Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20909 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-27
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds
• Running time: 130 minutes

Review
Director Wolfgang Petersen returns to form after the disappointing Air Force One (1997) with this taut, detailed account of 1991's "storm of the century." Though the film's landlocked melodrama never takes off -- most of it consists of the fishermen's significant others biting their nails and overacting -- the action at sea is tense, believable, and completely unrelenting. Petersen adeptly mixes CGI visual effects with impressive soundstage recreations and location footage, as he charts the doomed course of crazily-determined skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) and his more cautious neophyte crewman Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg, in a standout performance). Though the film's dark, complex set pieces have the potential to be murky and convoluted, Petersen never shortchanges the audience with confusing logistics, shaky camerawork, or jumpy editing. In every scene, there's a palpable, specific sense of the risk and danger involved -- so much so that James Horner's cloying score seems redundant and superficial. One particularly sore spot: the talented Karen Allen is underused as a yachtswoman caught in the eye of the storm; it's as if her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

On the DVD
3 dynamic documentaries:
HBO first look: Creating The Perfect Storm
Witnesses to the storm: Recollections of the 1991 events that inspired the book
Creating an emotion:
Composer James Horner at work
3 commentaries;
Director Wolfgang Petersen
Author Sebastian Junger
Visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and visual effects producer Helen Ostenberg Elswitt
Yours Forver: Photo montage
Theatrical trailer

Synopsis
In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

Once upon a time...
... movies (the best as well as the worst) were made by people (actors & actresses, writers and directors), and used special effects to enhance the show. Nowadays, 'Special Effects' are the show, the story is written by accountants (whose creativity in accounting should not be extended out of this domain, since their concern is not about moviegoers, but shareholders), and, if actors are not yet out of work, it's only because their sex life can be used in tabloids to promote the release of the movie. But, of course, for those who think McDo is the most enjoyable culinary experience, they should not be disappointed.

Movies shouldn't be this bad
First, let me tell you that in my film study class at the school where I teach, this and Final Destination are the two most cited films of what not to do. Why? My biggest complaint about The Perfect Storm is that there is no main character. Initially, the audience is led to believe that it is Mark Wahlberg (Bobby), but then you become unsure when George Clooney (Capt. Tyne) comes on the scene. But that isn't even the worst of it. Generally, when a movie picks a main character, the main character is who tells the story and any scenes that don't have the main character in them must in some way relate to the main character. The Perfect Storm never does this. We follow the weather man predicting "The Perfect Storm" (He even says that and I can't stand the line when he does.) We follow the crew of a rescue helicopter. We follow the passengers on a touring sail boat that are caught in the storm. The only lee way that can be given on this is when the people that are actually attached to the sailors on the Andrea Gail are shown worrying about it. In the end, my final vote on the main character is the Andrea Gail-Yes, that's right. I voted for the boat, because it is the only consistent thing that we come back to.

Second big criticism is how hard they push the relationships, especially the ones that never existed. The first 45 minutes of the movie are dedicated to making us think that all of these sailors have the most incredible, most sincere, most loving relationships of any sailors in the world. I'm assuming that this is so we will feel really bad when they all die. Well, I thought it was sad that it was a true story and that they all died, but the only relationship that I really thought meant anything was between the boy and his father-the father, Murph (John C. Reilly), really seemed devoted to and cared about his son. The last thing he thought about was how this was going to upset his son. All of the other relationships were so forced, I thought they were funny-I hope that doesn't sound morbid.

Last criticism-This movie should end when the last contact with the Andrea Gail by the other ship captain, Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), because that is the last we actually hear from the ship. Everything that takes place after that is only to add suspense to a movie that we already know ends in disaster. For all we know, the crew of the Andrea Gail could have decided to turn around and sail for England, sold its catch and are now living like Kings in the Canary Islands. What happened, happened, what didn't, well, let's leave that be.

I must admit that the special effects were remarkably well done and came across as being seamless-though I am by no means an expert on special effects. Other than that, this story lacked from head to toe.

Interesting, but it just doesn't resonate on an emotional level
Well, my love for disaster movies finally conquered my utter disdain for George Clooney, and I watched The Perfect Storm. The fact that the film is based on a true story in which several men did lose their lives makes it a little difficult to review, as I feel compelled to temper some of the comments I might have otherwise made. I'm sure the tragedy of the actual events made it hard to film, as well -- and I think that explains the slow-moving, problematic opening 30-40 minutes. The obvious intent is for us to get to know the men of the Andrea Gail, to see what life is like in a New England fishing community, and to see why and how these men risked the hardships of sword fishing out on the open ocean. It's not an easy life -- leaving loved ones behind for days or weeks on end, working like a dog to haul in giant fish without being injured or killed in any number of ways, never knowing if you were even going to catch enough to fish make the trip worthwhile. For some, it's about the money -- not greed, just a desperate need for the money to take care of you and yours. Mostly, though, it's about the love -- love for the sea, for fishing, etc. A lot of jobs don't really define the man (or woman) -- but a sword fisherman is a sword fisherman. That's what Billy Tyne was, but he was also a man on a losing streak, and his effort to redeem himself and his men led the Andrea Gail straight into disaster.

Unfortunately, in terms of the movie itself, the first 30-40 minutes are insufferably long, failing to make me care about any of the characters -- even Diane Lane grated on my nerves as the girlfriend who didn't want her man to go back out again. Then the boat finally sails, and the men go fishing. An hour's gone by, and you're wondering when this storm is ever going to show up. As for Tyne and his crew, things just aren't right from the start -- they're not catching a significant number of fish, a couple of guys are almost killed, the crewmen are fighting amongst themselves, and no one is the least bit happy. Ignoring all these ominous signs, Tyne decides to head on east way over to the Flemish Cap, caring little for the weather at his back -- until it's time to head home, of course. You would think a fisherman, more than any other person in the world, would have a healthy respect for the weather. Tyne knows there's extremely rough weather in between the Andrea Gale and home, but he and his men decide to plow on through rather than risk losing all of the fish they have finally caught. Unbeknownst for the most part to Tyne and his guys, weather conditions are now going to heck in a hand basket, as a huge hurricane, another burgeoning hurricane, and an area of dangerously low pressure smack together to form the 1991 Halloween Nor'easter ("the perfect storm") -- and the Andrea Gale is heading right down its throat.

Alongside the life-and-death struggle that now plays out aboard the Andrea Gale, we also get the chance to observe the efforts of Coast Guard rescuers trying to save the lives of some stranded boaters. A yacht on its way to Bermuda proves its just plain dumb "all I need's a compass" captain a complete and utter fool, and a helicopter is dispatched to try and save the three individuals onboard. Unlike the footage of the Andrea Gale's struggle, the Coast Guard rescue effort is downright compelling -- and gets even more compelling later on when the rescuers themselves need rescuing. The film is a great tribute to these real-life heroes (one of whom was lost during the events chronicled here); you just can't say enough about these brave guys. It's a pity the entire film wasn't about them.

It's actually rather surprising just how little I, as a viewer, emotionally invested in the story of the Andrea Gale. The crewmen weren't men I really liked, especially the headstrong captain who puts his own selfish needs over the welfare of his crew, and they did pretty much know what they were getting into when they decided to risk heading home through the storm. The special effects were impressive, but for me, the emotion of the whole tragedy just never manifested itself in this story -- and that is the main weakness of the film.