Cast (in credits order)
The Perfect Storm Movie Trailer
The Perfect Storm (2000) Official Trailer - George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg Movie HD
The Perfect Storm Movie Description
In The Perfect Storm Movie yes i know I have already heard all the complaints. "That's not how it happened" (as if anyone really knew); "All those events could not have co-occurred on the same trip on the same boat" (as if anyone really knew); etcetera etcetera Well, my answer is - it's a movie, just a movie.
Don't watch a movie to find out about "what really happened" unless the movie very clearly states that it is a documentary.
Movies are like good books, they tell you some truths about people, about things that happen, and about life. They are not necessarily about what actually happened and how it happened (even when they are placed in the documentary shoebox).
The Perfect Storm Movie is a heavily fictionalized speculation concerning the experience of Andrea Gale and her crew during the 'Storm of the Century' in the early nineties.
George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg head a fine, under-appreciated cast as regular Yankee fishermen, their friends and family, who live in the Massachusetts town of Gloucester (pronounced "glosta" for those of you who ).
Billy Tyne (Clooney), a once-legendary long-line (Swordfish) captain, is down on his luck and needs a big catch to get himself back into the team.
He and his crew set out to find that catch on exactly the wrong day, in exactly the wrong place. The second half of the film is their attempt to reach home, and includes Coast Guard rescue operations scattered around the Atlantic during a massive storm.
After living in Maine for years, and completely immersing myself in the ballads of Ruth Moore and wonderful New England maritime culture, I have to admit I was ready to love The Perfect Storm Movie, my fellow reviewers Despite all the issues.
And no, I haven't read the book, nor do I intend to. Still, in an effort to be somewhat objective, I gave it an 8 and I would give it an above average recommendation, but I would also say that I was inclined to give it a 9 or 10.
The film blends New England fisheries and seafaring lore, a few scattered facts about the Andrea Gale Story, and a lot of dramatic license to tell a story about the heroism of the average American and their families.
It is also a tribute to the New England fishing industry and its traditions. While it's easy to mistake real-life heroes (the Coast Guard who saved so many lives during that storm) for the heroes of the film, the crew of the Andrea Gale and their loved ones are the real heroes here — in their bravery to protect themselves, their Efforts to save the boat and their catch.
The performances and screenplay are strong and the characters are very well realized (though fictional). Wahlberg and Clooney are great.
Clooney gives one of the best performances I've seen him give. Some minor parts deserve special mention - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Ironside, Diane Lane and John C.
Reilly is always very good (or better), but I was inexplicably charmed by John Hawkes, William Fichtner, and Janet Wright.
It's impossible to discuss The Perfect Storm Movie without talking about the amazing special effects. In short, the first time I watched The Perfect Storm Movie, I actually had a hard time sleeping because whenever my eyes closed, I felt the bed move to the rhythm of imaginary waves.
If I'd seen this in the theater, I'm sure I'd have considered popping a Dramamine. Although exaggerated at times, this is the best re-creation of ocean storms I've ever seen.
Every scene is utterly believable and surprisingly detailed, even down to the awkward patchiness of an oncoming torrent that's often referred to as "the calm before the storm."
Obviously, I liked The Perfect Storm Movie. And I would give it a strong recommendation, with a few caveats. First - if you're not someone who appreciates New England culture and understands the humble heroism of the kind "glosta men" (and women), you might not totally get it.
Second - if you are looking for a story that is true in the sense of objective history, you have come to the wrong place. Otherwise, sit back with some popcorn and someone you love, and enjoy the ride.
Perfect Storm: Billy Tyne is a swordboat captain who has hit a patch of bad luck - while his colleagues return to port near bursting with fish, his catch is nearly empty.
Believing it was his turn to make the big haul, Tyne convinced his crew to go on one last run before the end of the season and head for the North Atlantic. He never included Mother Nature in his plans.
I remember reading about Andrea Gale shortly after "The Storm of the Century" hit the eastern seaboard. It was only a matter of time before someone tried to bring this story to the big screen.
Thankfully, it was Wolfgang Petersen who did just that - here he does for fishing what he did for submarine warfare in "Das Boot" - putting the audience in the middle of the action and scaring the hell out of them.
I can say without exaggeration that I have never experienced such a stressful movie (the friend I brought to the premiere was literally sick). The film begins slowly and deliberately, slowly setting the stage for what is to come.
Peterson uses several subplots to build suspense: initially he focuses on the crew's despair as they repeatedly fail to hit the motherlode.
Exquisitely interspersed with this are scenes documenting an idyllic sailing trip that turns ugly, and the Coast Guard attempts to rescue them. As a result, the tension, like a storm, continues to build to a crescendo, and never subsides. The film looks real too.
I've been in twenty feet of sea once in my life, and that was more than enough for me (it was one of the few times I ever contemplated my own mortality). Watching In the Mood for Love Full Movie brought it all back: The waves looked so real that it's often difficult to differentiate between CGI and the real thing.
Also, I could feel the waves as they pounded constantly against the boat (the theater where I saw it had a great sound system) and was deafened by the strong wind.
The experience is, for lack of a better word, brutal - I put everything I could to shatter into onslaughts. However, special effects alone do not adequately convey a proper sense of danger.
Many of the water scenes were actually filmed in heavy seas - they managed to film at the end of a storm - adding to the realism (many crew members were regularly feeding fish ...) to the actors as additional hazards.
Mark Wahlberg came dangerously close to drowning, not once but twice, and was injured by one of the animatronic creatures.
Anyone expecting Clooney or Wahlberg to be glamorous will be sorely disappointed - they're earthy, and rough. But more importantly, his performance feels right. In fact, all of the main characters deliver nuanced, believable performances.
I have never given a stronger endorsement with an equally strong warning - you must watch In the Mood for Love Film, but only if you can handle the tension. And yes, I am serious on both counts.