WHITE SQUALL
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(Hollywood)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Todd Robinson
Cast Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf,
Jeremy Sisto, Eric Michael Cole, Ryan Phillippe,
Balthazar Getty
MPAA Rating "PG-13"
Running Time 128 minutes
Reviewed at General Cinemas at Northwood, Charleston, SC (4FEB95)
==
DEAD SAILORS SOCIETY is the unfortunately appropriate description of this aspiring, real-life drama that ends up, well, all wet. The plot, based on the true 1961 incident, centers on the floating school- ship Albatross. Its crew of thirteen high-schoolers have signed-on for a year of sailing 'n' schooling, just as *we* have signed-on for a grand coming-of-age tale set against the allure and adventure of the high seas. Unfortunately for us *and* them, neither gets what they expected.
WHITE SQUALL is a confounding film. The visuals are great, as only Ridley Scott (ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER) can render them; equally good is Jeff Bridges, who gives a strong, salty performance as the no-nonsense Captain. "If we don't have order, we don't have anything," he notes and to which somebody behind the camera should've taken seriously. For starters, all the young dudes look alike. There's nary a distinguishing trait between them, other than the fact that they all look like Tom Cruise. The passage of time is never properly charted, also a problem, nor is the awesome "strength of the sea" given it's proper due. That is, until the climax.
What happens to the Albatross-- and after someone shoots a dolphin, no less!-- could be an outtake from Robert Shaw's speech in JAWS. Man goes out on boat with three crew and thirteen lads; only eleven return. The villain-- impressively rendered inside an indoor tank-- is a freak meteorological phenom called a "white squall," which hits near the end of the film. Water water everywhere and soon the surviving captain and crew are blubbering and bonding before a condemning Coast Guard tribunal. It's a stupid, sappy ending to an already waterlogged movie. Arrggh.
Grade: C+
--
Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC
legeros@nando.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w)
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