Bill Witliff (based on the novel by Sebastian
Junger)
PG-13
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, Karen
Allen, William Fichtner, Bob Gunton, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,
John C. Reilly, Allen Payne, John Hawkes, Janet Wright, Rusty
Schwimmer, Michael Ironside, Cherry Jones, and Dash Mihok
Monster movies are dependent upon the quality of
the monster in question. Frankenstein. Dracula. King Kong.
The 50-Foot Woman. Killer Tomatoes.
For sheer terror, however, no fictional monster can
compare to the bracing fear of Reality. The qualities one looks
for in a monster -- virtually omnipotent power, relentless pursuit,
incomprehensible destruction, and unpredictable actions -- are
most terrifying when accompanied by the words "Based on a
true story."
Director Wolfgang Petersen begins his new film THE
PERFECT STORM with just those words, and they color the entire
experience. An account of the 1991 freak weather anomaly that
allowed two separate weather fronts to collide with Hurricane
Grace, THE PERFECT STORM is one of the most terrifying
films ever made. It also happens to be the best monster movie
in recent memory...because it really happened.
Savvy and smart, Petersen -- who also directed the
classic submarine thrilled DAS BOOT -- realized early that the
strength of his story is its reality. Taken from the best-selling
novel by Sebastian Junger, THE PERFECT STORM not only chronicles
the disaster, but the lives of those who were devastated. Petersen
pays loving and detailed attention to the deep sea fishermen of
Gloucester, Massachussetts, a small community that hasn't changed
much in four hundred years. It's a rough, rugged environment,
fueled by the fish industry that keeps the town alive. The film
builds slowly, due to the concentration on the men and women of
the town; it's a risky gamble in what essentially is an action
movie, but it pays off handsomely for the director.
One of Gloucester's many fishing boats, the Andrea
Gail, is captained by Billy Tyne (George Clooney), a divorced
loner on a dry streak. He hasn't caught enough fish to pay the
bills, much less support his ragtag crew. His first mate, the
young Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), is trying to save up money
to marry his sweetheart, Christina Cotter (Diane Lane). Others,
like Murph (John C. Reilly), are struggling to pay child support.
Tyne decides to make one more October run for fish,
pushing farther than most boats dare to go -- the Flemish Cap.
It's dangerous, but the crew -- including ugly duckling Bugsy
(John Hawkes), rebel Sully (William Fichtner), and Carribean outsider
Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne) -- recognizes the need for money.
They kiss their loved ones goodbye, and we see them in their element.
Without words, it becomes clear that these men are fishermen,
through and through. It is their calling, their priesthood, their
first love.
As the storm hits, however, the Andrea Gail finds itself
in the worst storm in recorded history. The special effects, engineered
by George Lucas' ILM, are indeed spectacular. Also followed in
Bill Witliff's script are a boat of daytrippers caught unaware
(including Tony Award Winner Cherry Jones), and the Coast Guard
rescue crews that work in the heart of the storm, desperately
trying to save the crew of the Andrea Gail.
If you know the historical outcome of these events,
rest assured that THE PERFECT STORM will keep you engaged
all the way to its end. Although the film delivers its action
sequence quotient -- your heart will leap into your throat at
least a dozen times -- it is also infused with a disquieting uneasiness.
The storm, which at one point inexplicably reversed direction
and headed back toward the mainland, becomes a character like
anyone else. Silent one minute, raging the next, the storm takes
on its own personality. It isn't too long before the storm seems
malevolent, then godlike. The force of it is awe-inspiring, even
for those who expected it.
Although the film isn't really about the actors, there
are many fine performances; had this film been released in the
winter, a la TITANIC, there would be Oscar nominations for many
of them. Wahlberg continues to impress with each subsequent role;
he is finally given a female lead of substance to play against
in Diane Lane, who is as unpredictable and surprising as the storm
itself. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, taking a smaller role to
play a rival ship captain, acquits herself nicely in cagey romantic
banter with Clooney. Janet Wright, as a tough bartender mother
to Wahlberg, takes what could have easily been a stock performance
and transforms it with raw emotion and impressive warmth.
THE PERFECT STORM isn't a perfect film, however.
Clooney, clearly a star in the old Hollywood tradition, still
has yet to find a role that utilizes his unique talents; Billy
Tyne is simply too blue-collar for Clooney to be believable. Furthermore,
some of the onboard shenanigans of the crew before the storm,
including a very odd fight sequence, simply delay the obvious.
(At 2 1/2 hours, there's no real need for Petersen to stall.)
It has to be said, though, that THE PERFECT STORM
is the thinking man's blockbuster, a story of man against the
elements that refuses to sacrifice its intelligence or its visceral
nature. No movie will this year will send more chills down your
spine. The horror here is that it isn't a fantasy, that people
really went through this extraordinary experience. If nothing
else, THE PERFECT STORM manages to touch something deep
inside everyone...the sinking feeling that we are not in control.
Look to the skies, and hope it doesn't rain.
