The Perfect Storm (2000)

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers (WGA):

Sebastian Junger (book)
William D. Wittliff (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Action | Thriller

Tagline:

In the Fall of 1991, the "Andrea Gail" left Gloucester, Mass. and headed for the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later, an event took place that had never occurred in recorded history.

Plot:

An unusually intense storm pattern catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger.

Plot Keywords:

Storm | Fishing | Ice | Sea | Fishing Boat

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

George Clooney	...	Captain Billy Tyne
Mark Wahlberg	...	Bobby Shatford
Diane Lane	...	Christina Cotter
John C. Reilly	...	Dale 'Murph' Murphy
William Fichtner	...	David 'Sully' Sullivan
John Hawkes	...	Mike 'Bugsy' Moran
Allen Payne	...	Alfred Pierre
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Linda Greenlaw
Karen Allen	...	Melissa Brown
Cherry Jones	...	Edie Bailey
Bob Gunton	...	Alexander McAnally III
Christopher McDonald	...	Todd Gross
Michael Ironside	...	Bob Brown
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Irene 'Big Red' Johnson
Janet Wright	...	Ethel Shatford

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and scenes of peril.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37526) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Dana Point, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Spring Creek Productions

Trivia:

The first movie the crew of the Andrea Gail watches right before Bobby confronts Billy, is Pale Rider (1985).

Goofs:

Continuity: The story is set in late October, in Massachusetts, when leaves would already have turned color, yet in shots with the hillsides in view, the trees are all green.

Quotes:

Captain Billy Tyne: I always find the fish. Always!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

Soundtrack:

No Woman, No Cry

Entertaining

I like films like this. The characters have depth and are interesting or likeable. The whole film has that gritty, gray look to it. There's no generic hero type and the bad guy is the storm. Peterson did a great job with this film. I believe it is his best directorial job. The movie is well cast and my only negative thing is that the great Christopher McDonald was hardly used at all (almost just a cameo). This is a great movie for DVD. Good effects, acting, and music. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly.