User reviews

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on a true story about the Andrea Gail, a fishing vessel that in October 1991 left the port of Gloucester, Massachusetts, never to be seen again, lost in a terrible storm.

When a film says "based on true events", we always have to take into account certain creative freedoms for cinematographic effects, but in this case I won't even worry about that. This is a dramatization of a terrible event that could very well be (and will continue to be, unfortunately) the story of any fishing vessel anywhere in the world. It is a tribute to the men of the sea and the hardships they have to face in order to earn a living and survive, while bringing food to those of us on land.

That's what I love about movies: I've been with those men at sea, on their boat, I've fished with them, I've felt the joy and excitement of really productive fishing, and the camaraderie that forms when battling the odds of bad weather. I was also with the team of Coast Guard rescuers who risk their lives to save others, the work of true heroes.

The film is very atmospheric (pun not intended) and a great homage, very beautiful and felt. Thank you to everyone who was part of this production and tribute. Nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. BAFTA Winner for Best Visual Effects.

A great demonstration on how a great soundtrack can carry a mediocre film to astounding hights. Watched this when I was younger and was captured by the astounding VFX work.

Now years later, with gimicky tension devices and quite flat caracters that are well performed, it gets a 6. Without the soundtrack it probably would have been a 4 at best but my god, what a wonderful score this movie has. There pretty much is no plot to write home about but everything else is great.

A great weekday night flick to (re) watch with a nice cup of tea under a warm blanked, far away from the sea. An incredible true story.

While watching this movie, I kept imagining if this was how horrible it was for those people when this true story really happened. By the end, my heart went out to all of them. It was a good portrayal of what may have happened, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Director Wolfgang Petersen, who is known for making films that demand the best of people in extraordinarily tight situations (Das Boot, Outbreak), here directs a fine cast in the adaption of Sebastian Junger's best seller.

George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg star as two of the men aboard the Andrea Gail, a boat that left Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1991 for a swordfishing trip, but was caught up in a terrifying mix of three storms. Never had such a meteorological event occurred.

Much has been written about this film's special effects in their portrayal of the stormy seas, and these effects are truly incredible. Perhaps more importantly, the film follows Junger's book in its portrayal of Gloucester and its community: A one industry town, where the residents feel obligated to the incredibly dangerous deep-sea fishing industry, even though they have lost so many of their citizens.

The cast is solid: Clooney fits well as Billy Tyne, the Andrea Gail's captain, and although he doesn't have a New England accent, there isn't much lost in that. Mark Wahlberg and Diane Lane are both very good as the only characters with any romance in their lives, and we truly feel the love and hope that they have for each other. John C. Reilly, William Fichtner, and the ever-tough Michael Ironside (is he EVER a good guy ?) round out the cast.

Junger's book was a fascinating and important story to tell, and Petersen has directed a fine film about man's battle against the sea and its consequences.

Well-made adaption of the best-selling non fiction book succeeds in being extremely suspenseful even when the final outcome is known. Characters are a little sketchy, though, and they don't come nearly as close as they could have to capturing the horror and ferocity of the sea as the book did. Diane Lane is very good in a supporting role of one of the women back home, although she looks a little too glamorous to be hanging around a bunch of smelly fishermen.

I never thought this would be a bad movie before I actually saw it. Since I saw Das Boot, I was convinced that Wolfgang Petersen is a great director. Das Boot is about a submarine in peril, The Perfect Storm about a fishing boat in trouble. In the end it is about the same theme ... a bunch of men fighting for their lives in the middle of the sea. Knowing this I was convinced that The Perfect Storm would be an excellent movie. But I was wrong ... If the director had cut out the first hour and focused on the struggle with the elements, this would have been a great movie, even an instant classic. Now it is a movie that will soon be forgotten.

If you think you have to watch this movie for the great acting, think again... The cast is OK and they probably did everything they could to make the best out of it, but it just isn't good enough to save the movie. Especially the first hour, before the boat gets in the middle of the storm, is unbelievably boring, far too emotional and oh so predictable. It seemed like everybody already knew what was going to happen, like they already knew the boat isn't going to return.

What I did like about the movie was the special effects. Thanks to these special effects, the movie really comes to life in the last section, when the storm hits. Those waves were absolutely terrifying. It almost feels like you'll be swept away by them yourself. You'll probably be on the edge of your seat during those storm sequences. If you see the movie, try seeing it on a big screen with a good sound system, I'm sure that's the best way to enjoy it.

Having said all this, I think you know why you should or shouldn't watch this movie. I gave it a 6/10 only because I loved those special effects.

Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio): Blly? Get outta there! Come about! Let it- let it carry you out of there! What the hell are you doing? Billy! For Christ sake! You're steaming into a bomb! Turn around for Christ sake! Billy, can ya hear me? You're headed right for the middle of the monster! Billy?...

Linda Greenlaw: ... Oh, my God!

Despite the passionate plea by Linda, this film is almost without actors. It is the special effects, sound, and stunt work that characterize it.

Sure, it has George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John C. Reilly, Diane Lane and more, but they are really secondary to the storm and the action of the ship and crew during that massive convergence of nature's power and fury.

Even those of us who see these monsters on land look in awe at their power and that makes for an enjoyable film.

Yes I know. I've heard all the complaints already. "That's not how it happened" (as if anybody really knows); "All of those events could not have co-occurred on the same boat in the same trip" (as if anybody really knows); etc. etc. Well, here's my answer - it's a movie, just a movie. Don't see a movie to learn about "what really happened" unless the film states very clearly that it is a documentary. Films are, like good books, supposed to tell you something true about people, about things that happen, and about life. They're not (even when they're placed in the documentary shoebox) necessarily about what really happened and how.

The Perfect Storm is a heavily fictionalized speculation concerning the experience of the Andrea Gayle and its crew during the 'storm of the century' in the early nineties. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg head a fine, under-appreciated cast, as regular yankee fishermen, their friends, and family, living in the Massachussetts town of Gloucester (pronounced "Glosta" for those of you from away). Billy Tyne (Clooney) is a once legendary long-line (swordfish) captain who is down on his luck and needs a big catch to bring himself back into the fold. He and his crew set out to find that catch on exactly the wrong day, in exactly the wrong place. The second half of the film is their attempt to get home, and also incorporates Coast Guard rescue action scattered all around the Atlantic during the massive storm.

Having lived in Maine for years, and having gotten myself thoroughly immersed in the ballads of Ruth Moore and the amazing New England Maritime culture, I have to admit that I was predisposed to like this film, despite all of the issues my fellow reviewers have harped on. And no, I haven't read the book, nor do I intend to. Still, in an attempt to be somewhat objective, I gave it an 8 and I'll give it an above average recommendation, but I will also say that my inclination was to give it an 9 or a 10.

This film mixes New England fishery and sailor lore, a few scattered facts about the Andrea Gayle Story, and a lot of dramatic license, to tell a story about the heroism of the average American and their families. It is also an homage to the the New England fishing industry and its traditions. Though it is easy to mistake the real life heroes (the Coast Guard operatives who saved so many lives during that storm) for the heroes of the film, the crew of the Andrea Gayle and their loved ones are the real heroes here - in their valiant efforts to save themselves, their boat, and their catch.

The performances and the script are strong and the characters very well realized (though fictionalized). Wahlberg and Clooney are great. Clooney gives the best performance I have seen him give. Some of the smaller parts deserve special mention - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Ironside, Diane Lane and John C. Reilly are always very good (or better), but I was unexpectedly charmed by John Hawkes, William Fichtner and Janet Wright.

It is impossible to discuss this film without talking about the amazing special effects. To summarize, the first time I saw The Perfect Storm, I actually had difficulty sleeping because I felt the bed rocking to the rhythm of imaginary waves each time my eyes closed. Had I seen it in a theater, I am convinced that I would have considered popping a dramamine. Although at times exaggerated, this is the best film re-creation of sea storms I have ever seen. Every scene is thoroughly believable and marvelously detailed, even down to the weird patchiness of an incoming torrent often called "the calm before the storm".

Obviously, I liked this film. And I will give it a strong recommendation with a couple of caveats. First - if you're not somebody who appreciates New England culture and understands something of the kind of humble heroism "Glosta Men" (and women) are expected to have, you might not get it completely. Second - if you come to this looking for a story that rings true in the sense of objective history, you have come to the wrong place. Otherwise, sit back with some popcorn and somebody you love, and enjoy the ride.

Perfect storm had some great moments of action overseas, and the special effects were done very well. However the characters and acting were not very good and too cliched. Wahlberg and Clooney try their best as the feuding sailors who must come together to save the day, however it seems as if Clooney underacted his part. Of course neither were as terrible as Wahlbergs girlfriend, she simply did not know how to act and did not belong in this movie. 6.5/10 for the action.

No, I'm not trying to be controversial, I really thought this was a terrible film. I was embarrassed by the awfulness of the script, the one-dimensional relationships between the characters and the cheesey emotions backed by that schmaltzy score. Fifteen minutes into the film it dawned on me that I would have to sit through 2 hours of this dirge. I only stayed in the hope that it would improve when the storm took hold. It did, only slightly, but even then the way in which the crew members on the boat related to each other made me very seasick! I won't bother to relate the particular moments that had me reaching for the sick-bag, anyway there were too many. I went to this film thinking that a combination of Clooney, Petersen, a dramatic story and serious special effects would surely produce some interesting results, I left lamenting what they done to the story and thinking about what could have been produced in more competent hands. I genuinely believe that all involved in this film should be ashamed of themselves! I will now try to banish it from my memory and go to see something worthwhile this weekend.

This movie tries hard, very hard, to make its characters so compelling that you really root for them and expect that somehow they will overcome extreme odds and make back home safely. Alas, it doesn't quite pull it off. The only character I feel any real compassion for is the George Clooney character as a modern day Ahab obsessed with making the catch he needs to make his boat expedition profitable. Even so, it is all a set up for one of the more downbeat endings ever put on the screen.

The stormy special effects are the best ever portrayed for a disaster at sea movie.

Having survived (barely, on land) the "No Name Storm" of 1991 on the coast of New England, I assure you this was a true story (I'm mentioning this for the New Zealand poster who said it was adapted from a novel and others who may not realize it really was a *true* story). Obviously, we can't know what was actually said or done once the Andrea Gail lost radio contact (and isn't that true of any movie based on "historical fact" - we can only surmise the actual dialog and conversations that may have taken place). However, the characters were based on the actual crew members and the Coast Guard did have to ditch one helicopter during the storm - from a story I read in People magazine, I'd say the portrayal of the Coast Guard's actions were accurate. I can't say I liked this movie - perhaps remembering the terror of that night (I lived in a seaside town and the ocean had come over the seawall and was filling up streets 3 and 4 blocks in from the beach) makes it difficult for me to watch this movie as entertainment. In answer to one post here, Clooney said that the Boston accent is one of the most difficult and he didn't even want to attempt it - Markie Mark is from Boston so it wasn't a stretch for him. The special effects are phenomenal of course...I just wish it had a different ending. By the way, the statue of the fisherman at the ship wheel shown at the beginning of the movie is an actual Gloucester landmark (and you can see it on Gorton frozen seafood products which come from Gloucester) - the legend on the base of the monument says, "Those that go down to the sea in ships..."

I went to see this movie in its opening weekend and I wasn't disappointed. Not exactly Petersen's best work, this picture delivers both in terms of great story-line and neatly generated effects. The story is gripping while the suspense is noticably intense.

All in all a great movie in line with 'Air Force One' and 'In The Line Of Fire'!!! (A perfect 8/10)

A beautifully sad story. I remember seeing the DVD cover at the video rental store when I was a child. Good times.

As many of the comments say, it's just a movie and, in the end, it doesn't accurately portray the reality of events.

Well, I don't know, I wasn't there, but we know that movies are dramatic and that's one of the reasons we love them so much.

The actors are excellent! Big names with decent performances. I remember wanting to see the film when I was a kid, but I never rented it.

However, I recently watched it on Max and regretted not having done so sooner. It's a good movie, give it a chance.

and little else. I like all the actors in this film and they do the best that they can...it's ALMOST enough. There are two main problems--1) Lousy dialogue--it was so inane and comic strip level...adults don't talk like this--heck, human beings don't talk like this! 2) The accents. It has been proved time and time again you can not imitate a New England accent (I'm from MA so I should know). Unfortunately, some of the cast tries. It sounds funny (people in my audience were giggling) and forced and very very fake. Diane Lane was easily the worst--she's a wonderful actress and it's always good to see her, but she should steer clear of doing accents. At least Mark Wahlberg has the accent anyways, so he sounds fine. Clooney wisely doesn't try.

That aside the movie was enjoyable. The acting is good (especially Clooney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and the special effects were superb. The movie really comes to life in the last section when the storm hits. You'll be on the edge of your seat all during those storm sequences. So, if you do see it, try seeing it on a big screen with a good sound system--that's the only way to really enjoy it!

I first saw this in the early 2k.

Revisited it recently.

The movie indeed looked as if the events are truly happening in an ocean experiencing a monstrous storm.

The star cast is amazing n all gave good performances.

"The Perfect Storm" is quite certainly a picture that drew me in, kept me interested and frequently caused me to hold my breath or grab the armrest on my chair. It's visually stunning - whatever special effects they use to create extreme weather have improved even in the few years since "Twister."

George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are both excellent actors and turn in fine performances here. The rest of the cast isn't really given much to do - they sit and look anxious and scream or cry or both occasionally, but not much beyond that.

The film's biggest flaw is important but not fatal. The very chaos of a hurricane that has been so effectively recreated here has a tendency to make the action hard to follow at times, especially during the sequences involving the Coast Guard helicopter and its crew. There's no real way to tell these characters apart, and that makes it somewhat difficult to develop much interest in what happens to them. Furthermore, the Coast Guard sequences mostly just serve to intrude upon the story and characters we really care about, the Andrea Gale and her crew.

It's too bad, because the stuff aboard the swordboat is pretty good. On the whole, a strong but not outstanding film.

No argument with the film's description: "Atlantic swells form 100-foot walls. Wind shrieks at a maxed-out Force 12. In October 1991 three raging weather fronts - one of them Hurricane Grace - combine to form the greatest storm in recorded history. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg lead a talented cast in this harrowing special-effects adventure that intercuts the plight of seafarers struggling to reach safe harbor with the heroics of air/sea rescue crews. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, 'The Perfect Storm' tosses excitement your way in waves."

There is an abundance of stormy special effects, but not enough character development. Mr. Wahlberg gets the best of the lackluster subplots, in romantic scenes with Diane Lane (as Christina Cotter). But, even this is lacking - where'd the black eye come from, anyway, rough sex? The intercutting of characters we know next-to-nothing about (in the other boats and helicopters) is sometimes confusing; and, however exciting, it make no sense because, obviously more time should have been spent showing the six main "Andrea Gail" seafarers.

***** The Perfect Storm (6/26/00) Wolfgang Petersen ~ George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane

It is inescapable fact that it is very difficult to take real-life events and translate them into an interesting and thrilling movie. Ron Howard perfected the art with "Apollo 13" and now Wolfgang Petersen continues on with "The Perfect Storm".

This story of Gloucester, MA. fishermen who go out for one last try at a big payoff in a slumping season packs quite a wollup once they get caught up in an event that had never before been recorded: the perfect storm. From there, you have to suspend belief just a bit and drink in the events occurring aboard the Andrea Gail. It's not tough, as the cast delivers them perfectly.

George Clooney may have played his signature role as Capt. Billy Tyne, skipper of the ill-fated Andrea Gail on that fateful day in 1991. Clooney comes off as neither overly glamorous, or bigger than life, but as a simple common man just trying to break his fishing slump and bring home a big payday for his boss, his crew, and himself. When George relaxes and puts himself into a role, he is better off, and Capt. Tyne is the pinnacle of that for him.

Mark Wahlberg comes on board as Bobby Shatford, a rookie fisherman who is trying to make a better life for himself and his girlfriend Chris (nicely played by Diane Lane). Bobby is the only character given equal depth to Billy and comes off with the same impression: a good guy who was trying hard to make a better life. Very nicely done here as well.

Supporting cast is good, John C. Reilly as Dale "Murph" Murphy, William Fichtner as David "Sully" Sullivan, a late arrival to the Andrea Gail's crew, Michael Ironside as the profit first Bob Brown. All of these stellar characterizations and serve brilliantly to put you into Gloucester of 1991.

Wolfgang Petersen has created a gripping film, full of chillingly realistic special effects. He skillfully took Sebastian Junger's novel and tweaked it to fit the confines of the motion picture screen. Casting and acting by all involved was perfect and you never once feel like anything is overacted or overly dramatic, just that you are somehow involved with the fear that had to have been involved on that night.

4 1/2 out of 5

Isn't it true that the catastrophes are the most awesome phenomena in the world? When watching news on TV, the most interest goes to the reports on crashes and nature disasters, especially those causing mass death. Isn't it because it's the manifestation of our subordination to the untamed elementals? Isn't it what makes us see that all this high-tech world and all our intelligence are still far from providing absolute safety for the mankind? So, the catastrophe movies were, are and I think will remain attractive in the nearest future.

As for the movie itself, it's difference from the many other movies of the kind (nature catastrophes) is that it's based on the true story. Moreover, the hazard of being caught in a storm is a part of a fisherman's job and life. That's what makes this movie really believable. The special effects, to my opinion, are not 100% perfect, but then again, where they are? Yet, what could be imagined about the combination of wind, rain, ocean, and a ship, - it was. At certain scenes it seems the imagination of the creators is going beyond the reality, but no one could prove they're right or wrong. However, it's better to think not about it while watching the movie. To get most of it, just watch it. No analyzing, no mocking (except the scenes made just for this), and you would participate in the action.

It was over acted, over rated, and inaccurate (no PFDs, that's life vests for land lovers, during the storm, oh please). I was robbed of my money and time. Even if you like George Clooney, personally he doesn't do much for me, it wasn't worth seeing. I rated this a 1 and I'm being generous.