The Perfect Storm (2000)
It's been few days since I've seen Wolfgang Petersen's THE PERFECT STORM, and I don't like it as well as I did while I watched it.
I don't usually take this much time to percolate, to ponder over a film, before reviewing it.
Here's what I still think is very good: The images of the hurricane itself, foreshadowed from early in the narrative, and climaxing at the end, are marvelous. Much of this footage is computer generated, the waves as tall as buildings dwarfing the rather large swordfishing boat. Often it is easy to pick out computerized work, especially when it involves water (think of the fake-y scenes in DEEP BLUE SEA), but here the ocean appears real and threatening, a truly awesome natural force. As the crew of the `Andrea Gail' valiantly fight to batten the windows and buck the waves, we understand somewhat the futility they must feel.
The acting is for the most part very strong. I have always liked George Clooney, even though I thought he acted too much with those smiley eyes of his; but in several scenes in STORM, Clooney seals the performance so far of his career. He plays Captain Billy Tyne, who has brought his crew out on an extra fishing run, a result of a poor run from which they have just returned. Tyne is a complicated man; Clooney plays him as quiet yet fiercely proud and competitive. When his crew suggests the `Andrea Gail' turn about, Tyne reveals his plans to venture even farther, halfway across the Atlantic even, to the `Finnish Cap,' where the real fish are. This plot twist leads to the main conflict. Will the men on the boat be able to navigate their way back home through the storm that has been ravaging the coast? Where Clooney comes in is the scene in which Billy Tyne exerts his will over the crew. It is a mixture of pep talk and threatening lecture, and Clooney's eyes are narrowed and dead serious. Clooney proves himself a leading man, even more clearly than in another strong performance, in THREE KINGS.
We see good work from the supporting cast as well. Mark Wahlberg is convincing as Bobby Shatford, who has cut bait and pack ships before, but who is a rookie in the actual fishing game. The story follows his relationship with Christina Cotter (Diane Lane); this subplot serves as the romantic interest, as Tyne is divorced and living far from his family. As `Murph,' John C. Reilly is always reliable, even though we don't know the full history of his hatred for another crew member, `Sully,' played by William Fichtner (remember him, the kooky SEAL from THE ABYSS, as well as the kooky astronaut from ARMAGEDDON?). John Hawkes also plays an interesting, though sketchily developed character, in Michael `Bugsy' Moran.
What I think, upon second thought, is weak: Petersen and screenwriter William D. Wittliff (from the non-fiction book by Sebastian Junger) work too hard at trying to build up the combination of cold fronts and hurricane that births this perfect natural disaster. We watch rather disconnected scenes at a television news set in Boston, the meteorologist following the storm readouts as though he's witnessing the chance of his career. There's no connection between this subplot and the main characters, and there is only a tenuous connection to a small craft, piloted by a rich man (Bob Gunton, the kooky warden in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), and carrying two female passengers. About to be swamped by the storm, the three are rescued at great risk by the crew of a Coast Guard chopper. While the three shaken victims wait aboard the Guard cutter, the crew leave on another mission, to try and rescue the men of the `Andrea Gail.'
Actually, some of the scenes involving the trouble experienced by the chopper crew are some of the best in the film. This suggests to me, though, that we need stronger connections between all of the subplots: Petersen needs to work on his connectors.
My other major complaint concerns the ending. Without spoiling it with specific revelations, I judge the closing now as too sentimental. Perhaps one or even two scenes at the very end could be cut – then we would not have to sit through a couple of moments that try but fail to earn our tears. It seems as though the director simply refused to end with the outcome of the sea story, and had to return to the women who waited faithfully on land.
So, the sea story works well on its own, the men battling each other and then the storm. This microcosmic representation of the world is particularly interesting, as it calls up the madness of some scenes in Mellville's MOBY DICK, the quintessential American novel. What I'm thinking of is the pattern of bad omens that convinces the crew the voyage is doomed. However, when the other subplots surface occasionally – the weatherman and the rich, bad sailor and the worried women back at home – they give thin support to the main story.
On the whole, THE PERFECT STORM offers very solid summer entertainment, with some of the most gripping hurricane shots on film. With a few reservations, I would recommend watching the film – particularly for the performances of Clooney, Wahlberg and Lane. But you may wish to wait for the video.
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