The Perfect Storm Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)July 2nd, 2000
'3BlackChicks Review...'
THE PERFECT STORM (2000)
Rated R; running time 135 minutes
Genre: Drama/Action
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0177971
Official site: http://www.perfectstorm.net/
Written by: William D. Wittliff (based on the book by Sebastian Junger) Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, John C. Reilly, John Hawkes, William Fichtner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Ironside, Allen Payne, Janet Wright, Karen Allen,
Bob Gunton (Alexander McAnally III), Rusty Schwimmer (Big Red), Josh Hopkins (Lt. Barry Ennis), Cherry Jones (Edie Bailey), Dash Mihok (Lt. Kenny Mitchell)
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamsperfect.html
There's a scene in THE PERFECT STORM where the six Glouchester swordfishermen look out over the bow of their ship and see nothing but plain ugly skies coming ahead of them, knowing full well that they'd soon be heading into that ugliness, since home was that'away. As a frequent long-distance motorcyclist, I could Feel Their Pain; many a day have I put on my raingear and cursed the sky for what it was about to let loose on me. But after seeing this movie, and remembering that it was based on a true story, I think it'll be a long time before I complain about Nasty Weather again...
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**):
Based on the true story, THE PERFECT STORM tells of a group of Glouchester, Massachusetts swordfishermen in October 1991 who find themselves caught up in something much bigger than themselves, and who only want to get through it and go home.
Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) feels the pressure to Go Fish put on him by the owner of the boat he loves so much--the "Andrea Gail"; owner Bobby Brown (Michael Ironside) compares Billy unfavorably to fellow captain Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), who just brought in a near-record haul of swordfish. Needing to get out of his slump, for pride's sake as well as to make money for himself and his crew, Billy convinces crewmen Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale "Murph" Murphy (John C. Reilly), David "Sully" Sullivan (William Fichtner), Michael "Bugsy" Moran (John Hawkes) and Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne), to go out one more time that fatal October. The October when three monster storms converged on their Atlantic fishing grounds to create the perfect storm.
The Upshot:
This film had a ton of hype, from awareness of the book by Sebastian Junger and especially from the trailer depicting the huge tidalwave the "Andrea Gail" tried to ride out. And from my seat, it lived up to the hype--and then some.
[It's almost a joke to me that sharing the results of this true story could be considered giving away spoiler info, but I'll play along].
The human stories revolving around that tragic incident, were intensely played--especially the relationship between Bobby and his girlfriend Christina (Diane Lane). Generally speaking, Mark Wahlberg doesn't move me much; but he and Lane had a chemistry in their short screen time together that made their love story seem almost epic. And a "love story" of a different kind, between George Clooney's Captain Billy and Walberg's Bobby, was best realized during their storm scenes together. The two actors are said to have a great working relationship, and it showed (though an early scene where Billy tells Bobby his Reason For Being A Fisherman, felt somewhat stilted). Clooney gets much lip for the underwhelming movies he's been in, with implications made that he's just a Hollywood Pretty Boy with more connections than talent. I don't know about all that, but he comes across as Just Folks in the interviews that I've seen of him; and his excellent portrayal of Billy Tyne in "Perfect" should quiet any rumblings about his perceived lack of talent.
Good, too, were the performances by supporting players John C. Reilly (as Murph, a newly divorced dad who, much to my surprise, got along decently with his ex), William Fichtner (as Sully, who Murph decidedly did not get along well with), and especially John Hawkes as Bugsy. "Especially", I say, because Bugsy's short time with Irene was as sweet as Bobby and Christina's more intense love story, while having the added benefit of seeming more downhome; more real.
I found fault with what seemed at first to be an inexplicable inclusion of a second rescue attempt involving a sailboat in the Bahamas. Aside from the strange leap of logic that involved [uh, isn't Massachusetts damn near a country away from the Bahamas? So, uh, why would the same US Coast Guard crew try to rescue both that sailboat and the "Andrea Gail"? And uh, was there no other crew available anywhere near Massachusetts?], that subplot seemed an unnecessary distraction to the main story at first. And as usual, Karen Allen (as Melissa Brown, one of the people on the sailboat) proved once again that her pinnacle performance, in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, was more a fluke than a breakthrough. All was made Right, however, when the Coast Guard rescuers came along; the story itself picked up, and the remarkable scenes with the helicopter crew, negated any Issues I had with Allen.
But to be sure, the storm itself, and the depiction of such in this movie, was as real a "character" as any of the human players involved. I heard more than one person in the audience say that they felt like they were right in the thick of the storm; that's a pretty accurate description of my experience while watching those roiling waters. I'm not one to get seasick, but I felt like I needed some Dramamine after watching this flick. And not just from the waves, either; the movie jumped from Bermuda to "Boston" and back so rapidly at points, I got dizzy from trying to keep up. This was made more difficult by the fact that I couldn't always hear the dialogue over the storm, most especially with most of Allen Payne's dialogue. I was able to get the general drift, but I think I'll have to watch "Perfect" a second time to catch what I missed. Not that I mind seeing it again.
THE PERFECT STORM could've made the mistake of being only and solely about that huge tidalwave--and more to the point, about the whiz-bang computerized special effects that went into making a movie storm--forgetting about the human story behind the tragedy. I am glad it did not; and further, I'm surprised that the movie encompassed far more than the story of the ill-fated crew of the "Andrea Gail". Though he did so at times to the detriment of that central story, director Wolfgang Petersen skillfully included the tale of folk who tried to rescue the fishermen as well (not having read the book, I can't know whether this was more Junger's doing, or Petersen's; either way, I can diggit). And though there could've been more backstory shown, and especially more attention paid to the folks left on-shore (more, that is, than just Bobby's girlfriend Christina, or his mother Ethel, played by Janet Wright), I found myself more often than not, riveted by the action on the screen. And, the drama got my attention, too.
The "Black Factor" [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith]:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Allen Payne (who played Alfred Pierre, the Other brother who was gettin' much love from a chick on-shore). Very remiss--considering the fact that the movie didn't mention him much. He seemed to disappear into the background, like a speck of dust caught up in a towering tidalwave; except for the interest of historical accuracy (and not a little need for Diversity, I bet), he may as well not have been here. Mebbe this flick was just too big for him, who knows; perhaps a more authentic islander should've been cast (what was that accent supposed to be, anyway? For all I know, Alfred could've been a Frenchman, not a West Indian). But it sure was a long way from his best work to date, JASON'S LYRIC, to his imitation of driftwood here.
Bammer's Bottom Line:
I have to admit that I mis(pre)judged this "book" by its cover; unlike that Titanic joke, THE PERFECT STORM is a spectacular blend of heart-pounding action and heart-breaking, heart-felt drama. If Wolfgang Petersen and company--and yes, that does include George Clooney--don't get some kind of Oscars recognition for this one, there's something fishy goin' on here...
THE PERFECT STORM (rating: greenlight):
A whale of a tale.
Rose "Bams" Cooper /~\
Webchick and Editor, /','\ 3BlackChicks Review /','`'\
Movie Reviews With Flava! /',',','/`, Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 `~-._'c /
EMAIL: [email protected] `\ ( http://www.3blackchicks.com/ /====\
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