Themes: Disasters at Sea, Daring Rescues, Forces of Nature
Main Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, John Hawkes
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 129 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Director Wolfgang Petersen returns to form after the disappointing Air Force One (1997) with this taut, detailed account of 1991's "storm of the century." Though the film's landlocked melodrama never takes off -- most of it consists of the fishermen's significant others biting their nails and overacting -- the action at sea is tense, believable, and completely unrelenting. Petersen adeptly mixes CGI visual effects with impressive soundstage recreations and location footage, as he charts the doomed course of crazily-determined skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) and his more cautious neophyte crewman Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg, in a standout performance). Though the film's dark, complex set pieces have the potential to be murky and convoluted, Petersen never shortchanges the audience with confusing logistics, shaky camerawork, or jumpy editing. In every scene, there's a palpable, specific sense of the risk and danger involved -- so much so that James Horner's cloying score seems redundant and superficial. One particularly sore spot: the talented Karen Allen is underused as a yachtswoman caught in the eye of the storm; it's as if her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Charles Butcher - Art Director, Bruce Crone - Supervising Art Director, Alan B. Curtiss - Associate Producer, Brian McNulty - Associate Producer, Jane Jenkins - Casting, Janet Hirshenson - Casting, Erica Phillips - Costume Designer, Alan B. Curtiss - First Assistant Director, Wolfgang Petersen - Director, David R. Ellis - Second Unit Director, Richard Francis-Bruce - Editor, Duncan Henderson - Executive Producer, Barry Levinson - Executive Producer, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), Maureen Crowe - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jerry Cantrell - Songwriter, William Sandell - Production Designer, John Seale - Cinematographer, Gail Katz - Producer, Wolfgang Petersen - Producer, Paula Weinstein - Producer, Bill Taliaferro - Set Designer, Bruce K. West - Set Designer, John Leimanis - Set Designer, Doug Meerdink - Set Designer, R.J. Hohman - Special Effects, Keith A. Wester - Sound/Sound Designer, Doug Coleman - Stunts Coordinator, Daniel W. Barringer - Stunts Coordinator, John Frazier - Special Effects Supervisor, Bo Goldman - Screenwriter, William D. Wittliff - Screenwriter, Walt Lloyd - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Stefen Fangmeier - Visual Effects Supervisor, Industrial Light & Magic - Animation Effects, Wylie Stateman - Supervising Sound Editor, Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist, Diana Rathbun - Production Executive, Norman Page - Second Unit Makeup, Industrial Light & Magic - Visual Effects, Habib Zargapour - Visual Effects, Ernie Bishop - Set Decorator, Sebastian Junger - Book Author
James Horner composes and conducts the music for Wolfgang Petersen's The Perfect Storm, another film about a star-crossed ship. Horner's sweeping, portentous score mirrors the true story of the crew of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat caught in a deadly Northeaster in 1991. Despite somewhat overblown tendencies on some pieces, the album is a dramatic and emotional piece of film music for an equally gripping movie. Indeed, the score for The Perfect Storm may prove to be as popular as Horner's Titanic music. The album also includes John Mellencamp's theme for the film, "Yours Forever." ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Gary LeMel (Music Executive), James Horner (Conductor), James Horner (Producer), James Horner (Orchestration), Dane Clark (Percussion), Dane Clark (Drums), Maureen Crowe (Music Supervisor), Carl Johnson (Orchestration), Paul Mahern (Engineer), Paul Mahern (Mixing), Dave Marquette (Assistant Engineer), John Mellencamp (Vocals), John Mellencamp (Producer), John Mellencamp (Mixing), J.A.C Redford (Orchestration), Mike Wanchic (Guitar), Mike Wanchic (Vocals (Background)), Mike Wanchic (Producer), Mike Wanchic (Mixing), Andy York (Guitar), Andy York (Vocals), Andy Bass (Scoring Crew), Sandy DeCrescent (Music Contractor), Simon Rhodes (Producer), Simon Rhodes (Engineer), Simon Rhodes (Mixing), Bob Bornstein (Music Preparation), Jim Henrikson (Supervising Music Editor), Doug Frank (Music Executive), Marc Gebauer (Scoring Crew), Jay Selvester (Scoring Crew), Mike Stucker (Technical Engineer), Miriam Sturm (Violin), Miriam Sturm (Keyboards), Barbara McDermott (Assistant Music Editor), Kristen Smith (Scoring Crew), Chris Landen (Editing), Joe Alfuso (Orchestration), Steven R. Bernstein (Orchestration), Jon Gunnell (Bass)
In September 1991, the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Desperate for money, Billy Tyne (the captain) convinces the Andrea Gail's crew to join him for one more late season fishing expedition. They head out past their usual fishing grounds, leaving a developing thunderstorm behind them. Initially unsuccessful, they head to the Flemish Cap, where their luck improves. At the height of their fishing the ice machine breaks; the only way to preserve their catch is to hurry back to shore. After debating whether to sail through the building storm or to wait it out, the crew decide to risk the storm. However, between the Andrea Gail and Gloucester is a confluence of two powerful weather fronts and a hurricane, which the crew of Andrea Gail underestimate. After repeated warnings from other ships, the Andrea Gail loses her antenna, forcing a fellow ship to call in a Mayday. An Air National Guard rescue helicopter responds, but after failing to perform a midair refuel, the helicopter crew ditch the aircraft before it crashes, and all but one of the crew members are rescued by a Coast Guard vessel, the Tamaroa. The Andrea Gail endures various problems: with 40-foot/12-meter waves crashing on to the deck, a broken stabilizer ramming the side of the ship, and two men thrown overboard. The crew decide to turn around to avoid further damage by the storm. After doing so, the vessel encounters an enormous rogue wave (possibly 100 - 130 feet/30 - 40 meters high). After attempting and failing to ride over the wave, the stricken fishing vessel capsizes and sinks. Only Bobby manages to get out of the boat; however, he has no chance of surviving. He is last seen all alone among the waves. Back at shore a memorial ceremony is carried out while friends and family worry and wait for a ship that never comes home.[1]
Cast
George Clooney as William "Billy" Tyne, captain of the Andrea Gail, a sword-fishing boat. Billy is a divorced father of two daughters who is determined to make one last fishing trip before the end of the season to make up for a poor catch. Mark Wahlberg as Robert "Bobby" Shatford, the youngest and most inexperienced of the crew of the Andrea Gail. Bobby is the son of Ethel Shatford, the owner of the Crow's Nest, and boyfriend to Chris Cotter. He reluctantly signs on for one last trip. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Linda Greenlaw, the sassy female captain of the Hannah Boden, Linda has romantic ties to Billy Tyne. She is concerned about Billy and his crew going out in what she considers dangerous weather. Linda is the last to speak to the Andrea Gail. Diane Lane as Christina 'Chris' Cotter, girlfriend of Bobby Shatford. She spends her time during the last fishing trip decorating an apartment she has rented as a surprise for Bobby. She did not want Bobby to go because of a bad feeling she had about the trip. John C. Reilly as Dale "Murph" Murphy, crewmember on the Andrea Gail. Murph is a veteran fisherman who is divorced with a son with whom he's very involved. Murph has an on-going antagonism with Sully. William Fichtner as David "Sully" Sullivan, crewmember on the Andrea Gail. He signed on for the trip at the last minute when another fisherman declined the position. Sully and Murph do not get along. Michael Ironside as Bob Brown, owner of the Andrea Gail. Bob Gunton as Alexander McAnally III, owner of the Mistral, a yacht caught in the storm. Karen Allen as Melissa Brown, crewmember on the Mistral. Allen Payne as Alfred Pierre, one of the crew of the Andrea Gail. John Hawkes as Michael "Bugsy" Moran, a member of the Andrea Gail crew.
The film grossed $182,618,434 in the United States and another $143,138,203 internationally for a total gross of $325,756,637. It holds a 47% approval rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes.
The families of certain crew members sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed.[2] The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.
The Perfect Storm (2000) ·Troy (2004) ·Poseidon (2006)
Television films
Blechschaden (1971) ·Strandgut (1972) ·Anna und Totò (1972) ·Jagdrevier (1973) ·Nachtfrost (1973) ·Smog (1973) ·Van der Valk und die Reichen (1973) ·Aufs Kreuz gelegt (1974) ·Die Stadt im Tal (1975) ·Kurzschluss (1975) ·Hans im Glück (1976) ·Vier gegen die Bank (1976) ·Reifezeugnis (1977) ·Planübung (1977) ·Die Konsequenz (1977) ·Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978)
Student films
Der Eine – der Andere (1967) ·Die Rote Fahne (1968) ·Ich nicht (1969) ·Ich werde dich töten, Wolf (1971)
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