Perfect Storm, The (2000)

reviewed by
Alex Ioshpe


DIRECTED BY: Wolfgang Petersen WRITTEN BY: William D. Wittliff (based on the book by Sebastian Junger) CAST: George Clooney, Marc Wahlberg, Karen Allen, John C. Reilly

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for language and scenes of peril.
Runtime: USA:129
RATING: 8 /10 

Disaster-movies form a genre that is probably the least respected of all genres. It is simply the dumbest and most primitive of what Hollywood has to offer, besides 'Godzilla' and 'Lost in Space' (who are disasters in their own peculiar way). Lately there have been many additions to this lowest layer of entertainment. The normal procedure is to leave your brain at the counter and then take your place in front of the screen. But we don't care. We love watching disaster-movies: 'Twister', 'Volcano' ext.. We love to not think. We've seen all kind of natural disasters: volcanoes, earthquakes, twisters and even giant lizards in New York. But there is one element missing: storm. This time director Wolfgang Petersen ('Das Boot'), wants to pay with natural phenomenas, and luckily manages to breathe some life into this godforsaken genre. The media kit for "The Perfect Storm" begins with a special request that reads, "Warner Brothers Pictures would appreciate the press' cooperation in not revealing the ending of this film to their readers, viewers or listeners." And so, following this request I will not reveal anything specific about the premise, which is pretty simple: "In the fall of 1991 six fishermen left Gloucester, Massachusetts. And encountered a natural disaster that has never before occurred in recorded history. Nature has created a monster.."

It is not much of a story. And the film is mostly driven by characters and special effects, who compete for screen time. Petersen manages to create the right feeling, the mood, the atmosphere. And when that is accomplished, you don't even need a story. The first we experience is the fear and anticipation that we share with the wives, children and parents that anxiously await the return of the fishermen, and the joy of actually seeing them alive. Already the audience is given a peek into the lives of these simple men, their trade and their paradox. While their loved once are happy when they return, they feel emptiness and longing. As much as they love their family and friends, the deep blue sea is constantly calling for them in their dreams. Their passion for the ocean is also their tragedy. It alienates them from their earthly existence and the only place they feel alive and at home is at sea. Petersen stimulates this romantic notion of 'man versus nature' and paints the poetic contrast between the gray, dark village and the magical blue sea. Sometimes it is sapphire-blue, sometimes it is full of golden sparkles from bright sundowns and pink sunrises. Sometimes it shines like liquid silver in the reflection of the moonlight. The fresh ocean breeze, the sound of seagulls in the morning and singing whales in the evening. It is like a different and magical world of true peace and freedom. Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) is heading towards the sunset with the fresh breeze in his face, and his trusted vessel glides through the pure, blue water. Now he is at home. And on his face, which has always been sad and shy, is a smile. Tyne is probably the best developed character in this story. He has fallen into a slump and takes his vessel out on a desperate late-season voyage; there's a hint of Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea" in his character, with the wounded dignity and human complexity. Clooney portrays him well, without making him a one dimensional hero, but rather as a hurt and misunderstood human being. His mos t quite, good hearted youngster, who is ripped apart between his devotion to his loving girlfriend and the deep blue sea. Mark Wahlberg continues to grow in confidence and ability, giving surprising depth and shading to Bobby. The rest of his fearless crew consists of Murph (John C. Reilly), a silent veteran who has estranged himself from his wife and child and hides at sea, with his love and emotions sealed inside him, Bugsy (John Hawkes) -- a sweet-natured, but socially inept guy who has nothing to do on earth. He has nobody that cares for him, nobody that will be glad when he returns. Sully (William Fichtner), is the sullen adventurer and apparently Murph's lifelong adversary. And of finally the Jamaican fishermen Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne), who is almost never shown. He is like a shadow on the ship, helping silently and fearlessly when the problem comes.

When the storm finally hits, the atmosphere changes. And the magical blue waves turn into a midst of a monstrous, black fury. There is something devilish, something unearthly about these gigantic creations. The scale is enormous and frightening. And from this point the film transforms from a melancholic drama to a magnificent thrill ride. Peterson inserts some incredibly inventive shots and scenes. The camera circles the ship, swims under water and flies through the stormy clouds. The feeling is indescribable, an amazing adrenaline rush, but regrettably hardly anything else. Peterson may have created the perfect storm, but hardly a perfect film. Unfortunately the waves have as much (if not more) screen time as the actors, who at times seem like a background, with their character development almost forgotten. Whether it was intentional, or whether the director was too preoccupied with the special effects to think about his script, we will never know. Another important element that was completely out of place was ironically the music. Ironically because the composer is James Horner, who created the Oscar-winning score for Titanic and 'Apollo 13'. However in 'The Perfect Storm' the good composer completely misunderstood the director's intentions. Instead of portraying the menace and silent horror that slowly crops up, Horner adds a proud, patriotic fanfare, which seems completely out of place and beyond any logic. In fact it quite often ruins the poetic atmosphere that Peterson tries to create. The script may likewise need some polishing and complexity. What Petersen does best is reflecting the atmosphere, the terror and despair that these fishermen are feeling. In this effort he achieves an incredible level of tension, anxiety, drama and suspense. The fact that we know something about them, make us care. We know about their families that anxiously await them to return, about their dreams and hopes for the future. It is a peek into a fisherman's life. Petersen tries to simultaneously tell several parallel stories. A raging waters and shows the situation at home, where their families and friends sit in fear, terror and isolation on an island surrounded by a furious blackness. And it is here that he should stop. Instead of concentrating more on the six fishermen and their emotional development and evolution, Petersen is shifting his sets and characters in a terrible speed. He shows the meteorologists, the other unfortunate sailors, fishermen and tourists lost at sea and even the heroic rescue personnel that before saving themselves had to save the others. This disturbing lack of concentration is really what in the end ruins the film's otherwise well directed drama. And yet, 'The Perfect Storm' never seems as a bad effort. It will capture your attention like few movies have in recent time. And unlike most disaster movies, this film feels like an amazing adrenaline rush, a feeling that feels like a roller coaster ride. And for that achievement alone, Petersen deserves praise.


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