THE PERFECT STORM
Rated PG-13 - Running Time: 2:09 - Released 6/30/00
The story of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat from Gloucester,
Massachusetts, that was lost at sea in 1991, is thrillingly recounted
in Wolfgang Petersen's The Perfect Storm, based on the
book by Sebastian Junger and adapted for the screen by William
D. Wittliff. The fact that the story is true somehow lends weight
to the film; I wouldn't believe it otherwise. The computer effects
are, of course, compelling, but the film suffers from a stillborn
sense of character. Petersen tries desperately to make us care
about these guys before they cast off, but Wittliff's script gives
them little more than trite stereotypes (and the actors don't
really help much, either), so from an emotional standpoint it's
an uphill battle.
As the film's name suggests, it's not as much about the Andrea
Gail as the storm itself; the action continually switches
back and forth between the swordboat's predicament and two other
vessels that call "Mayday" as a result of the massive
tempest. The Andrea Gail's skipper is Captain Billy Tyne
(George Clooney), a divorcé with two daughters. After a
disappointing catch, he decides to go out and try again. Against
the wishes of various wives and girlfriends, he takes along his
crew: Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), David Sullivan (William
Fichtner), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), Alfred Pierre (Allen
Payne), and Michael "Bugsy" Moran (John Hawkes). When
a major storm develops, Billy outruns it and heads for calmer
seas, but a faulty refrigeration unit forces him to drive back
home early or risk losing his precious, fishy cargo. Unfortunately,
his path takes him directly between a couple of colliding hurricanes.
This film is nothing without its visuals. That can be said
for many films of the present day, of course; billions of dollars
are spent every year making movies that are visually astounding
and emotionally bankrupt. What is surprising to me is that The
Perfect Storm, being a true story, didn't move me more than
it did. I have never been a fan of George Clooney (ironically,
I feel he delivers one of his better performances here), but it's
something about Wittliff's screenplay that turns a thrilling true
story into a full-blown Hollowwood vehicle, complete with credibility
gaps and continuity problems. As usual in movies that involve
water, people are able to hold their breath for far longer than
is actually possible. We see a man get a huge hook stabbed through
the center of his palm, and after the ordeal is over, he seems
perfectly fine, with no bandage, no pain, and no difficulty carrying
out his duties (which include pulling on heavy ropes and working
a wrench on a stubborn bolt head).
As if to make the film more emotionally impactful, syrupy-sweet
romances are worked into the story. Besides the Titanic-style
love scenes involving one sailor and his fiancée (Diane
Lane), another meets a woman who, after initially being turned
off, acts as if she was in love with the man. Moreover, Tyne's
real-life colleague, Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
is forced to imply that she would like to settle down with him
before ending up screaming frantic warnings over the radio. Mastrantonio
is at her scenery-chewing worst here — thank goodness she
isn't in much of the film.
On the other hand, the storm sequences are truly gripping; I lost count of the heroic rescues performed not only by the Andrea Gail crew but the various members of the coast guard (a separate story entirely), and John Seale's cinema and James Horner's music contribute a great deal to making a beautiful film from a tragic and unpleasant subject. ****