petersen spent half an hour delineating each of the crew's fraus and frauleins.

However, some of the work was worth the effort. The relationship between Irene and Bugsy (Rusty Schwimmer and John Hawkes, both doing a good job) was different and compelling: "I wish it was night so I could say, Goodnight, Irene." He speaks true corn. "There'll be a time for that" she rejoins, to the point and suggestively. (I'm paraphrasing from memory.) But the relationship between male and female fishboat captains (George Clooney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) never got off the ground, and I yawned through the all too familiar quandary of the young lovers, Mark Wahlberg and Diane Lane.

Anyway, at last we are out the harbor and onto the fishing grounds. I was hoping for some real authentic, little known color about long-line fishermen, and I got some: the storage cells where the fish are packed with ice, the lines going out baited, the shark on deck, still biting. But that was about it. I was also hoping for a fisherman's point of view on the world-wide controversy about over-fishing and the "Tragedy of the Commons," but all we get is that they're not making as much money as they would like, and the boat's owner gets more than seems fair.

Okay, so let's see the storm. And we do and it's a monster, with massive waves throwing people all over the place threatening to swallow up the little fishing boat. Best action shot: the wave blasting the cargo containers off the deck like toys (actually they were toys). But I kept thinking, who really knows what it was like on that boat in the middle of that storm? The boat flips over and flips upright and then flips again. Nobody knows who tried to get out and who didn't. And were the lights still on? I would think it would get pitch black at night under the water. What I'm saying is, the cheap cutouts used for some of the water scenes in Das Boot were more effective than the millions spent on special effects for The Perfect Storm. At least in the former we knew they were merely simulations. Here the attempt at realism underscores the fact that I'm watching a movie. Oh, and the musical score: not only intrusive, but unnecessarily directive in the sense that it's telling me how I should feel about what I'm watching.

Bottom line: This is just interesting enough to keep a drowsy couple awake on a Sunday night. But be forewarned, the kids will want to stay up and see the storm.

As the men innocently cast their nets, and work to haul in their catch of swordfish, the weatherman in Boston gives the viewer a satellite view of three storms that will likely converge exactly where Capt. Tyne and the fishermen are headed. Meanwhile in Gloucester Massachusetts, the families and friends are huddled at the corner bar ...watching the television that seems to confirm their worst fears about the lives of their loved ones. As they watch and hear of the news about the storm, they pray for the safe return of the fishermen, wondering ...

The cinematography of the rescue attempts are superb as is the filming of the Andrea Gail attempting to overcome the perils of the storm. Although Capt. Tyne appears a tad fool-hardy, the Coastguard who comes to their rescue and the fishermen themselves are depicted as men of courage and valor, which they truly were. The fate of the swordfishermen seems inevitable. The memorial service at the church is very realistic and sorrowful ... the final scene which shows the names of the men who died ... written on a wall plaque ... is so final, and such a small tribute for what they experienced. Highly Recommended. Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)