"I’ve got a girl at home I can’t stand to be away from…And then again, I love to fish": Mark Wahlberg to George Clooney, in what has to be the most embarrassingly bad line of dialogue in a movie this year.
Said movie is "The Perfect Storm", which has the dubious honor of rounding out this summer’s spate of highly disappointing blockbusters. Cliché dialogue, an anticlimactic finale and lack of suitable tension is only partly saved by the draw power of it’s two major stars, Mr. Clooney and Mr. Wahlberg.
A true story, based on the book by Sebastian Junger, focuses on a devastating storm that hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts in October of 1991. The strongest hurricane recorded in history, it was actually three separate storms that collided, energized each other, and combined to form the perfect storm. With much debate, the hurricane was never named, and has since been referred to as the "no-name storm" or the "perfect storm". The hurricane posed no danger to those on land, but devastated any ships within it’s path, with waves reaching heights up to 100 feet (30 meters), and winds kicking up to 120 mph (193 kph).
The film focused on the terrifying journey of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat that unexpectedly found itself smack dab in the eye of the storm.
In the beginning of the film, the audience is introduced to the ship’s crew as they hang out at the local dive bar, waiting to set sail. At the helm is Captain Billy Tyne (Mr. Clooney), a seasoned sailor who is more comfortable on the sea than on land, and who needs to increase his catch quota or risk losing his boat. At the Captain’s side is Bobby Shatford (Mr. Wahlberg), his young protégé who holds as much love for the sea as for the beloved girlfriend (Diane Lane as Christina Cotter) he must always leave behind. Other major players that round out the crew include Murph (John C. Reilly), Bugsy (John Hawkes), Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne) and Sully (William Fichtner). Initial tension is created between Sully and Murph as a little foreshadowing for a dramatic reconciliation.
As Billy sets sail from Gloucester, he has only one thing in mind: catch lots-o-fish. After an initially slow spell, Billy decides to relocate his crew into the Flemish Cap, a remote and potentially dangerous area of the Atlantic, but an area in which they were almost guaranteed to get the retirement catch. His crew is at first dubious, but the thought of being able to pull out of their season-long slump was too intoxicating to ignore. That decision would be one of a several that would ultimately seal their fates.
While the crew of the Andrea Gail encountered the best fishing of their careers, the storm with no name began to heat up. But by the time the men realized the enormity of their situation, it was too late. It was now up to the experience and bravery of Captain Tyne and his crew to try and make it home alive.
The film shuttled between the adventures of the Andrea Gail and the worried family and friends they left behind. One subplot, which never really tied in well with the film, but was, ironically, one of the few scenes which conveyed emotionally dramatic tension, was the search and rescue of another boat by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Air National Guard.
With his trademark stubble and confident swagger, Mr. Clooney is just the kind of guy you’d want to lead the charge through a disaster zone. Although he does a palatable job, the film itself doesn’t have the subtle touch that would allow for building tensions and dramatic, heart-stopping moments. Although a lot of bucks were spent on special effects (and the sound IS amazing), the audience never quite senses the enormity of the "the biggest storm in history". Sure…waves are crashing, crew members are being tossed around like a loose cork in a bathtub, the boat is starting to look like a loose can of pick-up-stix. Yeah….and?
It’s almost as if the director was in such a hurry to show off the latest bag-o-tricks from Industrial Light & Magic, he forgot he had to keep an otherwise bored audience riveted for 2 ½ long hours.
THE PERFECT STORM **
Genre: Biopic/action/adventure/thriller/drama
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 150 minutes
Released by: Warner Brothers
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Written by Bill Wittliff, based on the book by Sebastian Junger. Produced by Paula Weinstein, Mr. Petersen and Gail Katz. released by Warner Brothers. Running time: 150 minutes. This film is rated PG-13.
Starring George Clooney (Capt. Billy Tyne), Mark Wahlberg (Bobby Shatford), Diane Lane (Christina Cotter), William Fichtner (Sully), Karen Allen (Melissa Brown), Allen Payne (Alfred Pierre), Bob Gunton (Alexander McAnally III), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Linda Greenlaw) and John C. Reilly (Murph).
The film is a true account of the courageous men and women who risk their lives every working day, pitting their fishing boats and rescue vessels agai...More at HotMovieSale.com
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 ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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