"The Perfect Storm" -- Fantastic Fury by Homer Yen (c) 2000
The fishermen of Gloucester, Massachusetts live their lives to fish. As the film opens, we see this pastoral harbor community with statues honoring brave seamen, shipbuilders hard at work creating new vessels, and a large number of fishing boats triumphantly returning with their catch. Gloucester fishermen are more committed to fishing than to their marriages. They are courageous superheroes when they are out on the open seas. And, to catch their fish, they are even willing to brave the perfect storm.
"The Perfect Storm" is an absorbing yarn about man versus nature and the folly that results from blind hubris. Based on Sebastian Junger's nonfiction bestseller, the film is a vivid retelling of a devastating 1991 incident in which a down-on-his-luck, swordfish boat captain risks it all to bring back a catch that promises to make them a huge profit. Led by skipper Billy Tyne (stoic George Clooney) who captains the Andrea Gail, he hopes that this next trip out to the fishing grounds of the Grand Banks (a few days east of Gloucester) will lift him out of his current slump. But going out to sea is like an extended and dangerous tour of duty. The crewmembers' loved ones rejoice when their men return home. But faces are filled with sorrow when it's time to leave. For Captain Tyne, fishing has resulted in a broken marriage. For the youthful and wildly-in-love Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), it means having to spend time away from his girlfriend. And for crewmember Murphy (John C. Reilly), it means being separated from his lovable son. Other crewmates are also hesitant to go back out. Tyne coldly stares at them and threatens, "if any of you don't want to come, a replacement is just a phone call away." You may think that he's unrealistically overbearing, but as a local hatchery manager says, "that's the way the game is played."
The seas are a dangerous place in the fall, having the potential to swallow ships whole. "The Grand Banks is no joke in October," warns one concerned Gloucester resident. By now, we've developed a genuine liking for the crew of the Andrea Gail, as well as an immense respect for their work ethic. But we get the foreboding sensation that this trip will be marred with peril.
The Andrea Gail encounters all kinds of bad luck. Though they eventually catch lots of fish, a monster storm takes them by surprise. The local forecaster says, "you can be a meteorologist all your life and never see this." It's a storm so ferocious that it creates maximum gale force winds and 10-story swells. In fact, you can barely hear the actors even when they are yelling at each other through the wind-whipped rain. Special effects convincingly and impressively create the furious, churning seas. And the camera shots, which show the crew rocking back and forth, convey such realism that at times it was a queasiness-inducing experience. The film also shows other craft caught and victimized by the angry seas. Freighters are having its cargo knocked off its decks by the enormous waves while even the Coast Guard has been rendered almost powerless. Captain Tyne remains unfazed. He must travel through the storm in order to sell his fish, lest his catch spoil. He is a determined man who opens the throttle against the unstoppable forces of pride and Mother Nature.
Engaging characters make for a watchable film, and the entire ensemble cast performs admirably. We share the concern of the loved ones as they watch the increasingly dire weather reports. We feel their sense of helplessness. We pray for the fearless skipper to find a way to maneuver through the crashing waves, howling winds, and torrential downpour. The love that we develop for the crew and those that eagerly await their return pulls us in. But ultimately it may be the storm that pulls them under.
Grade: B+ S: 1 out of 3 L: 2 out of 3 V: 2 out of 3
Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews